< PreviousModern Drummer July 2022 48 The Game Changers Part 1 By Billy Ashbaugh F or this month’s article I’d like to share several different topics that I feel were monumental for my growth as a drummer. I call these “The Game Changers”. There are several topics so this article will be split into two parts. Part 2 will be featured in next month’s Modern Drummer. When I look back on my drumming journey from day one, I discover that there were several concepts that became foundational building blocks for my playing. Every time I was able to incorporate these concepts into my practice routine, my playing took a huge leap forward. I’m confident it will do the same for you. Even if you are just starting out, it’s never too early to look into these concepts and begin to apply them to your drumming. For Part 1 there are four topics: Understanding subdivisions, Learning to read music, Developing your ears and Learning to write charts/roadmaps. Understanding subdivisions is a big one. There are five main subdivisions we are going to look at. They are: 8th notes (two beats per quarter note), 8th note triplets (three beats per quarter note), 16th notes (four beats per quarter note), 16th note triplets (six beats per quarter note) and 32nd notes (eight beats per quarter note). Being able to utilize these five subdivisions around the kit made a big difference in my drumming. I’ve found that these subdivisions will cover 99% of everything I play. However, mastering these will take some time. To begin this journey, I always have my students start off with a metronome and a practice pad. We begin by playing a steady flow of every rhythmic subdivision. The sticking will alternate for this exercise RLRL etc. Familiarize yourself with each individual subdivision first before you try transitioning between them. The goal is to get all of the notes spaced evenly for each given subdivision. Note placement is everything! If you don’t spend the time to make each exercise feel great, then you’re honestly wasting your time. It’s that important. This is a good time to mention the importance of practicing with a metronome. For this exercise, it’s imperative. Your metronome should be playing quarter notes. This will act as your “foundation” to lock into as you explore these subdivisions. Remember to spend time on each individual subdivision and make sure you are very comfortable with the spacing of the notes between each pulse of the metronome. Only then is it time to move onto the next one. As you begin to get comfortable, you’ll notice that almost every time you hit the down beat, (every quarter note) it will land with your right hand. This will really help you lock into every down beat and make sure that you’re spacing all of those notes correctly. The one exception is the 8th note triplets. Because you’re playing three beats per quarter note for these, the down beat will alternate from right to left every other beat. So the down beats for one and three will land with a right hand, and the down beats for two and four will land with a left. Because of this, it will take a bit more time to get the proper feel of 8th note triplets before moving on. Once you have control over every subdivision individually, start off by playing four bars of each subdivision starting with 8th notes. The idea is to go through all five subdivisions seamlessly as you transition from one subdivision to the other. As you get comfortable, try adding a few things. First try accenting every down beat. (This is when you’ll really feel the challenge of the 8th note triplets). Then try bringing the feet in underneath the hands. Start with just quarter notes with your right foot. I’ve always thought that this forces your brain and body to recognize the quarter note pulse. If your feet are playing it, then you’re feeling it. After that, play 8th notes with your feet. That involves playing quarters with your right but now add up beats with your left. Again, beware that the 8th note triplets will be a BIG challenge. Finally, try shortening the time you spend on each exercise. Try four measures of each, then two, and finally one measure per subdivision. Once you get the accents in place, add the feet and shorten your exercise cycle, you are on your way to better understanding the five main subdivisions. All that’s left is to jump behind the kit with your new found knowledge. Transitioning these skills to the kit will take some time but knowing that your brain has gotten comfortable with the subdivisions before you attempt to apply it to the drum set will make a BIG difference. Here’s a great exercise to introduce the subdivisions around the kit. Do the same exercise that you did on the pad, (1 measure per subdivision). Assuming you have a 5-piece kit, you’re going to play one beat per drum. Start on the snare for beat one, then move to the first tom for beat two, move to the second tom for beat three and finally the floor tom for beat four. For this exercise, keep the sticking alternating RLRL. Chances are, things will get a little “wobbly” as you open this exercise up and move around the toms (especially with the faster subdivisions). Remember to be patient as you get comfortable controlling these notes around your kit. Once that’s done, my best advice is to start thinking “outside the box”. There are no rules. When you’re behind the kit you have four limbs and a variety of sounds you can access. Also, the alternate sticking (RLRL) is no longer a rule. Feel free to use any sticking, incorporate your feet, and use all of the voices (sounds) of the set while exploring the kit for fill ideas. Your new understanding of proper subdivisions will July 2022 Modern Drummer 49 translate wonderfully to your grooves as well! Now let’s discuss the importance of learning to read music. Many drumming avenues opened once I learned to read music. I couldn’t play the way I do now if I didn’t learn to read music years ago. It’s my opinion that every drummer should learn to read music. I can’t stress this enough. I know there are a lot of drummers that don’t want to hear this, but the truth is, once you take the time to learn this skill, you will instantly have a vast amount of knowledge available at your fingertips. There are so many great books and PDF files offered in stores and online. There’s a world of cool drumming material out there. Why not open yourself up to it? It’s definitely worth the time you’ll invest, and the good news is, it’s really not hard to do. There are only so many ways you can write a rhythm. You’ll simply have to memorize a small system of notes, rests, and dots. It’s that easy. My recommendation is to get with a good teacher and learn to read music. Another great benefit from reading is learning the skill of counting. You can’t read the music if you don’t count. By counting, you are forcing yourself to really understand where all of the notes (and rests) belong. This awareness will help with your overall playing, and it assures accountability. Have you ever tried to play a fill only to lose where “one” (or the down beat) is during the fill? Do you find yourself guessing how to come back in on time? When you count, your voice provides “the rhythmic grid” that helps all of your limbs to line up. Understanding this “grid” will ensure all of your notes fall in perfect time. Then you have the knowledge to play with control and conviction. That’s another great weapon to have in your bag of tricks. I’ll discuss this in more detail in Part 2. Developing your ears is a great skill to have, but this one is not as “cut and dry” as your approach to reading music. Being able to accurately identify what instrument is playing what part takes some work. You’re training your ears to pick out (or identify) only one drum sound at a time. I developed this skill years ago when I started programing my first drum machine for a local gig. I had to take a list of songs and try to figure out what the various percussion instruments were playing. This process forced me to listen for just the high and low conga pattern, or the shaker and cowbell pattern. It was great training for developing my ears. Obviously, you’ll need to do the same for beats. What’s the kick pattern? Is it falling on the “&” or the “e” of beat three? Is the hi-hat playing steady 8th’s or quarters? I suggest taking a song with a basic groove that you’re familiar with and try to identify what the kick, snare and hi-hat are playing. As your ears develop and you get better, try tackling fills or busier patterns. Here’s an exercise I use with my students to help develop their ears. We’ll go to a lesson page that they’re familiar with and I will play a beat off of that page. The student’s job is to identify what beat I am playing. In the beginning I’ll play it over and over until the student is able to identify it. But as their ears develop, I’ll only play it once before they must identify it. I like this exercise because normally the students will look at the note value for what to play. However, in this situation the students are listening to a beat and dissecting what they are hearing, then associating it with the note value. This is a great exercise for helping develop your ears. Once your ears are developed, that leads us to learning to write out charts/roadmaps for songs. If you’re planning on joining a band or learning a bunch of songs for your band, this skill is a must. I can’t tell you how many times this skill has saved me. Shortly after I learned to read music, I realized I was only getting half the benefits offered through understanding music notation. This realization hit me when I was trying to learn 40 songs for a band I had just joined. At that point I knew I had to take the time to develop this new skill. Learning to write out computer generated notes and rests will take as much practice as any other drumming exercise. However, when you write out your own charts, you’ll have a pencil and eraser. I’ll admit that took me a while to master. I can remember taking my first chart to the gig only to get lost trying to read my own handwriting. But like anything, practice makes perfect. Start with writing out a basic beat. Remember, there are only so many ways to write out any given rhythm. It’s just a matter of getting comfortable writing out these rhythms. Write them out in the same way you have seen them in your drum books and lessons. It’s literally like understanding a language. Once you are comfortable with this process, you will have a huge advantage when it comes to learning new songs. Plus, you’ll have the “cool” ability to create and “write out” your own beat or fill ideas on the spot. I have a library of “cool” stuff I’ve jotted down over the years. One final (BIG) advantage for learning to write out charts/ roadmaps. Suppose you’re at band rehearsal and someone changes the arrangement or adds a rhythm that everyone needs to be aware of? Or what if the bass player changes their part (affecting what you play). With this new skill, you can simply jot down the changes as they occur and easily read them back. I have found this approach to be FAR better than attempting to memorize everything as it’s coming at you. That’s it for Part 1. I hope these tips will help you get the most from your drumming journey. Please check back for next month’s article where I’ll discuss four more Game Changers: Recording yourself and listening back, Effective looping, Proper practice structure, and Using a metronome and counting. Billy Ashbaugh has played professionally for nearly 40 years. He’s toured with ‘NSYNC, Pat Benatar, The Moody Blues, John Lodge, Alan Hewitt & One Nation and Brian Littrell (BackStreet Boys). He has also recorded/performed with Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Robby Steinhardt (Kansas) Gloria Estefan, Britney Spears, Richard Marx, Christopher Cross, Alex Boye’, Joey Fatone, Greg Howe, Samantha Mumba, Hedras Ramos and many more. When he’s not on tour, Billy offers online lessons as well as remote live drum tracks from his home studio. Check out Billy’s Modern Drummer profile page at moderndrummer.com Every time I was able to incorporate these concepts into my practice routine, my playing took a huge leap forward. I’m confident it will do the same for you. Modern Drummer July 2022 50 Up-Tempo Jazz Ride Playing By Mike Clark I use a kind of circular motion to achieve my desired sound, as was taught to me by Sam Woodyard. The quarter note is being accented slightly, yet consistently, creating a driving and danceable feel. Digging in is what we used to call it! Some guys referred to it as scooping ice cream. Remember that at a medium tempo, the quarter note rules, yet it is still somehow based on the triplet! Up-Tempo Ride: If I increase the tempo further the triplet will, as a matter of course, flatten out and become more of an eighth note feel. It is still played as dotted eighth and sixteenth, but it straightens out some naturally. We can take this a step further by introducing more syncopated ideas on the ride to achieve a broken time feel. A great example of this can be heard by Tony Williams on Miles Davis records. July 2022 Modern Drummer 51 Up-Tempo Broken Time Feel: Now that we have an idea of how different tempos can be played, we can dive into some comping vocabulary. This phrase cycles over 4 bars and gives the feeling of 3 over 4. The second example expands the phrase idea further and creates a phrase in 5. / / > Œ ¿ Œ ¿¿¿ œ ¿ œ ¿ ¿ Œ ¿ œ ¿ œ ¿ ‰ Œ œ ¿ j ‰ ¿ œ j Œ ¿ œ ¿ ‰ ¿ œ j Œ ¿ œ ¿ ‰ ¿ œ j ¿ œ Œ ¿ ¿ œ ¿ ‰ Œ œ j ¿ ¿ Œ œ ¿ œ ¿ ¿ œ ¿ Œ Œ œ ¿ œ ¿ ¿ Œ ¿ œ ¿ œ ¿ ‰ Œ œ ¿ j Ó Œ 4 4 4 4 / First Comping Phrase > 3 333333333333 3 / Second Comping Phrase > 3 333 3 3333 3 3333 3 3 4 ‰‰ ¿ j œ ¿ œ œ ¿¿ œœ ¿ œ ¿ œ ¿ œ œ ¿¿ œœ ¿ œ ¿ œ ¿ œ œ ¿¿ œœ ¿ œ ¿ œ ¿ œ œ ¿¿ œœ ¿ œ œ œ ¿ VVV ‰‰ ¿ j œ ¿ œ œ ¿¿ œœ ¿ œ œ œ œ œ ¿ œ ¿ œ ¿ œ œ ¿¿ œœ ¿ œ œ œ œ œ ¿ œ ¿ œ ¿ œ œ ¿¿ œœ ¿ œ œ œ œ œ ¿ œ œ œ ¿Modern Drummer July 2022 52 Bob Moses’ Drum Wisdom, Musical Resolution Points I n the last few last months of Modern Drummer we have included the chapters from Bob Moses’ Drum Wisdom book on the 8/8 Concept and the Sixteen Musical Resolution Points. These two concepts work together and can apply to every style of music and drumming. We also went into depth regarding the & of 4 of the first bar as a musical resolution point. This month we will continue by talking specifically about the & of 3 in the first bar, and the & of 3 in the second bar. First, you might want to refresh your memory by re-reading the last few month’s columns. Here is what Bob has to say about this important concept. Mastering the Resolution Points In the following pages we’re going to deal with three different resolution points individually. To do that effectively, we will work with two-bar phrases. Let’s look at the reason for that. The idea behind a resolution point is that it gives you an el- ement of repetition that is necessary for groove. We do not necessarily need something that repeats in every bar, however, because we are not just hitting these points, but rather, we are resolving to them, one bar doesn’t really give you enough room to resolve. In order to have enough room to create a resolution, most of the time we’re going to want to use at least a two-bar phrase. It could, in fact, be longer than a two-bar phrase, but in this column, we will focus on two-bar phrases because they are so basic and common to music. I feel that it is very valuable to visualize music whenever you can. You should not just hear music but also see it. When working from a resolution point, start by visualizing a two-bar phrase with a grid of 8th notes, which you will use as your framework. The eight resolution points can be incorporated into very simple time keeping patterns, as well as more complex solo or fill patterns. This month I will be giving some rhythmic examples of phrases which resolve to a specific point. I will not illustrate how to apply those phrases to the drum set, because it is more important that you develop your own ability to do this, rather than memorizing the way I, or anyone else, might do it. Rather than practicing specific exercises, you need to develop your own creativity and your ability to use the resolution points in whatever type of music you are personally involved with. After you feel that you can hold the 8/8 framework in your mind, along with a specific resolution point, start creating your own two-bar phrases which resolve to that point. At first you might want to practice the individual phrases repeatedly, but ultimately you should be able to play a differ- ent phrase every two measures with the only common element being the resolution point itself. You can use the following examples as a framework for your playing, filling in around the resolution point in any way you choose. Here are two more resolution points for you to explore. The & of 3 in the First Bar Visualization Timekeeping Patterns Swung Eighth’s Straight Eighth’s Phrases Resolving to the & of 3 in the First BarJuly 2022 Modern Drummer 53 Framework for Playing The & of 3 in the Second Bar Visualization Timekeeping Patterns Swung Eighth’s Straight Eighth’s Phrases Resolving to the & of 3 in the Second bar Framework for Playing Check out Bob’s Modern Drummer profile page and get your copy of Drum Wisdom at moderndrummer.comModern Drummer July 2022 54 Double Bass Drumming by Joe Franco C ontinuing from last month’s re-introduction of Joe Franco’s classic book Double Bass Drumming, and his concept called the Single Stroke System . Here is Joe’s chapter on Sixteenth Note Double Bass Patterns . There are many more patterns and beats included in the book. Here are the different one beat patterns that can be formed by breaking up the 16th note grouping 1E&A. The figure beneath each pattern shows how it is played on the two bass drums Here are some examples of beats using 16th note bass drum patterns The beats in this section are written with an eighth note ride. Here are some suggestions for other ride patterns.July 2022 Modern Drummer 55 Since most of the bass drum patterns in this section are designed around a 2 and 4 backbeat on the snare, any hand pat- tern with accents on 2 and 4 can be used. For example, the single paradiddle (RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL) with right playing the ride and left playing the snare. Here are more double bass drum beats from the book. They are all written with an eighth note ride pattern and back beats on 2 and 4. There are several more pages of these beats in the book for you to explore. Remember any of these beats can also be played with the other suggestions for ride patterns that I mentioned earlier in this article. Check out Joe’s Modern Drummer profile page and get your copy of Double Bass Drumming at moderndrummer.comModern Drummer July 2022 56 Carmine Appice Ultimate Realistic Rock Sixteenth Note Rhythms In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Carmine Appice Ultimate Realistic Rock, Modern Drummer is reprinting this classic section of Carmine’s book. In this section Carmine introduces two essential rhythms to rock drumming, and teaches us how to play and integrate them into great sounding and funky rock beats. Rock drummers rely heavily on 16th notes. The count for a set of four 16th notes is 1, e, &, a. Each set of four sixteenths is equal to a quarter note: A 16th note rest has the same value as a 16th note, a 16th note or a 16th rest are both worth a quarter of a beat. A rest can be placed anywhere in the figure. In this figure count 1,e, &, a but hit only the last three notes Eighth note rests can also appear and take up the space equal to two sixteenth notes. This section also introduces the dotted 8th and 16th rhythm. The dot increases the value of the preceding note or rest by 1/2. Since an eighth note equals two 16th notes, a dotted 8th equals three 16th notes. A dotted 8th note and a 16th note add up to one beat, this rhythm is played with a bounce. Another figure used in this section is: This is a syncopated rhythm where you hit 1, e, a. and rest on the & (or third 16th note.). œœœœ ≈ ‰ . œœ œœœ ≈ œœœ Eight-Bar Exercises in 16th notes More Sixteenths . . . . zzzzzzzz œ Œ œ Œ Œ 5 Œ . 5 SD BD Cym 1. ‘‘‘ >> . . . . zzzzzzzz œœ Œ œœ Œ Œ . 5 Œ . 5 SD BD Cym 2. ‘‘‘ >> œœœœ 1e&a 1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a 1234 ≈ ≈ œœœ 1e&a ‰ . œœ 1e&a . œœ . . . . zzzzzzzz œ Œ Œ 5 œ Œ 5 œ SD BD Cym 3. zzzzzzzz œ ≈ œ ≈Œ œœ Œ ≈ r 5 ‰ 5 Œ . 5 ´ 2 ´ 2 >>>> . . . . zzzzzzzz œ ≈ œ ≈Œ œ ≈ œ ≈Œ ≈ r 5 ‰ . 5 ≈ r 5 ‰ . 5 SD BD Cym 4. ‘‘‘ >>July 2022 Modern Drummer 57 . . . . ≈ ≈ r 5 SD BD Cym 5. zzzzzzzz Œ œœ 5 œ 5 œœ . 5 ‘‘‘ >> . . . . zzzzzzzz œœ ŒŒ Œ . 5 œœ 5 SD BD Cym 6. ‘‘‘ >> Eight-Bar Exercises in Sixteenth Notes . . zzzzzzzz œœ Œ œœ Œ Œ . 5 Œ 5 Cym SD BD zzzzzzzz œ Œ œ Œ Œ 5 Œ . 5 > >>> zzzzzzzz Œ œœ Œ œœ 5 Œ . 5 zzzzzzzz ŒŒ œœ . 5 œœ 5 zzzzzzzz œœ Œ œœ Œ Œ . 5 Œ . 5 >>>>>> . . zzzzzzzz Œ œœ 5 œ 5 œœ . 5 zzzzzzzz œœ ŒŒ Œ . 5 œœ 5 zzzzzzzz œ Œ œœ 5 œ 55 Œ >>>>>> More Sixteenths . . . . zzzzzzzz œœ Œ œœœ 5 Œ . 5 Œ SD BD Cym 1. ‘‘‘ >> . . . . ≈ ≈ r 5 SD BD Cym 2. zzzzzzzz ŒŒ œœœ . 5 œœœ . 5 ‘‘‘ >>Next >