Good news! I’m back making lessons in a new studio and will be uploading a lesson every day for the next month, and not slowing down much after that. The whole video & PDF lesson library will be refreshed/replaced with updates and more detailed version of the old lessons, plus loads of brand new lessons….
This series of beats introduces sixteenth-note bass drum additions to the eighth-note rock beat and is a great step into counting and playing syncopated grooves and developing four-way coordination. These types of drum beats are common in funk, pop, R&B & other styles.
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This lesson introduces basic open hi-hat beats centred around the eighth-note rock beat – placing open/closed hi-hat notes in different eighth-note positions in the bar, then combining those patterns with a set of bass drum variations/additions.
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This lesson demonstrates a large group of useful beats – all variations to the eighth-note rock beat with sixteenth-note bass drum additions as well as open hi-hat notes in selected eighth-note positions. This exercise set is a great workout for your four-way coordination starting with simple, playable beats…
This lesson shows you how to add accented patterns to the hi-hat part of the eighth-note rock beat.
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This lesson expands on the eighth-note rock beat and contains 112 exercises – all based on adding bass drum notes in various eighth-note positions in the bar.
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This lessons shows you how to play the 4/4 Sixteenth-Note Rock Beat, plus a few useful hi-hat variations involving accents and alternate hi-hat rhythms for creating different feels on top of the same underlying beat.
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The Quarter-Note Rock Beat (initially introduced to me as the “2/4 Beat”) is the first thing I ever learned to play on drums. After that I worked through a few other related rock beats, then quickly began improvising beats and became hooked. This beat is very simple yet…
The Eighth-Note Rock Beat is one of the fundamental beats in drumming and one of the cornerstone rhythmic feels in western popular music. Once you master this beat and some basic variations, you’ll be on your way to mastering rock & pop grooves of all kinds – most…
This quick lesson/practice tip shows you a simple way to achieve more consistency when changing between singles, doubles and paradiddles.
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The six-stroke roll is a versatile and musical rudiment, but it’s non-alternating nature gives it some limitations that this lesson helps to overcome, making it even more useful. The second half of the lesson breaks the six stroke roll in half with the aim of creating more melodic…
This group of exercises shows you some extensions and modifications to the flam accent rudiment with the aim of enhancing it’s usefulness as a musical tool, and allowing you to work it in with other different but related sticking patterns. Each exercise should be practiced on it’s own…
This lesson shows you a set of bass drum variations for your rock & funk beats. This means that bass drum notes may fall on any sixteenth-note in the bar.
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This lesson shows you a set of combined bass drum and snare drum variations for your rock & funk beats. This means that bass drum and snare drum notes may fall on any sixteenth-note in the bar.
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This lesson shows you 100 different ways to combine single-stroke and double-stroke stickings between the four limbs. Each set of 10 exercises uses a common foot ostinato (repeating pattern), while the snare stickings change for each individual exercise. Video and part 2 coming soon.
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This lesson introduces you to the concept of polyrhythms, and demonstrates the formula for working out everything from basic and advanced polyrhythms based on any two numbers you like.
Here’s the formula you’ll see explained in the video:
Polyrhythm Formula:
Take X:N (N = primary pulse, X = secondary pulse)
1. Create a bar with ‘N’ primary…
I’ve been using a new camera to record some gigs lately so I’ll be sharing the footage from time to time. This is Chukale playing one of our favourites ‘Chan Chan’, featuring guest pianist Marialy Pacheco from Cuba.
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This lesson aims to get you using your hi-hats more dynamically and creatively. The exercises themselves are rooted in 4-way co-ordination and take you through different combinations of limb actions such as:
– Striking the snare while opening the hi-hats
– Striking the bass drum while opening the hi-hats
– Striking the snare while closing…
These ‘swinging latin’ grooves came out of the bebop era, when Cuban percussion rhythms were being introduced to American jazz. They are often used in songs that change between a straight ‘latin’ feel and the triplet-based swing feel (e.g. Green Dolphin Street). They are played straight in the demonstration video, but can also be played…
In this video, you’ll see 55 different 4/4 drum fills that you can copy and try out in your own drumming. They start out simple and get more complex toward the end.
See the slow-motion version of the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olrj3XsjVWc
Download a sample from this PDF:
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This video shows you a drum lick based on a 12-note triplet sticking suitable for dropping into a Songo or other Cuban feel without breaking away from the main cowbell beat.
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Ever see those drummers who hold one of their sticks funny? If you want to know what that’s all about this lesson shows you why and how to do it.
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Never held a drum stick before, or just want to know if you’re on the right track? This is the lesson for you. You’ll learn where to put your hands and why drummers get their sticks to ‘bounce’ or ‘rebound’.
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This lesson shows you how to draw out maximum power and tone from your snare drum using a common technique called the rim shot.
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Matched Grip’ is the most practical and commonly used grip for modern drummers. This lesson shows you the basic concept, and the 3 variations on matched grip used by drummers around the world – French Grip, German Grip and American Grip.
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This is one of my favourite concepts to teach. The ‘Dynamic Strokes’ (Full, Down, Tap, Up) are key in an approach to stick technique that gives you more speed, power and dynamic contrast in your drumming. It’s about knowing where your sticks are coming from and going to at all times.
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In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Triple Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be applied to the drum kit.
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In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Triple Ratamacue drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be applied to the drum kit.
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In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Triple Paradiddle drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be applied to the drum kit.
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In this lesson, Sacha demonstrates the Thirteen Stroke Roll drum rudiment on the snare drum, then shows you one of the many ways it can be applied to the drum kit.
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