Dotted 8th Note Backbeat In A 6/8 Groove

In this lesson you will be learning an idea for syncopating a 6/8 groove in a manner that makes it feel more like a 4/4 pattern. To achieve this you will be switching the rhythmic base of the part from the standard eighth or dotted quarter note to a dotted eighth note. This rhythm has been covered solely on the right hand in This Lesson and I would advise working through this lesson first as it will give you an understanding of the rhythm used here.

To achieve the sound we are after, you will take that right hand idea and play alternating kicks and snares under it. This is simple enough, the difficulty will come later on when we start switching from a standard feel to this pattern. That straight pattern looks like this:

The next this I think it is important to do here is add in a left foot count. This will keep you rooted in the time signature and will help with adding decoration to the groove and with switching between different feels. Below is that same pattern with the right hand on the ride with a left foot added as eighth notes.

As you can see, the snare beat falls in between the left foot. This can be a co ordination challenge so spend some time playing this slowly, making sure all notes are falling where they should.

Listed below are a couple of variations on this base part which are built by adding in extra bass drums. Use these given examples as a basis for building your own grooves using this idea. In all examples I have left in that left foot count as I feel this is very useful within this kind of syncopated pattern.

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

TASK

1. Using the 2 minute rule, get all grooves up to a tempo of at least 140bpm.
2. Create further variations on these grooves.
3. Apply these grooves to a phrased piece as either the 'A' or 'B' section.
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As discussed above, the toughest part of this pattern is applying it in context. You will be switching the fundamental feel of the part and that can often cause jumps in timing and generally make your part sloppy. Listed below are three quick examples of four bar parts where a straight 6/8 pattern is played for three bars followed by a fourth that has this syncopated feel. It is essential that pulse remains constant through the whole part so keep that left foot going and play along to a metronome.

Phrase 1

Phrase 2

Phrase 3