Counting Gaps

In some songs you will come across sections of music where you are told to stop for a set number of beats. You may see a note played a the start of a bar followed by a few bars of rest. Sometimes it is beneficial to count this empty space with quarter notes played with your left foot on the hi hat. Why? If you are playing this song with a band, doing this will help keep everything in time as they will have that rhythm to follow. It is suggested to use the left foot on the hi hat as it is a distinct sound every one will be able to make out, but it is subtle enough to sit nicely in the background of the music. If your band is useless at keeping time, it is a good idea to do this!

This concept is pretty straight forward. Below is a piece of music that is 12 bars long. We have a groove in the second line, a section where you stop and keep time with your left foot, a fill then back into a groove for the last line.


A short piece with a gap to keep time in

TASK

  1. Learn the example shown above.

This idea can also be applied when the song starts with no drums.

Lessons

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