Playing the Open Hi-Hat
Another important drum technique involves releasing the pressure of the left foot to partially open the hi hat cymbals and then playing the open hi hat with the side of the stick. An open hi hat is notated by a small o above the note.
The hi hat is then closed where an X appears and played as normal until the next o symbol appears. Listen to the following example on the recording to hear the effect this produces. The exact degree of opening is up to you. Experiment until you are happy with the sound, but don’t open it too far or the sound becomes sloppy and makes it difficult to keep good time.
Once you are confident playing the open hi-hats, the next step is to add the bass drum and snare drum. Practice this example many times until you are totally comfortable with it.
When you can play the previous example, try this groove which uses eighth notes on the hi hat, which is opened on the "and" section of each beat.
Here are some more grooves which make use of the open hi-hat technique. Take them slowly at first if necessary and as always, remember to count out loud as you play.
This one is a typical Swing example making use of the open hi hat technique. Remember not to open the hi hats too much, just enough to get the desired sound.
This Funk beat is a bit more challenging. Practice the parts in pairs if necessary before putting them all together. This would also be a good one to practice singing the parts as you play the groove.
