Putting It All Together
It is important to remember that the reason you learn all the techniques, exercises and beats is so you can use them in songs. This lesson contains some longer drum parts using typical Hip-Hop beats and fills.
By listening to artists’ recordings you can hear the way the drums work with the other instruments. Learn each part from memory and then play along with a metronome or drum machine. Use these parts as a springboard to creating your own ideas and improvisations. Have fun with them!
As you play this song, make sure your right hand stays nice and loose - it’s crucial if you want to keep a groove like this moving for any serious length of time.
This piece features a repeating 6-bar form and gets its choppy motion from kicks with choked hi-hats.
Experiment with the nature of this shuffled groove. For example, have a go at pushing the snare on 2a and the kick on 3a back further than a normal triplet-based shuffle. You can get away with a lot if you are consistent, making sure any nuances and imperfections are the same in every bar. This sort of repeated "wobbliness" was introduced to the style by producers wielding samplers.
This busy piece contains a few tricky little 16th note triplet licks. Take your time with them and practice them slowly to get them under your hands.
