Sixteenths On The Hi-hats
Let’s start mixing up the hi-hats a bit more. There are two ways of playing these sorts of strings of 16th notes on the hi-hat. This sticking uses both hands and is useful for faster tempos. The only draw back is you have to choose between hi-hat and snare on each beat.
It can be a slight coordination problem to play the kick with the right foot while the left hand is playing the hi-hat, as on beat 2a in this exercise. However, you will eventually overcome this with slow, iterative practice.
This sticking is much more work for your right hand, but allows a lot more freedom between the hi-hat and snare. Listen to Clyde Stubblefield playing on James Brown’s Funky Drummer for a superb demonstration of this kind of beat with extra snare drums.
That particular drum break is often cited as the most sampled beat in the world, the only other serious contender being Amen Brother by the Winstons - the quintessential drum and bass groove, played by G. C. Coleman. Both beats have served as the basis for literally hundreds of songs.
This is a linear pattern, where no two drums hit at the same time. To play patterns like this well you should spend time studying the rudiments of drumming. Rudiments are basic patterns played between the left and right hands, often called the building blocks or the basic language of drumming.
There are 40 standard drum rudiments, readily available on the internet. A solid foundation in rudimentary playing means greater coordination and freedom on the kit overall - but be sure to remember what drew you to the drums in the first place. I’m willing to bet that it wasn’t the Inverted Flam Tap.
Another linear groove. This one fills every 16th note. This groove uses a drum rudiment called a paradiddle. If you are not familiar with drum rudiments, see Progressive Complete Learn to Play Drums Manual .
Notice the line between the hi-hats on 2+ and 3. This line is called a tie and it means that we do not play the second note. (It actually means we are to hold the note for the duration of those two notes, but as we simply hit the note at the start and let the drum or cymbal ring out we don’t need to worry about that just yet.)
The reason it is used here instead of a dotted 8th note on 2+ is that it is convention not to have a note across the middle of the bar (with the exception of long minims and semibreves, not covered here) - i.e., beat 3 should be obvious. This is simply for ease of reading.
Cross Stick
Sometimes when a quieter sound is required, a technique known as cross stick (or side stick) is used on the snare drum. With this technique, the stick is played against the rim of the snare drum as shown in the following photo.
Place the heel of your hand in the center of the snare drum, with the butt of the stick protruding over the counter hoop by approximately three inches (8 centimeters). Play the following example to hear the sound produced by this technique.
Try using cross stick on the snare for this groove. This technique can be used for any groove.
When you hit the snare drum on beat 2+ keep pushing down with your left hand to draw out as many little bounces as possible, effectively lengthening the sound. Have a listen to New Orleans drumming expert Stanton Moore to hear this kind of sound used to great effect.
