Inn this free groove construction lesson you will learn a new right hand accent movement for grooves in the time signature of 9/8. This is going to involve playing a straight run of eighth notes on the right hand with an accent placed on every numbered count. These accents emphasize the down beats of 9/8 in compound time so are useful for both playing a more solid beat or for highlighting offbeats and syncopation played on other parts of the kit. The right hand will be jumping from standard strokes to accents and it is important to keep the arm relaxed from the shoulder down to allow this movement to flow. The Moeller Technique is great for movements like this, a link to a lesseon showing this on youtube is given below.
At the bottom of the page you will find links to other free groove construction lessons that will be useful both in learning the given parts and for developing the idea. Several examples of this movement are shown below, use these parts as a basis for building your own grooves.
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
TASK
- Using the 2 minute rule, get all grooves up to a tempo of at least 140bpm.
- Create further variations on these grooves.
- Apply these grooves to a phrased piece as either the 'A' or 'B' section.
- Explore further free groove construction lessons around the site.
