Different Hi-hat Sounds
Let’s try changing the sounds of the hi-hats here. Make sure the clutch isn’t gripping the top hi-hat cymbal too tight. Instead of hitting the hi-hat with the tip of your stick try hitting with the shoulder of the stick across the top.
Do not hack into the side of the hats, or you will drastically increase the mortality rate of your sticks and your cymbals. Have your left foot down holding the hats together, but not too tightly. This should create a thicker "chshh" sound from your hats rather than a tight "tik" sound.
Now try pushing your stick into the hats after you hit them - following through the stroke. (This is the opposite the way you should be hitting the drums in most situations- allowing the sticks to bounce off the drums.)
You don’t have to push very hard; just keeping the stick in contact with the cymbals and push them down slightly. This will create a big sound with an unusual decay and can really provide momentum for mid-tempo 8th-note based grooves. Do your best to not let your hands tense up.
It is worth pointing out at here that although we are gradually moving from simple beats to more complicated ones, it does not follow that the more complex beats are better for any given musical situation. On the contrary; much Hip-Hop and R&B is characterized by spacious grooves and/or simple beats, well executed. Also to be valued is consistency over any other technical aspect.
Many great Hip-Hop tracks use cheap sounding drums, lo-fi recording and amateur players, but because most of it has been chopped up and looped it sounds the same every bar and our brains get used to it; it starts to feel good and MCs will be happy to rap over it. As live drummers this is quite a challenge to reproduce, but when it works it is extremely rewarding.
These very busy patterns are great exercises and work well in certain situations, but may earn you a reputation as one who doesn’t leave much space in the music for anyone else. Use responsibly!
Know Your Drums…
Electronic Drum Kit
Electronic drum kits work by using sensor pads in place of drums and cymbals which are connected to a processor (sometimes called a drum brain). This gives them generic qualities and features. The sample libraries in these processors can store thousands of sounds, meaning that a huge number of kits and effects are available to the user. Modern kits have quite sensitive pads that can approximate differences in tone and volume and the materials used can come close to recreating the feel of acoustic drums.
This pattern will flow better with more emphasis on the quarter note beats (1, 2, 3, 4) and lighter bass drums on the off-beats.
Having a ghost note before an accent with the left hand is very difficult to get fast, but keep at it, keep relaxed and you may surprise yourself. Like we did with our leg earlier with the fast bass-drum exercises, try to get both strokes out as one smooth motion with your arm.
If you can master this pattern, it’s worth saving for special occasions like the break-down section of a song, where nobody else but you is playing.
Playing Songs
Now try this eight bar groove which contains variations and fills featuring both the snare and bass drums. Learn it perfectly at a slow tempo and then gradually increase your metronome speed until you can play it comfortably.
It is also essential to get together with other musicians regularly and try out all your grooves in a band situation. Learn drum parts from as many actual songs as you can and experiment with them to create your own parts. If you do this regularly, you’ll soon have a repertoire and be ready to play gigs!
