Bleach SONG TITLE: GENRE: TEMPO: TECH FEATURES:
BLEACH MODERN ROCK 110 BPM
Rock q =110 M od ern Ro
FLAMS HI-HAT FOOT OPEN HI-HAT GROOVE
A
COMPOSERS:
JAMES UINGS & KUNG FU DRUMMER
PERSONNEL:
JAMES UINGS (GTR/BASS) NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS)
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OVERVIEW ‘Bleach’ is a track inspired by emo bands such as My Chemical Romance, Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy. It eatures hard rock beats accentuated with heavy lam driven accents played around the kit in unison with dynamic guitar stabs.
STYLE FOCUS The emo rock drumming style relies upon the drummer exuding great musicianship and having a repertoire o dierent rhythms to complement the various emotions emotions conveyed conveyed by the the vocals and guitars. guitars. You will need to lock in tight with the music because there is little room or error when emphasising stabs at slow to medium tempos. The drums and bass will lock down the tempo o the song while the guitars play melodies over the top. Some verse sections may only contain drums, bass and vocals, with t he guitars held back or the choruses. Conidence and precision when playing are essential to this style.
THE BIGGER PICTURE Emo began in the 1980s when groups like Rites O Spring and Embrace were labelled emotional
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hardcore (hardcore is an oshoot o punk and rock). Their music was more expressive than that o other hardcore bands and was accompanied by melodic guitars and varied rhythms. In 1993, American band Jimmy Eat World ormed and in 2001 brought emo to the masses with their ourth album Bleed American, which became a multi-platinum seller. The our-piece were one o the cornerstones o emo rock and have inspired a slew o other bands, some o which have added an even harder rock edge to the sound such as Brand New. The 2000s belonged to My Chemical Romance whose own brand o emo incorporated a dramatic stage presence and dark lyrical content.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING Start with Bleed American; in particular, the title track and ‘The Middle’, both o which eature solid drumming rom Zach Lind. My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade (2006) is also worth listening to. Hits like ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’ and ‘Famous Last Words’ demonstrate their musical versatility. More recently, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys (2010) displays the group’s change o direction and a range o drummers.
Drums Grade 2
Bleach James Uings & Kung Fu Drummer
q =110 Modern Rock A
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o o o y y œ y y A A Aœ A A A œ A A A A Aœ A A A Aœ A A A Aœ A A A œ A A A A Aœ A œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [5]
o o o y y œ y y A A Aœ A A A œ A A A A Aœ œ A A A œ A A A A Aœ A œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ
[9]
B
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œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ y y y y y y y y œ
[13]
Drums Grade 2
y
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œ œ œ œ y
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y œ y y œ œ y œ
œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[17]
C
o o o y y œ y y A A Aœ A A A Aœ A A A Aœ A A A Aœ A A A Aœ A A A Aœ A Aœ A Aœ A œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[21]
o o o y y œ y y A A Aœ A A A œ A A A A Aœ A Aœ A Aœ A œA A œA A Aœ A œA A œA A œA A œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [25]
Aœ A Aœ A Aœ A Aœ A Aœ A Aœ A Aœ A Aœ A 1 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [29]
Drums Grade 2
1 œ
1 œ
Walkthrough A Section (Bars 1–12) The irst three bars eature lams on the backbeat with occasional bass drums. In the ourth bar, a ill signals the arrival o the ull groove in bar 5. The groove consists o eighth note open hi-hats and bass/snare drum variations. Bars 1–3 | Backbeat flams Play the lams in these bars on the backbeat (the second and ourth beats). When perorming lams on the kit, ensure that your hands are well placed to achieve the grace note/ull stroke combination. Bar 4 | Unison fill In this bar, there are consistent eighth notes played on the loor tom and snare drum. You can achieve consistency o sound and ‘togetherness’ by liting both hands to the same height beore hitting the surace o the drum. The concept o togetherness is also known as unison (Fig. 1). Bar 5 | Open hi-hat groove The hi-hat in this groove is played in the open position. Loosen your oot that holds the hi-hat pedal to create the open hi-hat sound and aim or consistency. Remember that your hi-hat oot needs to remain in contact with t he pedal at all times. Taking it o will aect your posture and timing. Bars 5–11 | Snare and bass variations In this section, there are many variations o the bass and snare drum pattern. Try practising this pattern (the lower part o the stave) without the cymbals initially and make sure that all o the rhythmic values are accurate.
bars. Aim to perorm the movement with accuracy and conviction to avoid any unnecessary splashing sounds. There are two techniques that can be used when attempting a hi-hat oot pattern: heel up and heel down. Use the technique that suits you best and eels more comortable to execute. With both techniques, your oot should always remain in contact with the hi-hat pedal.
C Section (Bars 21–32) The groove in this section is similar to the one that began in bar 5, but develops rom bar 27 and leads to the inal crash hits in bars 31 and 32. Bars 27–30 | Snare on every beat In this groove, there is a quarter-note snare on every beat. The eighth note open hi-hats should remain even throughout the section. This type o groove creates more intensity in the drums and can thereore lead to speeding up. Keep the pulse steady and ensure a consistent sound is produced rom each part o the kit played (Fig. 2). Bars 31–32 | Sound production: crash cymbal In order to produce the best sound rom the crash cymbal, allow your hand to bounce back ater hitting the cymbal and be careul that your grip o the stick is not too tight. Leaving the stick on the cymbal surace or too long can choke the cymbal and aect its natural decay. In order to achieve a convincing sound rom the crash, tr y playing with the neck part o your drum stick.
Bar 12 | Break and fill On the irst beat o this bar there is a quarter-note lam on the snare, then a beat and a hal rest ollowed by a ill on the obeat o the third beat and the ourth beat. Counting the rests between the break and ill maintains continuity and develops a stronger sense o pulse. The two stroke ill on snare and loor tom should ollow the unison principle.
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Fig. 1: Unison �ll
B Section (Bars 13–20) The irst six bars o this section are similar to the opening o the piece but with the addition o the hi-hat oot on each beat. Bars 19 and 20 consist o a long preparation ill or the arrival o the groove in bar 21. Bars 13–18 | Co-ordinating with the left foot Your hands primarily play backbeat lams in these bars. Aim to get this pattern synchronised accurately with your hi-hat oot and then work on the variations in bars 14 and 16. Bars 13–18 | Hi-hat foot Your hi-hat oot should be played on every beat in these
Aœ A œA A œA A œA A Fig. 2: Snare on every b eat
Drums Grade 2
Dora And Bootsy SONG TITLE: GENRE: TEMPO: TECH FEATURES:
COMPOSER: PERSONNEL:
DORA AND BOOTSY FUNK 105 BPM
q =105 F unk
EIGHTH-NOTE TRIPLETS SNARE & TOM FILLS UNISON BASS AND SNARE
A
y œ
LUKE ALDRIDGE
œ œ
STUART RYAN (GTR) HENRY THOMAS (BASS) NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS) ROSS STANLEY (KEYS) FULL FAT HORNS (BRASS) FERGUS GERRAND (PERC)
OVERVIEW ‘Dora And Bootsy’ is a unk track written in the style o the legendary and lamboyant bass player Bootsy Collins, who began his career in the 1970s playing with unk and soul artists including James Brown, George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic and with his own group Bootsy’s Rubber Band. This unk lavoured track incorporates drum techniques and eatures like lams, open hi-hat, and unison bass and snare among others.
degree o syncopation and an emphasis on the irst beat or, as it is known in unk circles, ‘the one’. Brown is said to have created unk with the release o his single ‘Cold Sweat’ in 1967, which eatured this emphasis. In the early 1970s, Brown worked with a band named The J.B.s, an outit that included Bootsy Collins and drummer John ‘Jabo’ Starks among many other musicians, some o whom went on to join George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic. Their inluence can be heard in the music o more contemporary groups like the jazz and unk jam band Galactic (eaturing drummer Stanton Moore) who mix classic unk styles with modern elements.
STYLE FOCUS The ocus o unk is rhythm. With this in mind, don’t be ooled by the simplicity o some unk grooves because even the simplest o ideas must be played to a high standard to create a luid unk sound. A groove has to be solid to capture the essence o unk; you will hear that demonstrated on this track where the bass drum and the bassline lock in on the A section.
THE BIGGER PICTURE Funk developed rom soul, R&B and blues during the 1960s. These earlier styles used a backbeat (the snare on beats two and our) but unk uses a greater
RECOMMENDED LISTENING Brown’s drummers Clyde Stubbleield, Melvin Parker and John ‘Jabo’ Starks are essential listening or those looking to progress in unk. Classic tracks ‘Cold Sweat’, ‘Funky Drummer’ and ‘Sex Machine’ are standouts, but then the majority o Brown’s catalogue throws up many gems. The Parliament-Funkadelic songs ‘One Nation Under A Groove’ and ‘Up For The Down Stroke’ capture the band in ull unk low. To hear the P-Funk inluence in a more contemporary context, listen to Galactic’s 2007 album From The Corner To The Block and Rage! (2008) by Lettuce, showcasing the talents o drummer Adam Deitch.
Drums Grade 2
y
Dora And Bootsy Luke Aldridge
q =105 Funk A
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y y yœ y y y yœ y y y œ y y y y yœ y A Cœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
+ y y yœ y y y yœ y y y œ y y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
y y yœ y yœ y Aœ œ œ œ [4]
1.
A œ [7]
B
œ C yœ yœ y yœ yœ yœ y yœ yœ œ œ œ yœ
2.
y y yœ y y œ œ œ
y œ
3
yœ y y yœ y y yœ y y y yœ y y y y y œ œ œ œ œ
[10]
Drums Grade 2
yœ y y yœ y y yœ y œ œ
y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ yœ yœ yœ y y yœ y yœ y yœ y yœ y yœ y [13]
yœ y œ
y yœ y œ
y
yœ y
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[16]
C
y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ
[18]
y y yœ y yœ y yœ œ y y yœ y y y yœ y y y œ y y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [21]
y œ
y œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
yœ y œ œ œ œ
[24]
Drums Grade 2
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Walkthrough A Section (Bars 1–9) The irst section o this piece eatures a unky groove with open hi-hats. In bar 8, there is a repeat sign indicating that bars 1–7 should be played again. Ater playing this section or the second time, skip the irst time bar and continue directly to this second time bar. Pick-up bar | Counting the pick-up In this piece, there is a pick-up snare lam beore the groove starts in bar 1. The snare lam is placed on the last beat o the spoken count in (i.e. the ourth beat o the second bar). Bar 3 | Quarter-note open hi-hat The open hi-hat in this bar is opened on beat one and should only close on beat two. This means that the open hi-hat sound needs to ring or a ull value o a quarter note. Practise the hi-hat pattern until you achieve luency then co-ordinate it with the snare and bass drum. Bar 5 | Closing the hi-hat The ‘+’ above the crash cymbal note indicates that the hi-hat should be closed while playing the crash at the same time. Bar 8 | Triplet fill The ill in the second part o bar 8 includes an eighth-note triplet on the snare. In a triplet, all three notes should be even. As these are eighth-note triplets, they are played in the space o one quarter note. There are many sticking options that will lead you to the crash on the ourth beat. However, the irst stage is deciding whether you preer hitting the crash with your right or let hand. Both sticking options are shown above the triplet on the third beat o Fig. 1.
rom the third where only two eighth notes are to be played. Because 16th notes are most commonly counted as “1 e & a 2 e & a”, count the phrase used here as “1 e & 2 e &”. Although you are not playing on the “a”, the value o this 16 th note should be preserved. Once you understand the rhythms in this bar, look at the voices used and practise moving around the toms with conidence and a solid pulse (Fig. 2). Bar 17 | Unison fill Your ability to play this ill well will depend on your achieving accurate unison between the drums. Start with the hands pattern and cut out unnecessary lams between the snare and toms then add the bass drum and ocus on the balance (your natural tendency will be to play the bass drum louder than the snare and toms).
C Section (Bars 18–25) This is a reprise o the A section but the groove is played on the ride cymbal. Throughout | Sound production In order to produce the best sound rom the drums, it is important to keep in mind some undamental principles. The snare and toms should be struck in the middle o the drum head. Ater hitting a drum, allow your hand to bounce back. Ensure that your grip on the stick is not too tight and allows the stick some movement.
Sticking options: R L R R L L
B Section (Bars 10–17)
y
The groove changes in this section, oering many variations and ills that allow the drummer to shine.
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L R
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Bar 10 | Groove This groove is a musical interpretation o the parts played by the other instruments. The unorthodox snare and bass drum pattern may be hard to co-ordinate at irst, but i played convincingly this is an impressive unky drum moment. Bar 11 | Groove variation In this bar, the snare plays on the third beat and the bass drum on the other three. Changing to this pattern rom the previous bar might require some preparation. Try playing bars 10 and 11 repeatedly and aim or luent movement between the ride or crash cymbal and the hi-hat.
Fig. 1: Triplet �ll
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Count: 1
e
&
Bar 13 | Fill This ill is based on the rhythmic phrase o two 16th notes and an eighth note. This phrase is used on every beat apart
Drums Grade 2
(a)
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2
e
&
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(a)
3
Fig. 2: Fill
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(e)
&
(a)
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4
e
&
(a)
Cuba Mama SONG TITLE: GENRE: TEMPO: TECH FEATURES:
COMPOSER:
CUBA MAMA MAMBO 120 BPM
q =120 M ambo
HI-HAT FOOT CONTROL FOUR-WAY COORDINATION FLAMS ON TOMS
A
NOAM LEDERMAN
y PERSONNEL:
NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS) HENRY THOMAS (BASS) FERGUS GERRAND (PERC) KISHON KHAN (PIANO) JAKE PAINTER (TRUMPET)
OVERVIEW
spread and bands such as Tito Rodriquez and Tito Puente perormed at ast tempos that suited dancers.
‘Cuba Mama’ is a mambo piece written in the style o Israel ‘Cachao’ López, the inventor o the mambo rhythm, and that o his ellow Cubans Pérez Prado and Buena Vista Social Club. It eatures hi-hat oot control, our-way coordination and tom lams.
STYLE FOCUS Traditionally, the drum kit did not eature in mambo music. The drum beats that have been created since its birth are a mixture o the various percussion patterns o the style. Each drum voice represents a percussive sound and an essential rhythmic igure. Modern Latin drummers have developed these elements into beats requiring our-way coordination.
By the 1990s, interest in mambo had dwindled. Hollywood actor Andy Garcia organised recording sessions with leading Cuban musicians in an attempt to preserve Cuba’s musical heritage. The result was an album entitled Cachao Master Session Volume I/ II , which won a Grammy award. This project was the basis o the documentary ilm Cachao: Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos (Cachao: Like His Rhythm There Is No Other), which resurrected Lopez’s career. In 1999, American musician and composer Ry Cooder produced the ilm and documentary Buena Vista Social Club to oer a glimpse into the Cuban music scene.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING THE BIGGER PICTURE Cuban bassist ‘Cachao’ Lopez invented the mambo rhythm with his brother Orestes in the 1930s. Mambo was considered too radical at irst and it took the eorts o band leader Pérez Prado to give the genre a mainstream audience. Although mambo was played mostly in Cuba and Mexico, interest in the genre grew in New York in the 1950s. A mambo dance craze
Mambo’s creator ‘Cachao’ López is heard best on Cuba Linda (2000) and the Grammy awardwinning Ahora Si! (2004). Pérez Prado has several ‘best o’ albums and Prez (1958) is one o his most accomplished recordings. Ry Cooder’s production o Buena Vista Social Club (1997) shows another side to the music o Cuba and includes the vocal talent o Ibrahim Ferrer and Compay Segundo.
Drums Grade 2
Cuba Mama Noam Lederman
q =120 Mambo A
y
y
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y
y
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œ
œ y
œ
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y
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y œ
yœ
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yœ œ y œ
yœ
y œ
yœ œ
yœ
y œ
yœ œ
[4]
y œ
yœ
y œ
yœ œ y œ
yœ
y œ yœ œ y œ œ
y œ
yœ œ y œ
yœ œ y œ
yœ
y œ
[7]
yœ œ y œ
œ œ œ œ
[10]
B
y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[13]
Drums Grade 2
A œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
y œ
yœ y
y œ
y œ
yœ œ y œ y
yœ œ y œ y
yœ œ y
[16]
y œ
yœ y
y œ y œ y
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yœ œ y œ y
yœ y
y œ
yœ y y œ
yœ œ y œ
yœ y y œ
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yœ y y œ
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yœ y y œ
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yœ y y œ
yœ œ y œ
yœ œ y œ
yœ œ
y œ
yœ y y œ
yœ œ y œ
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[19]
C
[21]
[24]
œ
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[27]
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[30]
Drums Grade 2
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Walkthrough A Section (Bars 1–12) ‘Cuba Mama’ opens with your hi-hat oot on the backbeat and continues with a rhythmic phrase played around the kit that leads into the mambo groove rom bar 5. Bar 1 | Hi-hat foot Play your hi-hat oot on the backbeat in this bar. Aim to perorm the movement with accuracy and conviction to avoid unnecessary splashing sounds. There are two techniques that can be used when attempting a hi-hat oot pattern: heel up and heel down. Use the technique that suits you best. With both techniques, ensure your oot always remains in contact with the hi-hat pedal. Bars 3–4 | Co-ordinating with the left foot The hands pattern in these bars ollows the other instruments that play on the track. The rhythm is: 1 2 rest & rest & (bar 3) rest & 2 & 3 & 4 (bar 4). Try playing the ill on the snare only initially then, when the rhythms are clear, move it around the kit as written. Your hi-hat oot should continue to play on each backbeat throughout these bars. This might be quite challenging to co-ordinate accurately, but because there is nothing to play on the bass drum you can ocus ully on the hi-hat and ill (Fig. 1). Bar 5 | Mambo This mambo beat consists o quarter notes on the ride cymbal, bass drum on beats one and three, snare on beat two and varied toms. Maintain your right hand on the ride cymbal and aim to achieve even and consistent strokes. Play the snare and toms part with your let hand. Move it in good time and maintain a solid pulse. Co-ordinate this hand pattern with the bass drum and you are ready to mambo.
to do than co-ordinating only three. When practising ourway co-ordination it is common to take out and re-introduce the patterns until the ull groove eels comortable to play and is, more importantly, stable. Playing hi-hat oot with the backbeat snare is an important technique that can be used in many advanced grooves and various styles (Fig. 2).
C Section (Bars 21–31) This section has a mambo beat similar to the A section but with a ew added ride cymbals. The ending phrase is based on the introduction phrase in bars 3–4. Bars 21–27 | Sound production: ride cymbal In order to produce the best sound rom the ride cymbal, allow your hand to bounce back ater hitting the cymbal and ensure that your grip o the stick is not too tight. To achieve a clear ring rom the ride, try playing with the tip o your drum stick and hitting the cymbal in the area hal way between the bell and the edge o the cymbal. As with the drums, hitting the same area o a cymbal will naturally produce a more consistent sound. Bar 31 | Rhythmic displacement The ending ill consists o two groups o three snare strokes. The irst group starts on the beat, and the second on the obeat. Moving phrases across beats and bars is the basic concept o rhythmic displacement.
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B Section (Bars 13–20) The irst our bars o this section are the build-up or the trumpet solo in bar 17. The section between bars 17 and 20 is marked with a repeat sign and should be played twice.
Count: 1
2
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y
REST
&
4
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y
&
REST
&
2
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&
4
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4
Fig. 1: Co-ordinating with the lef oot
Bar 13–16 | Build-up The drums play consistent quarter note bass drums and eighth note hi-hat until the ill in bar 16. It is common in Latin music or build-up sections such as this to eature two or more dierent rhythmic patterns played by the musicians. In this piece, the piano and bass play syncopated rhythms that might be conusing at irst. However, the shaker plays a straight pattern that you can sync to. This is your chance to work on developing a stronger inner pulse. Bar 17 | Four-way co-ordination When playing the mambo beat in this section, you will need to add your hi-hat oot on the backbeat. This means you will use our limbs to play dierent patterns. This will be harder
Drums Grade 2
y
œ
y œ y
y œ
Fig. 2: Four way co-ordination
y œ y
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For You SONG TITLE: GENRE: TEMPO: TECH FEATURES:
FOR YOU R ’N’ B 110 BPM
q =110 R’n’ B
BASS DRUM/SNARE UNISON 16TH-NOTE HI-HATS SNARE FLAM
A
y
y
y œ
COMPOSER: PERSONNEL:
NEEL DHORAJIWALA
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NEEL DHORAJIWALA (PROD) NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS)
OVERVIEW ‘For You’ is a contemporary R’n’B, pop and hip hop inluenced track produced in the style o artists like Ne-Yo and Usher. This genre is typiied by programmed drum parts, electronic inluenced instrumentation and a rich vocal arrangement coupled with a slick, polished production sound.
decades have seen a remarkable evolution and development in the sound. For example, the 1980s sound o New Jack Swing, the early 1990s hip hop inluence, the late 1990s neo soul movement and the polished sound o the 2000s all contributed to its transormation. Through taking all o these elements and interpreting them using modern production techniques and electronic instrumentation, the R’n’B sound continues to enjoy incredible commercial success, popularity and the scope to evolve.
STYLE FOCUS Contemporary R’n’B lends itsel to programmed drum machine grooves. Deep electronic bass drums coupled with heavily compressed hand-claps over snare drums are typical. In this piece, hand claps on beats two and our lock into the groove while the bass drum pattern on the down beats provides a solid eel. Recorded drum parts are oten interpreted or live perormances and some who do this well include Aaron Spears, Gerald Heyward and Nisan Stewart. Many drummers in R’n’B have played gospel, which has no doubt inluenced their eel and chops.
THE BIGGER PICTURE The original term R&B stands or rhythm and blues, but R’n’B is a dierent genre. The last three
RECOMMENDED LISTENING There are many artists and producers to listen to in order to gain a better understanding o R’n’B. Studio productions worth checking out include Ne-Yo’s In My Own Words (2006), Because Of You (2007) and Year Of The Gentleman (2008), Usher’s Confessions (2004), Maxwell’s Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite (1996), and Brandy’s Never Say Never (1998). It is just as important to listen to the live interpretations o the songs as it is to the studio produced versions. Drummer Aaron Spears is an awesome orce on the live scene and his solo perormance o Usher’s Caught Up at the Modern Drummer Festival 2006 is a masterclass in contemporary R’n’B drumming.
Drums Grade 2
For You Neel Dhorajiwala
q =110 R’n’B A
y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ
C y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ
y y yœ y y y yœ A œ œ
y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ
[3]
y y yœ y y y yœ A C y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [6]
B
y y yœ y y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[9]
y y y y y y y y y y yœ y y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ A œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [12]
C y œ
yœ y y y
y yœ y œ
y œ
[15]
Drums Grade 2
y œ
y œ
y œ
C
y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ A C y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[17]
y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ A œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ [20]
C y œ
yœ y œ
y y œ
yœ y œ
œ
œ
œ
œ œ
[23]
D
y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[25]
y y y y y y y y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [28]
y y œ
yœ
y
œ
œ œ
œ
y œ
[31]
Drums Grade 2
y œ
y œ
y œ
Walkthrough A Section (Bars 1–8) The irst section o ‘For You’ showcases a basic hip hop beat with open hi-hats and bass drum variations. Bar 2 | Open hi-hat The small circle above the hi-hat note means that it should be played in the open position. This open hi-hat sound is created by loosening the hi-hat pedal and hitting the hi-hat at the same time. In order to play open hi-hat in time you will need to co-ordinate the movement o your hi-hat oot with your hand that plays the hi-hat. Your hi-hat oot should stay in contact with the pedal because removing it will aect your posture, balance and timing. Avoid leaning backwards, sideways or orwards while perorming this technique. Bar 3 | Closed hi-hat The ‘+’ sign above the irst hi-hat note in this bar indicates that the hi-hat should be played in the closed position. This is achieved by pressing the hi-hat pedal down with your oot and tightening the hi-hat cymbals. As with the open hi-hat, you still need to hit the hi-hat with your hand at the same time. This movement must be timed well or else the closed hi-hat will still sound like an open (or hal open) hi-hat.
B Section (Bars 9–16) The bass drum pattern changes in this section and there are also some 16th notes on the hi-hat. Bars 9–16 | Snare and bass variations The pattern introduced in section A continues to develop and vary throughout the B section. Try practising the snare and bass pattern without the cymbals and check that all o the rhythmic values are accurate. When you eel ready, add the cymbals and play along with the track or a metronome.
and dance music where the bass drum plays on ever y beat. The section ends with a lam on the snare ollowed by a ill. Bars 17–23 | Backbeat unison with bass drum In these bars the hi-hat, snare and bass drum should be played together on the backbeat. Co-ordinate your three limbs accurately and avoid any unnecessary lams because these will aect the low o the groove. Playing a backbeat unison groove with the bass drum is an essential skill in a drummer’s repertoire. Bar 24 | Fill This ill starts with a snare lam on beat one, ollowed by a break until the ‘&’ o beat three where the lead-in ill to section D begins. Count the beats between the break and the ill to play this bar accurately. Decide whether you want to reach the crash in bar 25 with your right or let hand and adjust the sticking on the ill in bar 24 accordingly (Fig. 2).
D Section (Bars 25–32) The bass drum and snare patterns here are similar to the B section but your right hand plays on the ride cymbal. Bar 32 | Sound production: crash cymbal In order to produce the best sound rom the crash cymbal, allow your hand to bounce back ater hitting the cymbal and make sure that your grip o the stick is not too tight. To achieve a convincing sound rom the crash, try playing with the neck part o your drum stick.
R
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Bar 9 | Sixteenth notes on the hi-hat Co-ordinate two 16th-note hi-hats with the groove in this section. This can be played with your right hand but it might be challenging because o the relatively ast tempo. It will be easier to move your let hand rom the snare to the hi-hat in order to play the last 16th note o beat two. You can continue to play consistent eighth notes on the hi-hat with your right hand, helping you to maintain a steady pulse (Fig. 1). Bar 16 | Crash hits In this bar there are our quarter-note crash beats to be played together with the bass drum. Ensure these are co-ordinated accurately and placed exactly on the beats. Hitting the crash with too much orce might choke the sound o the cymbal so aim to hit it with balance.
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Fig. 1: Sixteenth notes on the hi-hat
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Count:
C Section (Bars 17–24)
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1
(&)
(2)
(&)
(3)
Fig. 2: Fill
In this section, there is a groove somewhere between hip hop
Drums Grade 2
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4
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Slipstream SONG TITLE: GENRE: TEMPO: TECH FEATURES:
SLIPSTREAM GRUNGE 115 BPM POWER DRUMMING SYNCOPATION FLAMS
A
q=115 Grun g e œ
COMPOSER: PERSONNEL:
JASON BOWLD
œ
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JASON BOWLD (ALL PARTS)
OVERVIEW ‘Slipstream’ is a grunge track inspired by bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains. It eatures lams, syncopation, a ride groove and power drumming among its techniques.
STYLE FOCUS Grunge drumming is essentially about being honest with your sound. Fills are limited to lams, cymbal accents and tom accents and should be played only to complement the song. This is especially the case with ‘Slipstream’. As usual, solid timing and consistency with your power are vital in keeping the energy lowing in the music. Focusing on keeping the audio mix o the bass drum, snare, toms and cymbals wellbalanced will improve your sound and make you and the music sound their best.
THE BIGGER PICTURE The term grunge was coined by Mark Arm, singer o the Seattle band Mudhoney (known as the godathers o grunge) back in the early 1980s. This hybrid o punk, rock and indie spawned hundreds o bands who set themselves apart rom the mainstream
rock o the decade, most notably Melvins, Pixies and Sonic Youth. In the late 1980s, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden introduced elements o classic rock and metal to the grunge mix. In the early 1990s, Nirvana and Pearl Jam achieved mainstream success. Nirvana’s Nevermind (1991) topped the US charts, becoming one o the 100 bestselling albums o all time thanks to ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, the video or which was played repeatedly by MTV. The irony o its success was not lost on rontman Kurt Cobain, who abandoned Nevermind ’s glossy production on their ollow-up In Utero (1993).
RECOMMENDED LISTENING A good place to start with grunge is with the bands Mudhoney and Pixies. Tracks such as ‘Pump It Up’ and ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’ by Mudhoney, and ‘Wave O Mutilation’ by Pixies exempliy grunge drums. The albums Bleach (1989), Nevermind and In Utero by Nirvana eature Dave Grohl on drums, who epitomises the genre’s style with his powerul lam accents, memorable drum ills and jumpy, understated beats. Pearl Jam’s albums carry a more sophisticated edge. Early tracks ‘Jeremy’ and ‘Even Flow’ rom their debut Ten (1991) highlight the talent o their irst drummer Dave Krusen.
Drums Grade 2
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Slipstream Jason Bowld
A
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q =115 Grunge
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
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2 œ
y œ œ œ
[3]
B
y œ
Aœ A œ
Aœ œ œ
A œ
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Aœ œ
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A œ
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Aœ œ œ
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Aœ œ œ œ œ œ
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[5]
[7]
y y yœ y œ œ œ
y yœ y œ
y
y œ
y yœ y œ œ
y œ
y yœ y œ
y
y œ
y yœ y yœ y yœ œ œ œ
y yœ y œ
y
[9]
y yœ y œ œ
[11]
y y yœ y œ œ œ
y yœ y y œ y œ œ œ
y yœ y œ œ
y œ
y yœ y y œ y œ œ œ
y yœ y œ œ œ 1 œ œ
y yœ y yœ œ œ
[13]
y yœ y œ œ
[15]
Drums Grade 2
C
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1 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[17]
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œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
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2 œ œ œ
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Aœ A œ
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A œ
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A œ
Aœ œ œ œ œ œ
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[19]
[21]
D
[23]
[25]
y y yœ y œ œ œ
y yœ y y œ y œ œ œ
y yœ y œ œ
y œ
y yœ y y œ y œ œ œ
y yœ y œ œ œ 1 œ œ
y yœ y yœ œ œ
[27]
y yœ y œ œ
[29]
œ œ œ œ
1 œ
[31]
Drums Grade 2
Walkthrough A Section (Bars 1–4) The song’s verse is split into two sections, A and B. The A section consists o a broken version o the chorus groove played in bars 9–16 and is characterised by the space let at the end o each bar. Bars 1 | Flam groove The main groove here ocuses on playing lams on beat two and the obeat o beat three. Bars 2–3 | Counting during the flam groove In bars 2 and 3 there are hits on the obeat o beat our played on the snare and crash, then the two toms. To remain aware o the space between beats, count during these bars. Bar 4 | Setting up the B section A single snare is played here beore the crash on beat our. This mirrors the guitar ri and sets up the B s ection.
Bars 17–18 | Stabs These challenging stabs bars will require preparation. Start by working on the rhythms in each bar as ollows. Bar 17: ‘1 2 3 & rest &’. Bar 18: ‘1 & 2 & 3 & 4’. Next, play the two bar phrase on the snare only and use a metronome to ensure the pulse remains consistent. The next step will be to incorporate the notated drum voices. Ensure you take your time to play them accurately and in unison. Lastly, add the lams on the snare and the inal crash hit in bar 18 (Fig. 2). Bars 19–22 | Tom groove In this tom groove, your right hand stays on the loor tom with your let hand and bass drum sharing the low o eighth notes. Bar 22 begins without the loor tom but with snare and cymbal accents and ends with a lam on beat our. Place the main lam stroke on the beat and the grace note just beore it.
D Section (Bars 23–32)
B Section (Bars 5–16)
This inal section is essentially a reprise o the B section.
This section’s steady rock groove locks in with the music. Bars 5–7 | Rock groove The groove contains quarter notes played on the open hi-hat. Counting will help you keep time because the groove is quite slow, which means there is more chance o error. The rhythm or the main groove in bar 5 is 1 2&3&4& (Fig. 1). Bar 8 | Eighth-note fill The groove concludes with an eighth-note ill which starts on beat three with a snare lam then travels around the toms.
Bars 23–26 | Rock groove This is the same as bars 5–8. Use Fig. 1 to count the rhythm. Bars 27–32 | Ride groove There is a reprise o the ride groove that you played in bars 13–16 in the last six bars o the piece. Ater the ill in bar 30 on beat three, remember to hold or three beats in bar 31 and to play the inal ill as ‘4& 1’.
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Bars 9–12 | Ride groove The ride plays steady eighth notes with the bass and snare that drop out on beat our, except in bar 12 where a snare and crash are played on this beat. Count:
1
Aœ A Aœ œ œ œ &
2
Bars 13–15 | Busier ride groove The ride groove develops as the bass and snare play through the bars without stopping. A tom is also added on the obeat o beat our. For a more consistent sound, try not to accent the ride when you play the snare and toms. You can achieve this by using small arm movements to play the ride.
3
&
4
&
Fig. 1: Rock groove
Bar 16 | Ride groove fill The ill played in this groove on beat three sets up the C section. When you come o the loor tom, go or a crash that is within easy reach o your right hand.
œ Count:
C Section (Bars 17–22)
&
This long build-up starts with staccato type hits on the snare and toms, moving to an eighth-note low with loor tom, snare and bass.
Drums Grade 2
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2
3
&
(4)
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1
Fig. 2: Stabs
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2
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3
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4
Y’All SONG TITLE: GENRE: TEMPO: TECH FEATURES:
COMPOSER: PERSONNEL:
Y’ALL POP/ALTERNATIVE 102 BPM
q =102 Po p / Alt ernat ive
OPEN HI-HAT SYNCOPATION FLAMS
A
HENRY THOMAS
y y y A œ œ
NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS) HENRY THOMAS (BASS & PROD) NEEL DHORAJIWALA (PROD)
OVERVIEW ‘Y’All’ is a pop/alternative track in the style o Beck, NERD and Gorillaz, all o whom have been inluenced by alternative hip hop. It eatures open hi-hat, syncopation and lams among its techniques.
STYLE FOCUS Typically o alternative hip hop tracks, the drumming on ‘Y’All’ could just as easily be the work o a machine as a human being. Alternative hip hop usually relies on samples as well as live musicianship. Your time keeping needs to be as steady as a metronome because i you start speeding up or slowing down the samples will be out o time with the beat and you risk pulling the track apart.
Alternative hip hop has not enjoyed the same commercial success as gangsta rap. However, the genre’s eclecticism has continued to inluence household acts rom Outkast to Beck. Between them, these last two artists alone have combined blues, olk, rap and unk. The British group Gorillaz are a recent example o alternative hip hop’s potential to cross musical boundaries and produce new, exhilarating styles. Their sound encompasses samples, hip hop, pop and rock, oten all at once. They also use programmed beats that have a strong hip hop lavour. Many alternative hip hop acts perorm with live musicians. The Roots are a good example o this and their drummer Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson has incredibly steady hands, making it oten impossible to distinguish his beats rom those o a drum machine.
THE BIGGER PICTURE RECOMMENDED LISTENING Alternative hip hop was a reaction to the prevalence o gangsta rap in the 1990s. Artists like Digable Planets, Arrested Development and A Tribe Called Quest rejected the negative tone o gangsta rap, instead embracing Arocentric liestyles and absorbing elements rom other genres including the musical motis o blues and reggae.
‘Loser’ rom Beck’s album Mellow Gold (1994) is an example o alternative hip hop and ‘Devil’s Haircut’ rom Odelay (1996) is worth investigating. Gorillaz’ ‘Dare’ is their own take on disco, while ‘Dirty Harry’ has a unky, syncopated groove and ‘Clint Eastwood’, a stripped back pattern that will test your timekeeping.
Drums Grade 2
Y’All Henry Tomas
q =102 Pop/Alternative A
y y y A C y y y y y y A C y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
y y yœ A C y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y œ y y y y yœ A œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [4]
C y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [7]
B
y A Cœ A C y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y A Cœ A C y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[11]
Drums Grade 2
y A Cœ A C y yœ y y y yœ y y A Cœ y y A Cœ A C y yœ y y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
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[15]
y A Cœ A C y yœ y y y yœ y y A Cœ y y A Cœ A C y yœ y y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
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[19]
C
y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y œ y y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[23]
y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [27]
y y yœ y y y yœ y y y yœ y yœ y yœ y y yœ yœ y œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ [31]
Drums Grade 2
Walkthrough A Section (Bars 1–10) The irst section eatures a ew drum beats that are common in this style o drumming. There is also a ill in bar 10 that introduces obeat lams on the toms. Bars 1–9 | Changing grooves In bars 1 and 2 there is an introduction groove without a ull backbeat pattern. However, rom bar 3 all backbeat snares are included. In bars 7–9, a unison groove with bass drum on every quarter note is present. Moving between grooves smoothly is a challenge, so practise each bar separately. Bar 8 | Backbeat unison with bass drum Play the hi-hat, snare and bass drum together on the backbeat. Co-ordinate your three limbs accurately and avoid any unnecessary lams that will aect the low o the groove. Bar 10 | Offbeat flams on toms Following the two eighth notes on beat one, there are three obeat lams played on the high, medium and loor toms. Use the appropriate lam technique and aim to place the main stroke that ollows the grace note o the lam exactly on the obeats. During the eighth-note rests, move both hands and prepare or the next stroke (Fig. 1).
B Section (Bars 11–22) The groove develops here with snare and bass drum variations as well as open hi-hats on the obeats. Bar 11 | Open hi-hat In this bar, there is a groove with two open and two closed hi-hats. Perorm these techniques accurately and in sync with the backing track. Set your hi-hat pedal in the most comortable position to help you perorm this well (Fig. 2).
the rhythmic values are accurate. When you eel ready, add the cymbals and play along with the track or a metronome. Bars 23–33 | Sound production: cymbals You will produce the best sound rom the cymbals by allowing your hand to bounce back ater hitting the cymbal, and ensuring that your grip o the stick is not too tight. These principles, along with well timed hand-oot co-ordination, will help you to produce clear open and closed hi-hat sounds. For a convincing sound rom the crash cymbal, play with the neck part o your drum stick and use the tip or the ride cymbal. Bar 26 | Snare fill The ill in this bar is played on the ourth beat and ollows the same rhythmic phrase that was used in bar 18. The most straightorward way to perorm this would be to have both o your hands on the snare, using the ollowing sticking: R L R. Your right hand should move rom the ride cymbal to the snare but maintain a consistent eighth-note pattern so that your ocus can be on playing the second 16 th note with your let hand accurately. Bar 33 | Ending phrase This consists o our eighth notes ollowed by a two beat rest. In the top part o the stave there are three consecutive ride cymbals ollowed by a crash. The irst eighth note in the bottom part o the stave is played with the bass drum ollowed by two snare hits and another bass drum stroke in sync with the crash. Practise each part separately then put them together and work on accurate co-ordination.
Bar 18 | Break and fill There is a quarter note bass drum with a hi-hat on the irst beat o this bar ollowed by two quarter-beat rests on beats two and three, and a ill on beat our. Counting the beats between the break and ill will ensure continuity and help you to develop a stronger sense o pulse. On beat our, there is a rhythmic phrase that consists o two 16th notes and an eighth note. This should be counted as “4 e &”.
C Section (Bars 23–33) The groove moves to the ride cymbal in this section and you will see a ew more bass drum variations and crashes. Bars 23–33 | Snare and bass variations The pattern introduced in section B continues to develop and vary throughout the section. Try practising the snare and bass pattern without the cymbals and ensure that all o
Drums Grade 2
y y œ œ
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Fig. 1: Oeat �ams on toms
y A Cœ A C y yœ y œ œ Fig. 2: Open hi-hat
echnical Exercises In this section the examiner will ask you to play a selection o exercises drawn rom each o the our groups shown below. In addition there is a Fill exercise which you will play using the designated backing track on the CD. You do not need to memorise the exercises (and can use the book in the exam) but the examiner will be looking or the speed o your response. The stickings shown (L & R) are there as a guide or right handed drummers. Let handed drummers should reverse the sticking patterns. Beore you start the section you will be asked whether you would like to play the exercises along with the click or hear a single bar o click beore you commence the test. Groups A–D should be played at q = 70.
Group A: Single and Double Strokes Single and double strokes in eighth and 16th notes, alternate bars R
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Group B: Paradiddles Single paradiddle in 16th notes with accents R
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Group C: Flams Flams in quarter notes L R œ
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Group D: Triplets Triplets in eighth notes with alternate stickings R
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3
Drums Grade 2
3
3
Group E: Fill In the exam you will be asked to play the three bar groove shown ollowed by one o the notated ills chosen by the examiner. The ills consist o alternating eighth- and 16th-note single and double strokes, lams and triplet ills. You will perorm this exercise to the backing track on the CD. The tempo is q = 80. q = 80
Rock
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Drums Grade 2
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