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The third episode of this series focuses on ghost notes in an 8th-note shuffle groove. The workout features 4 shuffle grooves: Rock Shuffle (including two ghost-note variants inspired by Jeff Porcaro’s drum beats on Toto’s “Child’s Anthem” and Boz Scaggs’ “Lido Shuffle”), Texas Shuffle, and Linear Shuffle. We’ll use these grooves to read and play 10 bass drum combinations.
We start by selecting the first groove A. The hi-hat should be played using the shoulder of the stick for the downbeats and the tip for the upbeat strokes. Ghost notes are the key element of this workout and should be played softly without overpowering the groove. To achieve this, great stick control is essential. Play the ghost notes with a tap motion approximately 1 inch above the head. In groove B, the ghost note immediately after the snare backbeat requires special attention, as it involves rebound control and relaxation.
In the next step, we read and play the 10 bass drum combinations over groove A, repeating each bar at least four times before moving on to the next. Keep the ghost notes soft between the hi-hat notes, precisely on the “&” of the 8th-note triplet subdivision (1&a, etc.).
Practicing with a metronome is essential for daily study—begin at around 80 BPM (or even lower if you think you need it) and gradually increase the tempo as control improves. Stay relaxed and keep the motion efficient. Minimize arm movement as speed increases, and focus on consistency while avoiding tension and uneven dynamics.
This is a great exercise for developing ghost-note control, improving reading skills, and enhancing your shuffle groove. Here is a playlist available on Spotify and YouTube featuring famous songs with shuffle grooves to support your practice and make it more musical. Elevate your drumming!
Grooving with Ghost Notes – Part 2
The second part of this series of exercises focuses on ghost notes within a one-handed 16th-note groove. The workout consists of 4 ghost-note combinations, reading and playing 16 bass drum…
Grooving with Ghost Notes – Part 1
Here’s a series of exercises to develop and improve your ability to play ghost notes on an 8th-note groove, using different bass drum combinations. You can apply the exercises on…