Double Bass Pedal Fills and Patterns

Once you have started playing the double bass pedal, you will find that there is a lot more you can do with it then simple rolls and beats. The double bass drum has countless uses for every style of music. Some double bass patterns can be used in fills, solos, and beats. The double bass pedal allows you to play incredibly fast rolls around the drum set. This is done by alternating from your sticks to your double bass drum. In this lesson, I will teach you a very common double kick pattern that will have you moving around the kit in no time. This is one of the most common double bass patterns out there, so I am sure you have heard this before. Bear with me here, the concept is not actually that hard to learn!

This main pattern I am talking about is a four stroke pattern. Some people call it playing quads on the drum set. Playing 4 strokes with your sticks is fairly easy; however you can only go so fast with this. It’s like playing a single stroke roll compared to a double stroke roll; the double stroke will be able to roll a lot faster. So, alternating 2 strokes on your sticks and two strokes on your feet will allow you to play faster speeds then you ever have before. This pattern takes a bit of practice to get, however once you are fast enough at it you will be able to play a flam with your bass drum and sticks to create a super fast roll.

It is best to start with your snare drum and bass drum with this pattern to make sure you are playing everything on time. Now, depending on what hand is dominant start with that. Your feet should follow the same pattern as your hands, although I have seen some drummers who are opposite. Try playing two snare hits and two bass hits. Try this slowly at first, and then speed it up later. You can play this pattern with a single bass pedal, but practice with your double bass pedal anyways to get the motions with your feet. This is what it looks like on sheet music:

After you have developed this on the snare drum, you can move this around the drum set to get a different sound. Try this pattern around the toms, there are literally hundreds of different hand feet combinations you can make! Here is a 16th not fill using this pattern:

Another thing to try is instead of starting the pattern on the snare drum, try starting it on your bass drum. This gives you yet another totally different sound! So as you can see, this pattern is a must to learn if you play the double bass drum. If you do not own a pair of double bass pedals, you can play this on a single pedal; it will just be a bit harder to develop. Experiment with this concept in you next drum solo, or challenge yourself by incorporating it into a drum beat! The possibilities are endless!

Rock Drumming Beats

A rock drummer must have many different beats and fills up his sleeve in order to successfully make it in music. So what kind of rock drumming beats out there should he know? Well the answer is very simple – all of them. There is no end to the amount of rock drumming beats out there, saying that there is no reason why you cannot learn them all. Most rock drumming beats and fills are just variations of each other; however each variation has its place in rock music. Practicing them all is the only way to guarantee you the edge over all the other rock drummers out there!

The most common form of rock drumming beats is in the time signature of 4/4. Because this is the most popular, it is also known as common time. Check out this basic beat, as it is one of the first beat most rock drummers tackle. From here, you can easily change the whole feel of the song by doing a number of things. First off, you can add accents into the beat. This changes the dynamics and feel of the beat, changing it drastically. Secondly, you can add snare and bass drum beats to where there is available space. Doing these two things really changes the pattern and the song big time.

When you hear the words rock drumming beats, you might think of loud and heavy drumming. This is not the case at all! Rock drumming beats include all sorts of drum patterns. In fact, a lot of rock drumming beats is also used in pop, country, contemporary, and even some Latin music. In Jared Falk’s Rock Drumming System, he teaches literally hundreds of rock drumming beats, patterns and fills. A lot of drummers feel they want more than just rock drumming in an instructional video set. The truth is, you learn a lot more than just rock drumming in this set, as you would learn any rock drumming exercise. Like I said before, most rock drumming beats can be used in any other style of music, making it a huge benefit to learn. The skills and techniques you learn when playing rock beats can be applied in all styles of music.

This is why learning fundamental rock drumming beats is so important. Look at this beat below, it is a fairly simple drumming beat. It includes the bass drum, snare drum, and hi hat, all in 4/4 time. Playing this with a faster tempo will improve your bass drum speed, as well as your feet / hand independence.

With all the variety of rock drumming beats out there, there is so much you can learn. The example above is just one of many styles you can play that will improve your overall drumming as a rock drummer. In addition, it is always good to have a full set of beats and patterns under your belt. Being a drummer in this day and age is a very competitive business to be apart of. Knowing a large number of beats, especially rock drumming beats, will definitely give you the edge over the rest. The best way to achieve this is by surrounding yourself in a large variety of drum beats. Jared Falk’s Rock Drumming System is perfect for this. With over 500 beats played in two different tempo’s each, there is so much that you can learn and apply to any style of music.

Learn to Drum with Brushes

Drumming with brushes is a totally unique style of drumming. It is completely different from playing withdrum sticks. This lesson will teach you how to hold brushes, how to play with brushes, and how to use brushes with dynamics and control. Drum brushes are usually played in ballads, jazz, and other softer songs; however they have many uses for them. I have even seen many drummer play solos with brushes! Also, when playing in a small auditorium or church, a lot of drummers will use brushes to bring their volume down. So let’s uncover the secrets to brush playing, and hopefully broaden our drumming horizons

Lets start with the basics, how to hold brushes. There is a couple of ways you can do this. Basically, the grip you use should be the same as a regular drum stick. For a complete list of proper stick grips, check out my article on how to hold drumsticks. You will not have to search for an optimum fulcrum point like regular drumsticks because you are not going to find one very easy. The weight and balance of brushes is totally different to regular sticks. A lot of drummers will hold their brushes with one hand using the traditional grip, and the other using matched grip. This is fairly popular with brushes, however matched grip works fine to. It’s a matter of opinion.

Now let’s move onto how to play brushes. Brushes have a totally different job then drumsticks. Drum brushes (also known as brooms) are used for softer playing. This means you need to have a feel for the brush. A lot of cymbal work is done with brushes. So let’s deal with the cymbals first. Rarely will you see brushes played on closed hi hats. This is because you can rarely get a decent volume from them. Open hi hats are a different story however. Using your ride cymbal and crash cymbals will get you a very nice sound. Use the brushes to sweep the cymbal, utilizing every spoke of the brush.

Playing your brushes on your toms and snare are a lot different as well. The main drum you will play brushes on is the snare. Playing brushes on a snare creates a feeling that you cannot get with any other stick. Make sure you have a coated skin on your drum, or the brushes will not work that well. Simply press down on the brush so the spokes spread out on the snare drum. Then, in a circular motion, move your brushes around the snare. You will get a swooshing sound that sounds like it has a texture to it. Accent your quarter notes by speeding up and/or pressing harder during that count. Play around with this technique until you get a feel for the brush!

Let’s learn how to read brush music. Brushes look different then other drum notation. To read up on basic drum notation click on my article on understanding drum notation. To learn more about sheet music in general, you may want to read this quick lesson on sheet music. Now as for brush notation, you will see a lot of arcs on the page. Count the time like regular, just watch out for those arcs. Those represent a sweep with your brush. If you are following the lesson, one arc would represent one circle played on the drum with your brush. So count these out by playing circular sweeps on your snare with your brush. Check out these few examples of brush sheet music below.

You may not find rudiments that much help with brush technique; however it is good to work on your brush control. When you gotten the hang of brushes, try to use them in some drum fills

 and solos. You can also use brushes in Latin music. Experiment with this and have fun!

Learn How To Play A Drum Roll

Drum Roll Please! Have you ever heard this saying before? Chances are you have. But as a drummer, are you ready to respond to that question? Playing a drum roll is an essential aspect of drumming that all drummers must master. Being able to roll your sticks seamlessly is a very tricky, yet valuable skill. Now, everyone can perform a slow single stroke roll, and most drummers can probably play a double stroke roll, but is that all a drum roll is? Obviously there are a few basic ways to perform a drum roll, some are fairly basic as long as you know your basic drum rudiments. The more you practice the easier it will be to roll your drum. Eventually, you will be able to perform the one handed roll, and wow you audience with a whole new level of drumming!

Technically speaking, a roll is basically a repeating stroke on a drum that is of similar volume and length. This then creates the constant sound and feeling, that most of you think of when you hear the term “Drum Roll.” However, a drum roll can be very slow. You may be able to hear a space of time between each stroke. This is not wrong in any way, but most of the time you will be asked for a seamless sound. To get this, you can do 3 different ways. You can play the single stroke roll at a fast speed, play the double stroke roll at a fast speed, or play what is known as the “Buzz roll”.

Single Stroke Roll

The single stroke roll is the most basic drum rudiment, and also the most basic way to play a drum roll. There really isn’t that much to it, just simply play Right, Left, Right Left. As you begin to speed this rudiment up you will notice that it starts to sound more and more like a drum roll.

Double Stroke Roll

The double stroke roll is very similar to the single stroke roll, there is just one difference. Instead of playing Right, Left, Right, Left you play Right, Right, Left, Left. You can use your wrists to do this, but you may not get the same speed you are looking for. Try using the bounce method, by hitting the stick once, and allowing for a single bounce back.

Buzz Roll (Press Roll, Crush Roll)

The buzz roll is commonly confused with the double stroke roll, do not make this mistake, the double stroke roll is very different from the buzz roll. The Buzz Roll requires a slightly different grip. For the most part you don’t want to use any of your fingers except your index finger and your thumb. You want to find the fulcrum point just like when you are playing your rudiments, and because there aren’t any other fingers on your drumstick you need to hold the stick tighter than usual between your index finger and your thumb. As you develop the buzz roll, you will find that it is easier to play if you bend your hands slightly towards the drum, try different positions and find one that works for you.

Start learning the buzz roll one hand at a time, first use your right hand, strike the drum with your right stick and let it bounce as much as possible (RRRRRR...), then do the same with your left hand (LLLLL…). Now SLOWLY begin to speed this up… RRRRR… LLLLL… It is very important that you develop this slowly, it is better to start slow than to ruin this roll by developing it too fast. This is most common technique for very fast and tight rolls.

One Handed Drum Roll

The one handed drum roll is a bit more of an advanced technique and there is definitely more than one way of performing this drum roll. Once you develop this technique you will noticed a whole new world of opportunity when it comes to beats, fills, and drum solos.

It will show you the correct way to play the technique, and it will break it down with step by step slow motion video. It will cost you about the same as an hour long drum lesson and it will change the way that you look at playing the drums.

Playing A Drum Roll

It is important to remember to practice with a metronome when you are developing your drum roll, just like when you are at home practicing your drum rudiments, get a practice pad, and use a metronome to keep track of your progress. Sometimes it is more effective to play a slower roll, than to jump right to a buzz roll. Remember, you are not limited to playing a roll on the snare drum! Although it is most common on the snare, this technique can be used on all drums, as well as any cymbal!

Learn How to Play Drum Fills and Breaks

So, now that you have all read up on how to play basic drum beats, let’s move on to something a little bit more technical – Drum Fills (also known as drum breaks). These are one of the most rewarding things a drummer can play. It gives them a chance to express themselves, and emphasize the song. Drum fills are played in all styles of music, rock, Latin,jazz, and punk. There is a lot to learn about drum fills, something that most beginner drummers do not learn until they have been playing for a while. So how do you perform a proper drum fill? Is it the same thing as a solo? These are all questions that beginner and advanced drummers still struggle with. So let’s learn how to play drum fills and drum breaks.

A drum fill can be very complex, or very simple. It does not need to be overly fast or technical to be named a drum fill. All it is is a space in time that you literally “fill” in with whatever you would like. It is a chance to change things up a bit, and adds some spice to the beat.   Drum fills are usually used for transitions into different parts of a song, (like a chorus or bridge). One big misunderstanding beginner and advanced drummers have is drum fills needing to be loud and fast. As soon as they get their chance to play a fill, they will play a loud roll on the toms followed by a loud crash. This is not the right way to go about things. Not only will you change the dynamics in a song, a lot of drummers will actually speed up the song, ruining the tempo.

To counter this, take a few moments before hand to get a feel for the song. If it is a slower song you may only want to play a small cymbal fill. If the song is a louder song, then you may want to build the volume and dynamics of the song with a crescendo effect fill. There is a lot to keep in mind when playing fills. Transitional fills (which are the most common) can go both ways, transitioning from soft verse to loud chorus, or loud chorus back to soft verse. A drummer’s job is to accent these changes with appropriate drum fills. This can be done easily by bringing up and lowering the dynamics of the drum beat.

Like I mentioned above, a drum fill is basically a section of time that you get to fill in with drum rolls and other hits. However, you do not need to play anything at all. This next example is a drum fill with very little to it at all. You will see only 2 bass drum hit with cymbals. You may think this is a bland fill, however it can be very effective. (Check the article on reading sheet music if you dont know how!) Try it out the next time you drum:

This next example is a bit heavier of a drum fill. There are triplets and 16th notes, played with you bass drum and cymbals. This example is meant to bring up the dynamics in a song and add speed and energy. Try this one in a heavy rock song:

Whatever the song style you are playing, express yourself the way you want. That is what sets you apart from all the other drummers out there! Make sure your fill fits the song that you are playing to. Remember that you do not need to wait for certain transitions to throw in fill. If you are daring, you can throw in a fill at any point of the song; just make sure it fits well! Check out the Drum Fill System for a complete list of lessons and instruction on drum fills and solos! Once you are done this section, try moving on to drum solos.

Learn How To Hold Drumsticks

Learning the right way to hold your drumsticks is one of the most often neglected aspects of drumming. When you play the drums, the stick should become a part of you, and not an accessory. To achieve this, you must start with the way you hold your sticks.   It is important to determine the correct grip style early on, so you do not end up hurting yourself, or you’re training in the long run.    Now don’t worry, if you have not been following the “correct” technique at all, it’s not the end of the world.  Any way you practice will improve your skill; however, holding your stick different ways will increase your drumming productivity by offering more bounce, movement, and control.

This article is designed to show the three main types of stick grips used today.  Each has their own advantages and tricks, so it is important for drummers to explore all styles, and become comfortable with them.     Before you start, make suer you read up on the Fulcrum Point. This is where you want to pinch your sticks for each grip. So, once you have found this point on your stick, you may use the lessons below to properly set up the right grip for you!

Matched Grip

The most popular style is the Matched Grip. With this, both hands hold the stick the same way.  Matched grip is very popular with all styles of drumming, and can be applied in more than just the drum kit. Timpani, mallets, and other percussion instruments use the matched grip as well.   It allows for fast movement around the kit, and offers maximum control. 

This grip is played with your palms facing downward.   Notice how every finger tip is lightly rested on the drumstick.  Make sure you do not grip the stick too tightly, or you will limit its’ rebound.  It is debated which finger is used to grip the stick. Some will use their thumb and index finger; others will use their thumb and middle finger.  Both are fine, as long as you chose one early and stick to it!

Traditional Grip

The next grip we will look at is called the traditional grip. You may see a lot of jazz drummers using this style, for it is extremely popular with that style. With this, you hold the stick with your palms facing up, gripping the stick from underneath.  This gives you a whole new feel of the stick.  It allows for quick strokes, and better dynamic control; Perfect for brushes and brooms.   One problem with this grip is moving it around the drum kit.  With a bigger drum kit, you may find it hard to move quickly around the toms, and with the angle of the stick in your hands, hitting cymbals can be tricky.  

To achieve this grip, simply start by sticking your first two fingers out, with your thumb sticking straight up.  Then simply place your stick between your thumb, and your other fingers like this:

After the stick is in place, simply close your top two fingers gently on the top of the stick.   The stick should be loose in your hand, like this:

French grip

Finally, there is the French grip.  This technique is not as popular, but is still used a lot.  It offers speed and endurance, with a totally different feel than any other grip.  The French grip uses your fingers to control your stick.  Because you do not use your wrists as much, you will save a lot of energy.   Using your fingers can be a great plus; however, it does have its minuses.  You may find it hard to get enough power in some of your strokes.  

Notice how the stick is very lose in the hand.  It’s a good idea to use your index finger and thumb to pinch the stick.  You want to be able to use your other fingers to act as a spring on the stick.  

How To Hold Your Drumsticks

Be sure to try out every one of these techniques.  Each grip is different and have their own benefits.  If you are educated in all styles, you will be much more attractive as a drummer.   Remember, these are not the only ways to grip your stick!  There are many varieties of these basic techniques.  These are just examples of the three most common ways to hold your drum sticks!

Develop Drum Hand Speed, Power, And Control!

There are three basic ways to play the drum kit with your hands. You can play each stroke using your wrists, your fingers, or combinations of both. In this particular lesson, we're going to go over the wrist technique and the advantages it offers. In the weeks ahead I'll follow this lesson up with two more covering finger techniques and combinations of wrist and finger techniques.

Why Use Wrists For Drumming?

Most people don't rush out of the gate with all sorts of amazing finger-technique, and thus they have to start with the basics. Playing with your wrists comes fairly naturally for most people, so it's an obvious starting point.

However, I would argue that maintaining wrist speed, power, and control is extremely important - even after you have learned to play finger techniques. There are a number of good reasons to develop and eventually combine both methods.

One thing many people overlook is that you get significantly more power when playing with wrists. Playing double stroke rolls on a low floor tom, for example, just doesn't sound right when played with finger-based techniques. Wrists provide the full power, and control necessary to make that roll sound clean.

Developing speed in your wrists also allows you to do more with finger-based techniques when you combine both elements together. I always try to keep my wrist speed as close to my finger speed as possible. Later, when you begin playing advanced techniques like the Moeller method, you will begin to see why this offers such an advantage.

Practicing The Drums With Wrists

Sometimes it can be hard to tell if you are truly playing using only wrists. It's easy to begin bouncing the stick a little in a double stroke roll, or using some finger technique in a simple paradiddle pattern. That's why I would recommend you spend some time practicing on a non-rebound surface. You can use something simple like a pillow, or a professional RTOM workout pad. Either way, as long as you can practice on something that offers very little or no bounce - you're good to go.

Practice playing singles (r,l,r,l,r,l,r,l), doubles (r,r,l,l,r,r,l,l), or paradiddles (r,l,r,r,l,r,l,l) along to a metronome. Set the speed fairly low and just focus on control. This is extremely important. Many drummers that want to develop speed start turning up the metronome way too fast. It is vital that you develop control over speed when first learning. Speed will come automatically once you begin to develop control over your wrists with these various patterns. Trying to shortcut control by focusing on speed will only hold you back. I've seen it over and over. Do NOT make this mistake.

Focus on staying relaxed and playing things perfectly in time with the click. Breathe deeply while you play, and work towards building muscle memorization. Train your muscles to play things right the first time and you will save years of corrective practice down the road.

Building Speed and Endurance

Once you have begun to develop your technique with solid control - then you can begin to develop speed and endurance. This is done best through repetition and controlled "burn through" exercises. Like a trained athlete - you need to push your muscles to the next level without losing control.

Start by playing singles, doubles, or paradiddles as sixteen notes at 100 BPM (or a moderate speed of your choice). Slowly move up in increments of 5 BPM until you are playing at about 50 BPM faster than when you started (in this example - 150 BPM). Spend some quality time at each speed - only increasing the metronome when you have played for a few minutes with complete control.

You may very well be able to play significantly faster than 150 BPM at the time, but that isn't the point. You want to develop control at all speeds, and the ability to play for extended periods of time. When you return to repeat the exercises (a day later perhaps), try starting out about 20 BPM faster than your last start point. Repeat and only progress to 50 BPM faster than the new starting point.

It may seem like a slower method of mastery, but it pays off in the long run. Don't rush through exercises or think that a particular speed offers no value to you. Dedicate two weeks to these exercises and see the results you get with daily improvements. I'm sure you will be pleased.

Once you develop your hand speed as fast as you possibly can, try developing a one handed drum roll. There are a couple different methods for doing this secret technique. 

Advanced Drumming Tips

1. Try setting the metronome to half-speed as often as possible. For example, if you are use to playing sixteenth notes along with a metronome playing quarter notes at 200 BPM - play 32nd notes to quarter notes at 100 BPM. It is the same speed, but will force you to use your own internal clock between the less frequent clicks of the metronome.
2. Try to develop all of your patterns with right and left hand lead. If you haven't done this before - I'm sure you will find it fairly challenging.
3. Take what you've learned here and build a practice system around your drum kit using singles, doubles, and paradiddles and use the same tempo system to develop greater control.

Practice The Drums Effectively - Practice Tips

These tips apply to any drum book, so keep them in mind no matter what you are studying. I might repeat some things that are already written in drum books, but I want to make sure all the important things are covered here in one place.

1. Take Your Time

When you start to learn something new, always start slow. Even if you think that you know the beat already, play it slow just to make sure that you are doing it right. Once you know that you are doing it right, then you can start to speed it up. Trying to play too fast at first will ultimately slow down your progress. It is important to learn to play things at a range of tempos anyway, so you might as well progress from slower to faster tempos than that other way around.

2. Count Out Loud

I remember when I first started playing drums, my teacher always told me to count out loud - even when I didn't feel it was necessary. Only later in my drumming career did I realize its importance when I was trying to learn more difficult beats and rhythms. Counting out loud is a great way to check and see if you are playing things right. If you are counting and your playing doesn't line up - you will know immediately that something is wrong.

3. Don’t Play when You Practice, Don't Practice When you Play

Dedicated "practice" time should be focused. You should never jam or play things you have already mastered during this time. Likewise, you should never be practicing things when you are playing with a live band or in another setting that is focused around "playing" music.

This is a mistake that we all have made. I am just as guilty of this as anyone else. It is extremely important to stay on task during any formal practice time. I have some students who don’t follow this simple principle and as a result have been working on certain beats for months. They come into lessons week after week without making any real progress.

I take a full lesson to have them work through a few beats properly, and they immediately start making progress. It isn't because I am there guiding them, but rather because they are actually focusing on getting better. Had they done this themselves, they would’ve saved a lot of time and money. Ninety-nine percent of the time their slowed progress is entirely due to unfocused practice.

4. Sit up Straight - Be Ready to Play

I don’t want to sound like your school teacher, but it is extremely important that you sit up straight during a practice or performance. Not only is this better for your body, but it also helps you stay more focused on what you are doing. You'd be surprised how much easier everything seems when you are in the "ready position" with your back straight and your arms loose and ready.

5. Don’t Give Up - Always End with an Accomplishment

If you are having a hard time on a beat or a section of beats, don’t give up! Take it as a challenge. All too often I see people get to the hard section of the beats and then give up. The whole reason you are practicing in the first place is to learn material that you don’t know. The hardest beats, when worked out and practiced hard, will probably become your favorite.

Often in practices I will set mini-goals to be sure I am accomplishing objectives. If I am having real trouble with a particular beat, I would make it my primary objective to master it. Often I will tell myself something like: "I will not stop till I can play this absolutely perfect 5 times in a row".

It's always important to end practices on a good note. Overcoming small obstacles is a great way to wrap things up and give you that added confidence to take your playing to the next level. Always remember to push yourself to catch that one beat, fill, or pattern that is giving you trouble. In drumming and in life, confidence based on accomplishment is everything.

6. Practice Does NOT Make Perfect

Practicing RIGHT makes perfect. I always stress the importance of this. If you are working on a beat and are not quite sure whether or not you are playing it right, then you need to find out. There are many ways to check your work:

• You can ask a more knowledgeable drummer than yourself
• Take one or more lessons from your local drum instructor
  (many teachers do casual lessons with students)
• Simply count out loud to make sure everything is lining up.

When you practice it wrong then you are only getting better at doing something the WRONG way. When you finally do realize what you are doing it is going to be that much more difficult to change back to the right way. Don’t get better at doing it wrong!

7. Use a Metronome (aka - click track)

It's important to incorporate a metronome into your regular practice. Don't become reliant on it, but use it as a training tool instead. It will help you stay on beat when you are practicing at a wide range of tempos. If you don't have one - you can get one at your local music store for $20-$50.

Sometimes playing a beat extremely slow can be just as difficult as trying to play it really fast. It's important that you learn to be flexible enough to play virtually any beat in any setting. You've already learned to play through things slowly at first, but I'd recommend going back to push things even slower after you've mastered them. This will actually help you when begin to practice it faster, as your muscles will begin to memorize the pattern.

When you are ready and feel confident that you can play a beat at a range of slower tempos - use the click track to practice at faster tempos. Make sure you start at a range you can easily play, and then increase the metronome speed by 5 BPM (beats per minute) as you feel comfortable. If you reach a speed you can't play - slow it back down until you are ready to proceed.

8. Set a Practice Routine

Ideally you want to practice everyday of the week, but at very least you want to get in to any form of routine. This will help you learn at a steady pace - spending more time advancing your skills instead of re-practicing things that you've already mastered.

A professional body builder doesn’t go into the gym and lift one weight and then walk out. In the same way, you can’t practice drums hard for one day and then go back two weeks later and expect to remember everything you went over. You might still know a few of the things, but ultimately you will have lost much of what you worked on. As drummers, we are trying to build muscle memory. Practice and repetition is key to achieving this.

9. Stay relaxed and loose

This was one of the hardest lessons for me to learn as a younger drummer. It is amazing how much faster and cleaner you can play just by relaxing and staying loose. A good way to make sure you are staying relaxed is by taking deep breaths while you are practicing. This is a great way to slow down your heart rate and calm your muscles.

10. Have Fun

I have to throw in the old “Have Fun” tip. I know it might sound lame or cliché, but it’s true. Always take time to enjoy playing your kit. It's important to practice hard, but it's just as important to have fun with the skills you are working so hard to develop.

Learn What Drum Heads To Use On Your Drums

Drum heads are the most important part of your drum kit. Without propper drum skins, your kit may sound terrible. So how do we make sure our drums sound the best they can? By selecting the best skin for your style. The market for drum heads are very competitive and can easily confuse you with complex descriptions and words you don’t understand. In this article I will explain the terms and styles of drum heads so you will be able to select the best one.

Variety Of Drum Heads

With drum heads, there isn’t one that is better then the other. Most brands, be it Evans or Remo, all create high quality drum heads. It’s a very personal choice, one that you may want to experiment around with. Two-ply, One-ply, Coated, and non-coated are just some of the examples of the different variety of skins you can get.

Like I said before, drum heads are extremely personal. If you are a rock drummer, you may want a more durable skin with a louder brighter sound. Or, if you are a jazz drummer you may want a more warm sound. For the brighter sound, you will want to stick with single-ply drum heads. These offer maximum sustain, and bring out the natural tone of your kit. If you are looking for more of a warm tone, two-ply may be for you. These offer excellent durability, and have a great blend of depth and attack.

Some drum heads may include a ring, or dot in the middle. These skins are great for tonal focusing. Usually costing you more, they are great for strengthening up the middle of the skin, increasing the life of it. These are more common in snare drum heads to get the most out of their sound.

Coated Drum Heads

You may have wondered what the difference is between coated drums and non-coated drums. Non-coated skins give you more of a bright, clear sound. They are more commonly used over coated heads. Coated skins give you more of a warm, focused sound. In addition, a coated skin will give you a bit more texture and grip your stick better. All in all, it comes down to what you are looking for in a head.

Remo and Evans Drum Heads

The two most common manufacturers of drum heads are Remo and Evans. The both provide excellent quality heads and competitive prices. Unfortunately there are too many varieties to explain every one in detail, so you will have to try them out and decide which ones work for you. Evans has a chart to help you compare their skins. This is very handy if you are trying to find a specific tone, or a skin for a certain style of playing.

With all this said, you should be able to select the right drum head for yourself. Be sure to experiment with different varieties! Try and see what different kinds of sounds you can get from your kit.

Selecting The Right Drumstick Tip

Choosing your drum stick can be a hard decision.  But what about choosing the right tip?  Now I do not mean whether to go nylon or wood,  I’m talking about the shape of the tip.  Like the stick itself, the tips come in many different shapes and sizes – each possessing their own feel, and sound! Here are a few different tips you may find on most sticks.

Oval Drumstick Tip

• A well rounded tip, used for most styles
• Produces a warmer tone, with great bounce
• Has a softer tone, and a lighter feel

Mushroom Drumstick Tip

• One the most common tips for rock drumming
• Produces a louder, full sound, with decent response
• Fairly durable, and well balanced

Fat Drumstick Tip

• A very durable tip, used for louder, or corps drumming
• Produces a loud full sound, slightly heavier tip
• Great for cymbal crashing, hard on drum skins

Ball Drumstick Tip

• Common with jazz drumming, or snare drumming
• Produces a crisp, bright sound. Great for Cymbals
• Excellent bounce and response, with a weaker tip

Nylon Drumstick Tip

• Excellent for electric drum sets
• Produces Brilliant crisp tones. Great for cymbals
• More Durable then wood tips

These are just some of the different types of tips you may see on drum sticks. Like usual, be sure to give them all a try! Each one has its one place in the percussion world, so do not limit yourself to one. Go check out the article on different drumstick sizes for more information.

Learn The Different Types Drumsticks

With all the different varieties and brands of drum sticks on the market today, you really need to make sure you are selecting the most appropriate stick for your style. Would a heavy metal band want a drummer to use jazz sticks? Maybe your sticks are breaking too often, or you can’t seem to get the right sound out of your cymbals. Before you get down on yourself, check and see if the stick you are using is right for you.

Start With The Drumstick Wood

To really find the best stick for yourself you should start with the core; the wood. There are 3 main types of wood used to make sticks. There is Maple, which is a lighter weight wood that has excellent flexibility. Maple is great for energy absorption, meaning you will fell less of the hit in your hands. There is Hickory, which is the most common wood with decent energy absorption and flex. Hickory is a well rounded wood. Lastly, there is Oak, which is the densest of wood. Oak sticks will not break as much, but you will feel the vibrations a lot more due to poor energy absorption. If the stick doesn’t state what wood it is, back away. This usually means it is a blended wood and is not made up to standard.

Choose a Tip

Now that you’ve selected the right wood, its time to chose the right tip. There are 2 types of tips to choose from; Nylon and Wood. Most common is the wood tip. This is a solid choice for most applications. The only real downside to wood tips is the fact that they may chip after extensive use. Nylon tips are great for bringing out your cymbals and getting better rebound from your stick. They are great for studio work when you want to really make your cymbals shine. The problem with nylon tips is they sometimes fall off your stick, which can be a real problem in the middle of a show! If you are playing on an electric drum set, you want to use nylon tips. Wood tips can splinter and severely damage your drum pads! There is alot to know about which tips work best for certain applications, so for further instruction, check out this article on drum stick tips!

Choose Your Size

Once you have an idea on you wood and tip, you need to find the right size stick for you. Different manufacturers will code their sticks a bit differently, so you may see a slight difference in a Vic Firth 5a compared to a Zildjian 5a. However, they are all very similar, and follow a general pattern. There are three main stick categories.

-7a. This is a thinner, lighter feeling stick meant for a softer sound on you drums. These work great for jazz drumming, or younger drummers.

-5a. This is the most common stick. Medium thickness allows for both loud and softer play. Great for rock drumming!

-2b/5b. These are thicker than average. They allow for louder sounding drums, and are ideal for heavy rock.

Funky Drumsticks

You may have gone into a store and found some different “Funky” looking sticks. These are unique designs made to either increase longevity, or grip of you stick. Rubber sticks are becoming more popular, promising to “never break” and offering replacement sleeves if they do. The problem with these sticks are they are very costly, running you at around 50$ or more a pair. Furthermore; you will find they cut easily on cymbals, and offer weak rim shots on the snare. Colored sticks are another design that is growing in popularity. Watch out with these, though, as you will find they tend to mark up your cymbals.

Always remember; if you are constantly breaking your sticks, check your technique before changing to heavier sticks. With proper technique, sticks should break very seldom. With all this said, you should have no problem selecting the proper stick for yourself. Keep in mind that a drummers stick choice is personal, so feel free to experiment around with different sizes and styles.

Learn How To Tune Drums

Tuning your drums is vital in getting the maximum sound and life out of your drum heads. Without tuned drums, your drum kit will sound muddy and out of pitch. Also if you don't regularly tune your drum heads, you will find that they will be more susceptible to damage and you are going to have to buy new drum heads alot faster than necessary. This article will give you the ABCs of tuning your drums to find the right sound for you, as well as give you tips on improving the strength of your skins. That being said, you need to know that there is no one way to tune your drums. Tuning your drums is extremely personal (like selecting skins) and you must experiment to get the pitch right for you!

Lets start with an empty shell. (For those unsure on how to remove your existing skin, refer to Jared Falk's Rock Drumming DVDs for the complete Drum head replacement and tuning section). Be sure to have a cloth handy so you can give your drum rim and new drum head a wipe down. Any dirt or wood chips that remain on the drum shell can cause the skin to go on warped, causing an uneven sound, or it can also damage the drum shell. Plus no wants a dirty drum. After you clean the drum shell, and the new drum head, you are ready to install the new drum head onto your drum.

Installing The Drum Head

Place the drum head on your shell, of course making sure the size of the drum head is the correct size for the shell. it should fit easily overtop, but not be "baggy" around the drum shell. Give the rim of your drum a quick wipe down, and place it on the skin along with the lugs in the appropriate holes. Tighten all the lugs hand tight at first; leave the drum key alone for a bit. Once the rim is on hand tight, you must stretch the head. This is a very important tip that most drummers do not know about. To do this, simply make a fist, and press down on the middle of your skin. This will help stretch and set your skin so it will not go out of tune as easily. You may hear the skin cracking a bit, but do not worry, that is normal. Generally speaking you shouldn't be able to press down too hard and break the skin. I have never broken a skin by doing this, but if you do, return it to your local music store for an exchange. Once you have stretched your drum head, go over all of the lugs again, and make sure they are all finger tight.

Tuning Your Drums

Now its time to tune your drums using the drum key. Tuning the lugs on a drum is like tightening the bolts on a tire, you want don't want to go around the drum in a circle, you want to move back and forth across the drum. Pick a lug to start at, any one will do. Say you turn it one and a half times, be sure to turn every lug (using the tuning pattern below) the same amount to keep the skin uniform. Keep tuning opposite lugs until they are all snug. Take this example below. You would want to tune each lug in alphabetical order. Start by tuning A, then B, and so on...

Once you get the drum head snug, its time to actually “tune” the drum. Grab a drumstick, and tap 1-2 inches from any lug on the drum skin. How does it sound? If its the sound you want, use that lug as your “guide lug”. Again you want to tune your drums by tapping opposites, making sure you are tapping the same distance from the lug as the first tap. Make sure you tune every lug has the same sound in front of it or the whole drum will sound out of pitch. All that is left now is to find the right sound for you and the music you are playing.!

Tuning The Batter Head

Tuning your batter skin (the skin you hit) is the same as tuning your resonant skin (the bottom skin). To get a better sound from your drum, try tuning your resonant skin a few tones lower than your batter skin. Weather its a bass drum, snare, or tom, you can use this method on all. Just make sure you have the snare turned off when tuning.

Finding The Right Sound For You

There are many different types of drum heads that you can use depending on your style of drumming. There are different heads for jazz drumming, rock drumming, and country drumming. Next time you are in your local music store take the time to experiment with different types of drum heads. It is also important for you to understand how drums work.

How To Play Drums Like A Pro!

Learning how to play the drums is actually much easier than most people believe. In fact, if you can count to four - you have what it takes to play a simple rock groove. This website is dedicated to providing you with everything you need to learn how to play drums. By having these drum lessons online, you area able to access them virtually anywhere!

Beginner

If you are a raw beginner - start out with our article on learning to play the drums. It will show you the basics of counting time, and how to use three limbs to create a standard rock beat. It may seem somewhat simplistic, but that's where everyone starts.

Once you have a basic feel for that groove - check out some of the other patterns in thedrum beats section of this website. There you can learn how to play many more drum beats, fills, and other cool patterns.

Now that you can play some beginner beats, it's time you move onto some beginner drum fills. With this drum lesson you will be playing like an experienced drummer in no time.

Intermediate

Intermediate drummers may consider checking out the drum rudiments section to learn important concepts like the single stroke roll, double stroke roll, and single paradiddle. These are just a few of the key rudiments that pro drummers use on a daily basis to take their drumming to the next level (and it is highly recommended that you do the same).

You may also be interested in putting together a drum solo, or playing with a band. Check out those linked articles for more information.

Advanced

If you already consider yourself an advanced drummer, but still want to learn more, you will be interested in learning advanced techniques like the moeller technique or the one handed drum roll. These methods are a great way to set yourself apart from other drummers.

Improve Groove By Playing Drums With Dynamics!

What is it that separates professional drummers from the beginners? How come I can’t make a simple beat sound the way my favorite drummer plays it? What advantage do they have over me?

If you have ever asked yourself these questions - you are likely going to learn a great deal from this lesson. I will break down some of the important concepts of "dynamic drumming", and explain how they can directly benefit your playing. Although it would be impossible for me to cover all aspects of dynamic playing in this one article, I will do my best to shed some light on the essentials.

What is Dynamic Drumming?

Dynamics as it relates to drumming, is the actual volume and power with which you play each of the "voices" of your drum kit. For example, you can play soft notes on your snare drum (aka "ghost notes"), or playing louder rim shots to add an accent to a certain beat. These two strokes are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and thus exaggerate the difference that dynamics can make.

Each voice of your drum kit (hi-hats, snare, kick drum, etc.) can all be played at various levels individually and in relation to each other to create a unique sound. How you play the various voices that make up a drum beat determines the dynamics of your playing. This is why no two drummers will ever sound exactly the same. Every player has their own "voice" or style of playing the entire kit to set them apart. You need to determine your own "voice" with which to shape your own unique drumming sound.

Dynamic Drumming Tips and Ideas

There are many different ways in which you can play with dynamics around your drum kit. Here are a few suggestions for you to try out the next time you practice:

Snare Drum

• Rim Shots - Hitting the snare head and rim with the stick at the exact same time (in one motion with one stick) will create a louder accented note.
• Normal Stroke - Playing a normal note on the snare with the stick hitting only the drum head. Typically the stroke starts somewhere between 4 and 6 inches from the drum-head.
• Ghost Notes - Playing very light notes on the snare - typically between accents. The stick should not be lifted more than an inch from the snare before playing this quieter note.
• Cross Stick (or rim click) - playing the stick against the rim of the snare while it lies reversed on the drum head. This is best demonstrated by an instructor, and works well in lighter playing situations.
• One Handed Drum Roll - This technique is great because it allows you to do a drum roll while another hand can still build a song around the drum kit.
• Moeller Method - This technique is great for not only being able to play more dynamic, but it will also allow you to hit the drum harder with less effort.

Kick Drum

• Heels-down - Playing heels-down is the way many beginners are taught when they are first learning to playing the drums. With this technique, your heels rest on the base of the pedals as your feet make contact to play the hi-hat or bass-drum sounds. This is excellent for quieter playing, and can also work for louder situations.
• Heels-up - For heavier strokes, the bass drum can be played with a heels-up approach. Instead of resting your heels on the pedals they are actually up in the air as your toes rest on the pedals between strokes. You use the full muscles of your legs to control each stroke. This gives you more power than just using your calf muscles, but ultimately takes more energy.
• Feathering - This is a technique that heels-down players will use for lighter playing situations. It is typically played on double pedals for an even and continuous bass sound. You simply play light alternating strokes with both feet to provide a seemingly smooth sound. Felt or soft beaters with a fairly open-tuned bass should be used for the best results.
• Heel-Toe Technique - This advanced method uses a motion that combines heels-down and heel-up play into a rocking movement that produces a double stroke on the kick drum. It's fairly difficult to explain, but more information can be found online at www.heeltoetechnique.com.

Hi-hats

• Closed - Playing the hi-hats closed (foot down) is best for softer playing.
• Sizzle - Playing the hi-hats just slightly open - creating a sizzle sound with each stroke.
• Open - Playing the hats wide open, or as you open them, while releasing your hi-hat foot.
• Alternating - Playing strokes on the edge and bow of the hi-hats. Typically the edge would be on the strong counts of the beat. For 4/4 time you would play edge, bow, edge, bow, etc. - while triplets could be played edge, bow, bow, edge, bow, bow... etc.

Ride Cymbal

• Bow - Playing on the bow of the ride cymbal is most common, and works well for most styles.
• Bell - Playing the bell is great for accenting notes or playing on the off-beat to create a unique feel.
• Edge - Crashing, or playing on the edge of the ride, can be used to build into a heavy part of a track. However, a drummer will typically ride on a crash or possibly a china cymbal for this effect.

Drum Beats

• Control - It is important you develop the ability to control each of your limbs when playing a beat. This may sound more difficult than it actually is. With practice you can easily develop this ability.
• Practicing Combined Voices - Try playing a beat quietly with all of your limbs. Not only does this help with dynamics, but also gives you added control with each limb. When you return to playing louder everything is typically easier to play.
• Practicing Individual Voices - Try playing a beat you would normally play fairly loud, and then adjust the volume of each limb individually. For example - continue to play the beat the way you normally would, and then lower the volume of your snare stroke to a ghost note. Bring the volume back up slowly and then do the same with the kick drum, the hi-hats, or the ride (one at a time) - all the while maintaining the original beat with the other limbs.

Drum Fills

• Control - Typically you want fills to ascend or descend with the flow of the music. If you are building into a chorus with more energy, use the dynamics of the drum fill to build volume towards that chorus. Likewise, if you are coming out of a chorus, you want the dynamics to bring the volume and energy down slightly.
• Practice - play a simple snare-roll fill that starts quiet and builds in volume (no change in speed). Start by playing a simple beat, then move into the ascending snare-roll for a full bar, and then to another beat. Then try a descending roll connecting two beats. Once you have mastered that, apply the dynamics using other voices of the drum kit.

Relating Dynamics to Genres

Every style of music has it's own basic dynamic guidelines. These aren't "rules" or "regulations" that you must stick with, but rather "tips" and "suggestions" for what typically sounds best. There is plenty of room for creativity when it comes to following these guidelines, so you shouldn't feel too limited or restricted with what you can play.

Rock Drumming

• Play rim shots to accent the 2 and 4 counts, and lighter ghost notes on most every other beat.
• The kick drum should be the next prominent voice, and should be played heel-up for the most part.
• The hi-hats or ride cymbal should be the weakest of the three voices during normal play, but can still be fairly loud. I prefer to play the hi-hats fairly heavy, but the ride cymbal a little lighter as it is generally louder anyway.

Jazz Drumming

• The snare should be played lightly. Some notes will be accented (but rarely by a full rim shot)
• The kick drum should be slightly quieter than the snare, and is best played heels-down.
• The ride should be clear on the bow with accents on the bell. It should be about as loud as the snare.
• The hi-hats are typically being closed with the left foot on the 2 and 4 counts. The sound should be crisp and slightly louder than the snare. This isn't always the case, but is something that works well for most playing situations. Many beginners struggle to get the volume up on their hi-hats, but it is definitely worth learning.

The tips I have provided above are rules that I generally follow. Again, they are merely guidelines for you to base your playing around. The goal here is to assist you in finding your own unique voice, and enabling you to play with more control and dynamics.

How To Play A Drum Solo

Playing a drum solo is the most impressive way for drummers to express themselves.Every drummer wants to impress the audience with a unique drum solo. But do you really know how to build a proper drum solo? Will you bore the audience with a lame drum solo or lengthy repetitive roll? This article will get you started on the proper ways to create a unique drum solo that will build on itself, and impress the crowd. Remember, a good drum solo isn’t always fast and technical - so don’t get down if you are still to be considered a beginner drummer. A drum solo is something that a drummer of any background or level of experience can put together to showcase their talent. These solos are best played with rock songs; however, playing them in Jazz music, Latin music, and Punk music is also very common.  Before you decide to take on drum soloing, you may want to make sure you know the basic skills of a drummer!

The best way to look at a drum solo is by thinking of it as its own song. With a song, it starts out with a bit of an intro, and slowly starts to build. Towards the end, the song will build and build, giving off more energy to keep you the audience intrigued. You would not want a song to start with a heavy bridge and end with a slow, softer feel would you? The same is with a drum solo. A lot of drummers will throw their best chops, rolls, and drum rudiments in right at the beginning, realizing they have nothing left for a solid outro. This being said don’t think this is the only way to do a drum solo. A drum solo should be an expression of the drummer, if you want to do a solo with slow rolls for five minutes that is totally fine. Drum solos should always be unique and personal, but try your best to make them as innovative as possible!

Building A Drum Solo

It is very important to keep a solo in time. That being said, most times you can change the tempo to achieve a certain feel during your drum solo. A good way to keep time is by using a metronome, and playing a solid quarter note beat on your bass drum. An example of this is:

Keep this beat on your bass drum rolling throughout the solo; it will keep you in time, and keep your solo flowing. To get proper sound dynamics, start the solo out soft, and slowly bring up the volume and intensity.

Now its time to fill in the rest. There are many ways in going about doing this, so do not feel limited, this is only a very basic solo idea. Try adding some toms over top of your bass drum pattern. One example would be to add a 16th note roll on your toms. That would look something like this:

All that is left is to add some cymbals in, and expand on the beat a bit. There’s no limit to how long you can’t go for, as long as you keep people interested. You don't want to keep repeating the same roll over and over. The audience will get bored very fast. You have to keep changing different techniques and feels, while keeping them all related. Just like a song, you wouldnt totally change the feel everytime you go from verse to chorus, you always need something relative to tie everything together. Make sure that all elements of your drum solo all have the same type of feel. You can get alot of ideas from going on websites like YouTube or Google-Video, these websites have home made video's from many talented drummers that you can learn drum solo techniques from.

Finishing A Drum Solo

There are many ways to finish off a drum solo. One way is to bring it down to a soft stop. This can be done by bringing the dynamics down, and slowing the beat down a bit. You may like this technique if you are doing a long solo, where all attention is on you. It will bring closure to your beat. The other way is to go out with a bang. This is a great method if you are ending a show, or song. Crash away at your cymbals, while playing on the set as fast as you can. Fast drum rudiments going around the toms are sure to impress your crowd. End with a final blow to your crash.

Like I said before, a drum solo does not have to be too technical. They just have to be able to keep the listener intrigued. I cannot express enough how important it is that you continue to be creative with your solos.To add some spice to any solo, try playing it with brushes. Make sure that every solo you create is unique to your style, the audience can easily sense if the drummer is bored, or dissatisfied with a performance. Soloing is very fun and rewarding, so always try new tricks, and never stop learning! Try to add some spice to your soloing by playing some patterns in a linear style.