As a personal way to say thank you for this year, I want to give you a truly special gift. Here you’ll find a free PDF that includes all the drum exercises from the blog, carefully organized for snare and drum set. That’s a practical resource you can download, keep, and practice for life. … More Drum Exercises Complete Collection (Free PDF)
In the second episode of this series, we’ll explore groups of 4 notes around the drumset to create grooves and fills. The following 72 combinations include hand-foot combinations, hi-hat/bass drum/snare patterns, and tom fills; the rhythmic solutions are endless! An essential element to keep in mind is the sticking, which is alternated … More Rhythmic Patterns: 4-Note Combinations
In the first lesson of this new series, we’ll explore groups of 3 notes using various combinations around the drumset. I created the following 44 combinations to involve a linear approach (no unisons) between the snare, bass drum, hi-hat, and toms. These combinations are written in 16th notes but could be conceived and played in … More Rhythmic Patterns: 3-Note Combinations
This new lesson explores different ways to develop timing using beat displacement. Displacement involves shifting an entire drum beat, rhythmic pattern, or phrase to a new starting point within the same time signature. It creates the perception that the rhythm has moved forward or backward in time while maintaining its original structure. Displacement adds tension, … More Beat Displacement: A Study in Timing
In this new episode, I’ll share an 8th-note triplet drum fill that will give you a different perspective on rudiments, stickings, and phrasing. We’ll arrange and play the concept of this lesson in a jazz context, but you can easily apply it to other genres and styles, enhancing your drumming. Differently from most drum fills, … More A Fill for Every Season #9
In this lesson, we’ll apply the concept of one of my previous exercises in 16th notes to play accent combinations in an 8th-note triplet groove. The workout consists of 3 hi-hat accent combinations playing 8 bass drum patterns. Accents should be played with the “shoulder” of the stick, using the tip for unaccented notes. Be sure to stay … More Beyond the Beat: 8th-Note Triplets – Accent Combinations
The drum fill for this new episode involves displacing a drum phrase over the beat. As shown in the figure below, the main idea consists of three 8th notes: two 16th notes on the tom, one 8th note on the floor tom, and one 8th note on the snare in unison with the crash cymbal. … More A Fill for Every Season #8
With this lesson, we use the Stick Control Single Beat Combinations pages to develop our swing/shuffle feel. We start with the first 12 exercises, playing one bar in straight 8ths and then swinging in 8th-note triplets, keeping the same sticking. Repeat the bar at least eight times and then move to the next exercise, starting … More Swinging with Stick Control
In this seventh episode, I’ll share an 8th-note triplet drum fill based on a defined sticking pattern. The key to mastering this idea is to memorize the sticking: LRR LRL. So, we start applying the sticking in an 8th note triplet subdivision on the snare, possibly playing the bass drum or hi-hat in quarter notes. … More A Fill for Every Season #7
Welcome to 2024! We inaugurate the year with two exercises to develop jazz drum set independence based on quarter note triplets. We start with the basic preliminary pattern. Once comfortable, we add accents: accenting the left hand every three notes, starting with the first and then displacing the accent to the second and third notes. … More Jazz Independence: Quarter Note Triplets Accent Combinations
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