I watched Ray Luzier in a drum video a while back talking about a very simple pattern he likes to use around the drums that involve the double bass drum pedal. While practising the drums this morning I suddenly realised that I use this idea all the time in my own playing. It's such a simple combination of ideas that most drummers that have been using double bass drum pedal for a while will have most probably played it already.

The fill idea consists of two individual parts that are put together into one pattern. Here are the two parts...

The first bar on the left shows a six note pattern with four notes played on the hands and two notes played on the double bass drum pedal. Of course, this pattern can be played with one bass drum foot depending on how efficient and speedy you are with the one foot!

The second bar on the right shows a three note pattern with one note played on the hands and two notes played with the double bass drum.

What you can do next is to combine these two patterns and play them through sixteenth note triplets like this...

I've known this through years of teaching and studying with some pretty amazing girls back in the day but for any of you doubters out there here's still further proof, if proof be needed, that girls really CAN drum as well as the boys.

Check out Emmanuelle Caplette in one of her drumming Youtube videos...she's on fire!

**This is in response to a forum question**

The Milkshake exercise you refer to consists of a double paradiddle played between the high tom and low tom with each of the doubles played on the medium tom.

With H representing High Tom, L representing Low Tom and M representing Medium Tom we have...

LHLHMMHLHLMM
RLRLRRLRLRLL

In the video that I think was being referred to in the original question the teacher talks about playing this in 3/4 so that the whole pattern takes three beats to resolve. You would count it as...

1e+a2e+a3e+a
RLRLRRLRLRLL

**Reply to a question asked in the Drums The Word Forum**

Hey Jamie,

I just don't have time to do any video tutorials on specific songs at the moment, there will be more in the future though! I'm sorry about that. I'm currently working on a whole series of beginner based tutorial videos an hour in length each that I'm very excited about. More news on these within the next few weeks!

Because you asked me a specific question about the chorus of the song Underdog by Kasabian I was able to find the time to help you out. While I was at it I thought I'd go over the verse as well just for good measure.

First of all, the drums sound heavily sampled. The drummer obviously played the parts but they were then digitised and run through some sort of sampler. Because of this the drums are quite hard to hear, especially those pesky ghost notes.

This is what I was able to hear being played most of the time for the verse...

The last ghost note of the bar is replaced with two thirty second note ghost notes occasionally, especially when moving into the break where the drums cut out before the chorus. Here is this bar written out for you also...

Finally, here is the chorus groove....

Just stumbled upon your great website & had to sign up immediately, just what I've been looking for to expand & improve my drumming skills & knowledge.

Thanks for your brilliant website Rob, very much appreciated.

Best Regards,

Chris Drumz.

Hey all!

Just recently I was asked by a pupil about how to play odd groupings of notes through sixteenths and I thought it would be a cool subject to talk about here too.

Sixteenths are generally felt and counted as four notes per beat. A bar made up of four beats would be counted 1e+a 2e+a 3e+a 4e+a.

Most drummers will play fills made up of four, six and eight notes so that they stay comfortably in time with the pulse of the beats.

If you want to have a bit of fun though then try playing in groups of three, five, seven and even nine.

Well, I finally got the forum running and am excited and looking forward to hearing from you guys.

I'd really appreciate any kind of feedback/comments you'd would want to offer about the site or specific lessons/exercises. Its also a great place for us all to chat generally. Please feel free to use the forum for any drum related subjects you wish.

I'll be logging in on a regular basis and will answer any question you have. Hope to see you in there soon!

Linear Drum Beats

As usual, I couldn't write a blog entry and not give you something to get your teeth into.

I thought I'd offer you a couple of cool linear drum beats created for a video lesson I did recently.

They're both three note patterns and are made up from the sticking - Right Left Bass (RLF).

Both grooves involve a healthy dose of ghost notes and accents and are a lot of fun to play...they sound pretty awesome too!

Linear Groove 1

Linear Groove 2

Hey peeps, how's it going? 

I hope you have been enjoying the videos I've been uploading recently. I plan to do many more so if you find my voice annoying then you're in for more punishment!

Feel free to email me with any suggestions you have on video lesson subjects. I'm currently torn between play along tutorials and general technique/exercises. What do ya fink?

Paradiddle-diddle Ideas

Couldn't do a blog entry without adding something for you to have a go at!

This is the Paradiddle-diddle in case you've been living on Mars...

Have you noticed what happens when you play it between ride cymbal and snare like this?...

I was teaching one of my pupils today at a drum lesson and, is so often the case, they asked me a great question that made me stop and think.

He asked what were my favourite linear drum beats and how do I construct them in the first place.

Well, I couldn't give him a straight answer as I don't have any specific favoruite linear grooves. I tend to just play and see what happens. But I do have a few favorutie "building blocks" that I use within most of my linear playing.

Let me show you those now...

Linear Groove 1

This little idea involves playing blocks of four notes through 1/32nd notes. I simply love to include the bass drum when I'm playing ideas like this. The 1/32nd notes start on Beat 3 and take up an entire beat. The right hand stays on the Hi-Hat and so gives me the opportunity to lay down snare ghost notes or replace the double bass drum with snare drum if desired.

Linear Groove 2

Just to let you know that I'm still working hard on creating the free drum video lessons that I hope to upload soon. I'll keep you posted!

Onto the lick then...

The Six Stroke Roll

Here is the six stroke roll in all its glory.

This little rudiment is a favourite amongst drummers mainly due to the way it flows effortlessly through triplets.