This article explains the first five drum grooves taught in our Sutherland Shire private drum lessons at Do Re Mi Studios. They are essential for every drummer to know. Before showing these grooves, I will explain some music theory to allow you to be able to understand the rhythms.
First, I will explain the note values covered in the grooves. These are:
The Bass Clef
The bass clef is at the beginning of each line in the music.
The Time Signature
The time signature is at the beginning of the music just after the bass clef. 4/4 time signature means four quarter note (crotchet) beats per bar or their equivalent value.
Quarter Note (Crochet)
A note worth one beat.
Eighth Note (Quaver)
A note worth half a beat.
When 2 or more quavers are next to each other, they are connected with a beam as shown below. The value of the figure below is 1 beat as each quaver is worth half a beat.
Below is the notation on the notes on the staff:
Now that you know the basic music notation, let’s put it all together in the drum grooves.
For each of the grooves, play a quaver (eighth note) rhythm in the hi-hats in each bar. Keep the hi-hats closed and play them with the right hand. Crosses just above the staff represent the hi-hat.
In the first groove, play the bass drum on every beat of the bar. Play the snare on every 2nd and 4th beats. As mentioned earlier, play quavers on the hi-hats with the right hand.
Groove 1
See a demonstration of groove 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Wok-sIXDA
In the groove 2, play the bass drum on the first and third beat of the bar. Play the snare on every 2nd and 4th beats.
Groove 2
See a demonstration of groove 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0Uu0Flx1NY
In groove 3, play a crotchet on the bass drum on the first beat. Play two quavers on the bass drum on the third beat of the bar. Play the snare on every 2nd and 4th beats.
Groove 3
See a demonstration of groove 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HgiRlGzLwY
In groove 4, play 2 quavers on the bass drum on the first and the third beat of the bar. Play the snare on every 2nd and 4th beats.
Groove 4
See a demonstration of groove 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MESeKXUuntA
In groove 5, play 1 crotchet on the bass drum on the first and the third beat of the bar. Play two quavers on beat 2 (the first on the snare and the second on the bass drum). Play a crotchet on beat 4 on the snare.
Groove 5
See a demonstration of groove 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMaCnUVL4I8
To learn more drum grooves try our Sutherland Shire private drum lessons at Do Re Mi Studios. Alternatively, for more beginner grooves check out http://learndrumsforfree.com/drum-lessons/10-basic-rock-drum-beats
Have fun!