Playing Drum Beats

Lesson 4/41 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Introducing Drums

Playing Drum Beats

Once you can play the examples in this lesson, you are ready for some real drum beats. A drum beat (or drum groove) is a repeating pattern which is used as the rhythmic basis for a song in a band situation. Do not confuse the term drum beat with references to beats of a bar (e.g. "play on the first and third beats of the bar").

In the following drum beat, the right hand plays quarter notes on every beat of the bar, the left hand plays on the 2nd and 4th beats and the right foot plays on the 1st and 3rd beats. The alternation between bass drum and snare drum is a common element drumming in many styles of music. The use of the snare drum on beats 2 and 4 is called a backbeat.

Here is a variation on the previous beat. The only difference here is that the bass drum is used on every beat of the bar. This means you will be using three limbs (right foot and both hands) together on the backbeat. As always, practice this slowly at first with your metronome and make sure your notes are exactly together.

Now try this one which uses elements of the previous two beats as well as some more bass drum variations.

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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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Playing Drum Beats