In this lesson you will be learning a variation on an existing 'Multi Layered' grooves, this time playing a '332' rhythm on the right hand and switching the the left to straight eighth notes. Common time snares are then fitted in around the syncopated right hand to create several layers of rhythm. This is a complicated concept and will take a lot of practice to become comfortable with as you will be thinking about several things at once.
To build up the grooves on this page you first need to be familiar with what the hands are doing. The left hand is the easy bit, that will just play eighth notes and are best orchestrated to the left of the kit. The hi hat is the most obvious option but crash, splash or percussion items are also a viable option. The right hand is where the interesting stuff happens. For the grooves in this lesson the left will be playing a 332 Rhythm somewhere on the right of the kit. I will be notating on rides but percussion, china or even a second hi hat are also options. In this first example, the right hand is shown on the left and the the left hand on the right
Then the two hands are combined:
This is where it starts to get tricky. Work through the part taking particular note of at which point the hands fall together. Use the counting provided to also help with the note placement. It is also worth noting that the two halves of the bar are exactly the same at this point. Spend time getting comfortable with this two handed pattern, starting at a low tempo and gradually building up to around 130bpm. The next step is to add in the common time snares and this is shown below.
First of all note that the rhythm stays exactly the same and the snares are falling with what was just a ride on beats 2 and 4. To achieve this the right is going to jump from the ride on the 'a' count straight over to the snare on the following numbered count. That will be quite a quick movement and will be one of the tougher parts of the groove. That is the full hand pattern though so once you are comfortable with the movements and your note placement is accurate you can have a go at adding in some bass drums.
On the remainder of the page I have shown that hand pattern given above with various kick patterns you commonly see when learning a new part. Take your time with each groove, make sure all notes are falling accurately and your technique is good before working on tempo.
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
Example 6
Example 7
Example 8
TASK
- Learn all steps upto a tempo of at least 125bpm.
- Experiment with different kick placements underneath the given hand part.
- Orchestrate the rhythms shown on the ride and hi hat above.
- Try using a different syncopated rhythm for the left hand.
