Can I Kick It? (Yes, You Can)

10.08.2017 |

Episode #5 of the course How to play the drums to (almost) every song you’ve ever heard by Dylan DePice

 

Today, we’re going to take the next step and kick it up a notch. It’s time to get your feet involved.

You’re already well on your way to learning the one beat that is the basis for almost every pop song you’ve ever heard. You know how to count, you know what to do with your right hand, and you know what to do with your left hand. And you know to keep your arms crossed.

When you sit at a drumkit, your right foot is on your bass drum pedal and your left foot is on your hi-hat pedal. The bass drum (often written as BD) is the biggest, deepest-sounding drum in a drumkit. It’s also called a kick drum. “The kick” is the contrast and complement to the snare drum (often written as SN).

The bass drum’s place in our basic beat helps illustrate its relationship with the snare. You already know that SN goes on 2 and 4. So, it’s only natural that BD would go on 1 and 3 to balance it out.

The relationship between BD and SN is the most important part of almost any beat. The hi-hat (HH) is important for tying it all together, but in most cases, it won’t totally break the feel of the song if you played, say, quarter notes instead of 8th notes or even if you left it out altogether. So, that’s exactly what we’re going to do to start.

• Count.

• Keep counting; add BD.

• Keep counting with BD; add SN.

Step 1. Forget playing HH for now. And forget SN for now too. Just start with your count.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
(“One and two and three and four and”)
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
etc.

Step 2. Add BD on 1 and 3. You can “play” BD by stomping on the floor (only as loud as is socially acceptable wherever you are.)

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
etc.

Step 3. Once you’re comfortable, add SN on 2 and 4 by tapping your right thigh with your left hand.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
etc.

Even though you’re just playing “quarter notes” with your right foot and your left hand, you should still be counting 8th notes; in other words, keep saying the “ands”!

Doing three things at once isn’t easy. But you’re already doing it! That’s what you’re doing when you’re counting 8th notes, playing BD with your right foot, and SN with your right hand!

Now you know what to do with your right hand (HH), your left hand (SN), and your right foot (BD). But what about the left foot? Just hold it down. Literally. (More on this tomorrow.)

And now you know what to do with all four of your limbs at the same time! Nice.

 

Recommended book

Drum Set Warm-Ups: Essential Exercises for Improving Technique by Rod Morgenstein

 

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