DRUMS
THE GREATEST MUSICAL COMMANDMENT - “ GROOVE IS EVERYTHING ” | Carl Albrecht
Playing with solid time and feel is still the drummer ’ s primary purpose . Rarely have I heard an artist or music director ask me to play busier , but they always want the right vibe , feel , and tempo . As my friend , bass guitar icon , Abraham Laboriel would say , “ Groove is Everything ” … or he would also smile at me and say , “ To groove or not to groove , there is no question !” ( Ah , I love Shakespeare … and Abe .) So how does a drummer develop their ability to keep great time ? “ Practice . Practice . Practice .”
Every student I teach is required to buy a metronome or drum machine as soon as possible . Even for beginners , or those who have never tried it , I will immediately make them play to the machine . At first this can be a VERY frustrating experience . Be patient it takes time to develop “ good time ”. I also recommend the book Stick Control by George Lawrence Stone . Use the patterns in his book as a reference to work on good hand coordination .
One method that will help you get use to playing with the click is to make it play in double time . If the tempo you pick is 60 b . p . m . ( beats per minute ) set the tempo to 120 b . p . m . so that you will hear the subdivisions of the count . So besides just hearing 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , you will hear and count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. If you use a drum machine you can play a preprogrammed pattern or create your own that have many more parts and subdivisions to create cool musical ideas . Even when using more musical drum loop ideas I recommend counting the beats anyway . As you play different rhythm patterns set up your loops to subdivide the main pulse or quarter note into whatever feel your working on . If the primary feel is in 8th notes use something in that rhythm . If it is triplets , have the pattern play 1-trip-let , 2- triplet , or 1-la-lee , 2-la-lee type patterns and use the syllables you like best to count it . If it is 16th note subdivisions count 1-e- & -ah, 2-e- & -ah, and so forth . When using a standard digital metronome with only click sounds it can be a little boring but it will still work . Either type of device still demands the discipline required to get your sense of time sharper .
Start doing the exercises on a practice pad at first . Always breathe normally and stay very relaxed . Keep your motions smooth and flowing . Then try playing the patterns around the drum set starting on the snare and gradually moving around all the pieces of your kit . If you feel you ’ re falling out of time with your metronome just stop , listen to the click for several bars , then start again . Taking little breaks at first will help you “ internalize the tempo .” You can also add your feet if you feel comfortable . Play quarter notes on the kick drum and make your hi-hat play the 2 and 4 counts while your hands play various patterns .
After playing the warm up patterns for a while then start playing different groove and fill ideas with your machine . Be sure to have your click playing more subdivisions of the beat so you can feel the time better . Try a variety of styles and patterns playing in a “ song structure ” like this : * 8 bars of groove with a fill in the 8th bar
and then repeat and build variations as you go . Count --1 2 3 4 , 2 2 3 4 , 3 2 3 4 , 4 2 3 4 , and so on as you play . Or as an option , play 4 bars of groove with a fill in the 4th bar . Stay in one tempo and style for at least 4 to 5 minutes . This will simulate the length of most of the songs you play . Mix things up a bit by playing 8th note grooves , 16th note grooves , triplet grooves , and shuffle grooves . These would be the basic 4 “ groove groups .” It ’ s also important to have a library or play-list of songs you like to play that use these various grooves . But for this article I focused on the mechanics of developing better time .
Trust me , the more you work on your time with a click device the more steady you ’ ll play . Becoming a more solid drummer will build your confidence and help your band mates feel more secure when you play together . When you are able to create a great rhythmic foundation the music is really gonna ’ groove . After all , “ Groove is everything !”
Carl Albrecht Professional drummer for 30 + years , playing with Paul Baloche , Don Moen , Ron Kenoly , Abe Laboriel , LeAnn Rimes and others . He ’ s also a clinician , author & pastor . Contact Carl for coaching , online lessons , producing , or sessions . I ’ m still growing too .. www . CarlAlbrecht . com LMAlbrecht @ aol . com