In this lesson you will be taking the multi layered groove concept that combined a right hand quarter note with a left hand offbeat double sixteenth and reversing those hands. This means the left will now be playing the quarter notes and the right the double sixteenths as well as the back beat. There is a lot about this groove that can cause problems, playing the quarter notes need to be played firmly with a hand that is traditionally weaker and playing the back beat on the right can really feel wierd.
Through this groove the left hand will be playing quarter notes somewhere on the left hand side of the kit, so the hi hat, splash and crash are amongst your options. The right hand will be playing an offbeat double 16th note pattern somewhere on the right hand side of the kit whilst also playing the backbeat on the snare. This means there will be some quick movements with the right hand. On this page I will break the pattern down before providing several examples of kick placement.
Right Hand Part
The right hand is the slightly more complex part of this groove so let's start with that. On each '+ a' count you will be hitting a hi hat with the right and then on beats 2 and 4 you will jump over to the snare. That looks like this:
On it's own this part isn't too complicated but it will help to be very comfortable with it before adding in the left hand. Spend some time playing this part now and make sure your technique remains good through the quick movement.
Adding The Left Hand
The left hand is just going to play quarter notes and I will notate these for the hi hat to start off with. All left hands will fall in between the rights and the snares will fall with a right hand. That will look like this:
Whilst your are familiarizing yourself with the pattern keep the hi hats closed. Focus on the quick hi hat to snare movement and try to keep it relaxed.
Simple Kicks
In this step you will be adding bass drums on beats 1 and 3, that will look like this:
More Complex Kick Patterns
In the following examples of different kick placements. I will be mixing up the orchestration of the hands to show you the wide variety of options you have.
The important rule to follow is that the left hand needs to stay on the left hand side of the kit and the right on the right hand side.
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
Example 6
TASK
- Learn all exercises up to a tempo of at least 150bpm.
- Experiment with orchestration.
- Apply this pattern to a phrased example as either the groove or fill.
