Some essential beats

[Bo Eder]

Hey all,

I promised I'd put up something like this soon, so here it is. I was talking about some essential beats that everyone should know - so I've compiled a short list of examples. Everything demonstrated here I guarantee you you'll have a chance to play if you take a wedding, or a casual, or decide to play for a dance class. It's is not everything you should know, but some of the stuff I've encountered on numerous gigs. So, if you can play any of these with conviction and at different tempos, I'd almost guarantee that you'll survive a casual job. It's not the best of quality, but here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-MYz...1&feature=plcp

The order of rhythms is:

1) Straight 8th examples
2) a 12/8 example
3) A variation on the Cha-Cha
4) A slow-medium samba
5) A slightly upbeat mambo pattern

If you toss in some swing and swinging with brushes, you might have most bases covered even if you don't know the songs ;)

[keep it simple]

Great stuff, but surprised you left out a basic shuffle.

Nice right foot on the samba & mambo :)

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by keep it simple

Great stuff, but surprised you left out a basic shuffle.

Nice right foot on the samba & mambo :)

You're right, I did leave that out! Whoops! Well, you could take the straight-eighth disco beat one and just play quarter notes on the ride and you are providing time for the shuffle. It might even be cooler because there's less notes. You know how drummers sometimes play too many of those? Yeah ;)

Actually, I used a double pedal to play the foot parts. Kidding.....

[jt.mcrae]

4th beat is a bossa not a samba and the last beat is closer to a samba than a mambo :P. Still good group of beats all demonstrated very clearly and professionally

[Swiss Matthias]

Cool video! Well played, and you inspired me to make this thread:
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=94289

I agree the samba example sounds more like a bossa. Probably the
snare pattern should be more syncopated to sound samba-ish?

I don't think your mambo sounds like a samba, though.

Maybe you could add a simple jazzy pattern to the list?

[Mad About Drums]

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

Actually, I used a double pedal to play the foot parts. Kidding.....

... and a third foot to play the hi-hat. Kidding too...

Cool video Bo, I liked the latin grooves, they're the one I play the less I guess...

You could do another clip, and include the shuffle, half time shuffle, reggae and a basic jazz rythm :)

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by jt.mcrae

4th beat is a bossa not a samba and the last beat is closer to a samba than a mambo :P. Still good group of beats all demonstrated very clearly and professionally

Another whoopsie ;). Forgive the misnomers! I'll do another one and get it right. But then again, to be honest, nobody cared what they were called so long as they sounded right ;)

[jt.mcrae]

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

Another whoopsie ;). Forgive the misnomers! I'll do another one and get it right. But then again, to be honest, nobody cared what they were called so long as they sounded right ;)

Exactly!!! It's all about how you sound and the feel and groove your bring, which you nailed.
Sorry if I came across as all haughty and highbrow, not my intention

Jackson

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by jt.mcrae

Exactly!!! It's all about how you sound and the feel and groove your bring, which you nailed.
Sorry if I came across as all haughty and highbrow, not my intention

Jackson

No worries. I'll admit when I was in college it bugged me when fellow students would just over analyze things in music classes and attempting to get everything textbook correct while I was already out gigging and earning a living, but I think I've moved beyond it. I forgive them ;)

[HMNY]

Nice Bo, think I just found myself a new drum teacher, what are we doing next week? !

Joking apart, some very nice clean examples, thanks for posting.

[BacteriumFendYoke]

I've always admired your ability to keep the playing intense whilst keeping the volume low. You're a really great player, Matt. I really envy that intensity! It shows great control of your instrument.

[Lovetadraw]

Play along with a prog-rock song, you'll learn them all that way lol.

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by BacteriumFendYoke

I've always admired your ability to keep the playing intense whilst keeping the volume low. You're a really great player, Matt. I really envy that intensity! It shows great control of your instrument.

Thanks. I try. I only picked this up six weeks ago ;)

Actually, one of my first gigs was playing in a bar with a tuxedo on three nights a week, and one of the things you learn to do is to keep up the intensity even though you're playing quietly enough for the patrons to talk over you. I credit the years before I was 15 when my teacher had me playing alot of brushes. It had to be that because I've done drum corps and rock and punk bands and none of those situations encouraged me to play soft with intensity. But I've also spent alot of my childhood listening to Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson and many other greats. I'm just emulating what's already out there.

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by Lovetadraw

Play along with a prog-rock song, you'll learn them all that way lol.

I get the joke here, but I tend to think if you grow up playing prog rock, you will never learn how to play it straight. I think you need to learn how to walk straight before you start doing strange things - otherwise no one will ever know you're doing it ;)

I'll approach this a little better for the next one and enable everyone to take a lesson from me for FREE! Thanks for the interest. Maybe I could be the next Cobus...or Jared Falk...


Nah.

[Anthony Amodeo]

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

I get the joke here, but I tend to think if you grow up playing prog rock, you will never learn how to play it straight. I think you need to learn how to walk straight before you start doing strange things - otherwise no one will ever know you're doing it ;)

I'll approach this a little better for the next one and enable everyone to take a lesson from me for FREE! Thanks for the interest. Maybe I could be the next Cobus...or Jared Falk...


Nah.

that kid Cobus couldn't groove like Matt Eder if his life depended on it

[8Mile]

Great work as always, Bo.

Here's a little mambo pattern I wrote out. I have to admit, I've never really played this exactly this way before, but I stole some from what you're doing, some from what another dude on the internet was doing and added some Latin stuff I like to do.

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by 8Mile

Great work as always, Bo.

Here's a little mambo pattern I wrote out. I have to admit, I've never really played this exactly this way before, but I stole some from what you're doing, some from what another dude on the internet was doing and added some Latin stuff I like to do.

That's really cool. That might be a way for me to pave into less bass drum - I can never do that one that Weckl does all the time. And I was trained that I need the bottom going all the time for the dancers. Your version puts the bottom in the right place but for only half the time. I'll have to try that.

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by Gvdadrummasum

that kid Cobus couldn't groove like Matt Eder if his life depended on it

Shhh! Now the first time I get to do a clinic I'm gonna suck. I can hear it now as people walk out "....gee, I thought that guy was gonna groove..."

Note to self: must be able to groove when not on YouTube ;)

[Swiss Matthias]

I often play mambo style patterns with an actual mambo bell pattern on the ride.
Do you guys think that doesn't have to belong there necessarily in this context?

like /x x xxxx/ xxxx xx/ or similar (sometimes tacet some strokes or play some quieter)

[Anon La Ply]

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

... I tend to think if you grow up playing prog rock, you will never learn how to play it straight. I think you need to learn how to walk straight before you start doing strange things - otherwise no one will ever know you're doing it ;)

Guilty as charged haha

As always, played with a clean flow, good sound, good feel.

About the Latin-y beats (well done BTW) I've been confused about the difference between samba, bossa, mambo and rumba for a while now. So when you said that beat was a samba I thought you'd clarified things for me (two-beat pattern on bass drum = samba). Now I find it's not a samba because you played the bossa clave over the top.

I wish there was a definitive video that clearly showed each of those (and other) Latin beats with a couple of examples of each. I've seen a few things but none have been clear.

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by Anon La Ply

Guilty as charged haha

As always, played with a clean flow, good sound, good feel.

About the Latin-y beats (well done BTW) I've been confused about the difference between samba, bossa, mambo and rumba for a while now. So when you said that beat was a samba I thought you'd clarified things for me (two-beat pattern on bass drum = samba). Now I find it's not a samba because you played the bossa clave over the top.

I wish there was a definitive video that clearly showed each of those (and other) Latin beats with a couple of examples of each. I've seen a few things but none have been clear.

OK OK! I'll get that going. Stay tuned. I even have the pages of the written rhythms to share. Please stand by, I don't want to confuse anybody ;)

[Bo Eder]

Originally Posted by Swiss Matthias

I often play mambo style patterns with an actual mambo bell pattern on the ride.
Do you guys think that doesn't have to belong there necessarily in this context?

like /x x xxxx/ xxxx xx/ or similar (sometimes tacet some strokes or play some quieter)

I've been looking at the pulse of the rhythm rather than what you play. I think if you subtract the extraneous stuff and find where that pulse lies, then you can play anything and people will always dance. Most beginners-at-rhythms tend to over-accentuate the ride bell pattern or the clave part because they're so concerned with getting that out there because they've worked so hard at getting it together. When I started playing with a wedding band that did latin stuff, after I listened to what was going on, I found I could subtract stuff because the other guys are filling in the spaces too. Knowing what the other guys are playing helps, because then you all lock together, and it's not so jarring an experience for the listener when the drummer is playing on top of everyone else (a common occurrence with us, I guess).

[Anon La Ply]

Originally Posted by Bo Eder

OK OK! I'll get that going. Stay tuned. I even have the pages of the written rhythms to share. Please stand by, I don't want to confuse anybody ;)

I didn't say it had to be you (but if you're putting your hand up).

I once found a site that had the list going down the page - name of the beat, the nomenclature and video examples. Brilliant. Lost the URL and never found the site again despite intensive searches :(