Creating Variations

Lesson 3/41 | Study Time: 5 Min
Course: Introducing Drums
Creating Variations

Creating Variations

To play the drums well, you need to be able to place any kind of note on or in between any beat with any limb independently from the parts played by the other limbs. A good way to start developing this ability is to play a basic beat and then vary one of the parts.

The following examples should help you become confident with varying your snare drum parts. First try example 35 which uses only the right and left hands. There is no count written beneath this example, but you should know the system well enough by now to count the snare drum hits louder than the hi-hats.

Now try the following examples which make use of the right and left hands along with the right foot. When you are comfortable with these, try making up some variations of your own.

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Peter Gelling

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Class Sessions

1- The Triplet 2- The Dotted Quarter Note 3- Beats Based on Eighth Notes 4- The Eighth Note 5- INTRODUCTION 6- Playing Notes Together 7- Playing Fills 8- Rests 9- Sounds of the Drums 10- Using the Left Foot 11- The Three Four Time Signature 12- 16 Positions for Sixteenth Notes 13- Sixteenth Notes 14- The Shuffle 15- Notating Swing Rhythms 16- 12 Note Positions for Triplets 17- Creating Variations 18- Snare Drum Control 19- Creating Your Own Beats 20- Using the Hi-Hat Cymbals 21- The Cymbals 22- The Tom Toms 23- Playing the Open Hi-Hat 24- A Final Solo 25- Before You Begin 26- Ghost Notes 27- Musical Form 28- Singing What You Play 29- Snare Drum Control 30- Counting Drum Beats 31- Playing Drum Beats 32- How to Sit at the Drums 33- Fills Using Triplets6 34- How to Hold the Drum Sticks 35- Understanding Music 36- How to Read Drum Music 37- Music Notes 38- Note and Rest Values 39- The Grand Staff 40- Notes Used in Drum Beats 41- The Keyboard

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