The Miller Linear Shuffle.

[millerdakiller]

This is a shuffle i came up with listening to Over at the Frankenstien place from the rocky horror picture show. It started as a one measure beat that i used as a fill, but I discovered that you can play much faster then you can a normal shuffle, so it's useful in quick pieces where a shuffle will sound good. So here it is (written in 12/8):

BLR RBL RBL R_B

the b's are bass drum, the l's are left hand, the r's are right hand. The_ indicates an eigth note rest. I divided the sticking into groups of 3s to illustrate the triplet feel.

It start's with a hit on the bass drum followed by a left hand on the snare as a ghost note. The following two right hands are played on the hi-hats. Then a hit on the bass, the left hand on the hats, and amd the right on the Snare(this is your backbeat. the Feel Is an accent on 3). Another bass hit, another left on the hats, and the final right on the hats as well. The final bass hit is a pick-up into the next measure where the beat starts again.

For those of you who can read music, a simpler explenation:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/millerdakiller/MILLERLINEARSHUFFLE.jpg

[jayp]

Wouldn't this be a linear half time shuffle with the back beat on 3?

But seeing as its 12/8 I could be wrong, Im just getting into other time sig's besides 4/4 lol.

[millerdakiller]

nope its in 12/8. you can play it as a half-time shuffle if you want. But I just play it as a fast 12. It actually almost feels double time with as fast as I play it. But if you want it can definately by half time.

I actually consider all shuffles to be in 12 even if they are written in 4/4. That's just my opinion though. I feel like writing swung 8ths is just a lazy way of writing in 12

[Tryitagain]

Wouldn't this be a linear half time shuffle with the back beat on 3?

Agreed. I absolutely LOVE half time shuffles and explore variations of it often. I would call this a half time shuffle in 4/4.

[millerdakiller]

ok, regardless of wether it's half time or quintuple time. The reason i posted it was to get some feedback. Try it out what do you guys think. I think it has a really cool locomotion to it, if that's a good way to describe what I'm thinking...

[Tryitagain]

Just tried it... it works. It felt more natural to leave the LH on the snare and ghost the "uh" of 3 (if you count triplets 1 and uh, 2 and uh...etc) as opposed to moving LH to the HH, but that's just me. I've always liked patterns where the RH comes of the HH and plays the back beat while the LH plays ghosts... Not bad!

[millerdakiller]

cool. there are a couple variations to it that I play . one of them i play all of th right hand stuff on the ride except the backbeat, and all of the left hand stuff on the hats. You can even through some toms in there. The thing I like about it is the flow of the sticking, it works very well at high speeds. How fast were you playing it?

[Tryitagain]

Started slow and tried it at different tempos. I set the metronome to 115 with the click falling on 1 & 3, so that would be quarter=230bpm before it fell apart for me. I think it sounds much better at slower tempos, as half time shuffles do for me, but at higher speeds it takes on a completely different feel. Not bad, just different. Would make a killer fill at a blazing tempo!

[LinearDrummer]

ok, regardless of wether it's half time or quintuple time. The reason i posted it was to get some feedback. Try it out what do you guys think....

Good stuff....
I like it as a half time shuffle groove....

[tracer]

Speaking for the old guys,if one of you does a mp3 or youtube version of this many of us would be grateful...
tracer

[hauk]

Cool groove, Miller.

Tracer, here's a quick mp3 I whipped up (I know, I know, drum machine, but it's easier than recording).

[fourstringdrums]

Well seeing as miller got himself banned, I won't say this to him, but just in general. Interesting shuffle idea though I have to wonder why he wrote the hi-hat out as a dot on a line which looks like you're supposed to play it on a high tom instead of an x. I want to take some new audio tomorrow so maybe I'll give this one a shot.