"Wake 'n Break" Series

Today's wake 'n break is a rim-oriented haltime backbeat. Taking the bass drum first, we simply have a single note falling on the 1. Looking at the rim of the bass drum next, we have notes falling on "1e&" and on "3e&". Moving along to the rim of the floor tom, we have notes falling on "2e&" and on "4e&". Next, our hi-hats have notes falling on 1 and the "a" of 1, 2 and the "a" of 2, 3 and the "a" of 3, and on 4 and the "a" of 4. Last but not least, our snare has a single accented note falling on 3. As always, I hope you dig it and much love!

Wake n Break No. 1993 - A Two Bar Rim-Oriented Halftime Backbeat

Notation:
 
Last edited:
Today's wake 'n break is a busy two bar groove that has a heavily ghosted snare drum part. Taking the bass drum first, we have notes falling on "1&", the "a" of 2, on "3&", and on the "a" of 4 in the first bar. In the second bar, we have notes falling on "1&". Looking at the hi-hats next, we have notes falling on "1&", "2e", "3&", and on "4e" in the first bar, followed by notes on "1&", "2e", and then open notes on the "&" of 2, the "&" of 3, and on the "&" of 4 in the second bar. Last but not least, our snare drum has ghost notes the "e" and "a" of 1, the "&a" of 2, the "e" and "a" of 3, and on the "&a" of 4 in the first bar. In the second bar, we have notes on the "e" and "a" of 1 as well as accented notes the "&" of 2 and on the "&" of 4. As always, I hope you dig it and much love!

Wake n Break No. 1994 - Busy Two Bar Groove With Heavily Ghosted Snare Part
 
Today's wake 'n break is a two bar groove in 6/8 and is sort of a hybrid of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms. It also utlizes a tamborim on top of my ride but you can use whatever sound you would like. Taking the bass drum first, we have notes falling on 1 in the first bar and on 1, 3, and 5 in the second bar. Next, our snare drum and our tamborim are falling in unison on 1, 2, 4, and 6 in the first bar and on 1, 3, and 5 in the second bar. The 4 in the first bar and the 3 in the second bar are both played as accented notes. Last but not least, our hi-hats are being chicked on 3 in the first bar and on 1 and 5 in the second bar. As always, I hope you dig it and much love!

Wake n Break No. 1995 - Afro-Cuban & Brazilian Hybrid Groove In 6/8
 
Hey, folks! :) Today's wake 'n break utilizes two different types of shakers, with one being an African nut shell shaker and the other being an African Y bottle cap rattle, with the former being used to strike the hi-hats and snare drum and the latter being used to strike the rim of the bass drum. Looking at the bass drum first, we have notes falling on the "&" of 1, on the "& trip let" of 3, and on the "a" of 4. The groove itself actually starts with the "a" of 4 played as a pickup. Looking at the Y rattle next, we are striking the rim of the bass drum on the "&a" of each beat. Moving along to the shell shaker, we are striking the hi-hats on "1e" and "3e", as well as the snare on "2e" and "4e". Last but not least, we have a hi-hat chick on the "&" of 4 (which doesn't start until the end of the groove in this video). As always, I hope you dig it and much love!

Wake n Break No. 1996 - Dual Shaker Groove With A Sixteenth Note Triplet On The Bass Drum

Notation:
 
Last edited:
Hey folks! :) Today's wake 'n break is a slow and laid back groove that utilizes a technique that refer to as a "tom slide" because it is similar to a conga slide. To pull this technique off, simply strike the head of the tom and then use your other stick to glide across the head. Taking the bass drum first, we have notes falling on 1 and on the "e" of 3. Looking at the tom slide next, we have a long slide starting on 1 and ending on 2. Moving along to the snare drum, we have accented notes on 2 and 4, as well as part of five stroke closed roll that is played between the hi-hats, snare, and bass drum on 3. Last but not least, we have an open hi-hat note on the "&" of 2 as well as chicked notes on 2 and on the "&" of 4. As always, I hope you dig it and much love!

Wake n Break No. 1997 - Slow & Laid Back Groove With A Long Tom Slide
 
Hey folks! :) Today's wake 'n break is an uptempo groove that is built on top of the baiao foot ostinato, but the groove itself is sort of a hybrid with additional touches of second line and rudimental drumming. Taking the foot ostinato first, our bass drum is falling on 1 and the "a" of 1, the "&" of 2, on 3 and the "a" of 3, and on the "&" of 4. Meanwhile, our hi-hats are being splashed on all of the upbeats or "&'s". Finally, our snare drum has notes falling on "1e&a", a buzzed stroke on "e" of 2, more notes on the "&a" of 2 and on "3e&a", and then a buzz roll on 4. Also, the "a" of 2 is played as an anticipated accent. As always, I hope you dig it and much love!

Wake n Break No. 1998 - Hybrid Groove Over Baiao Foot Ostinato
 
Hey folks! :) Today's wake 'n break is a two bar phrase that utilizes two cowbells. Taking the bass drum first, we have notes falling on "1&2" in both bars. Looking at the hi-hats next, we have notes falling on "1&2" with open notes on the "&" of 2 and on the "&" of 3 in both bars. Moving along to the snare drum next, we have a note falling on 3 in both bars. Last but not least, we come to the bells, where we have notes falling on "4e&a" in the first bar and then we have a slew of 32nd notes starting on 4 in the second bar. As always, I hope you dig it and much love! Tomorrow marks 2,000 Wake 'N Break grooves!

Wake n Break No. 1999 - Two Bar Groove With Dual Cowbells
 
Holy crap, today marks 2,000 wake 'n break vids with zero days off! :) I decided to just have some fun with this halftime backbeat groove that utlilizes an old Hammerax Bash for metallic clap effect, as well as two cowbells on a hi-hat stand. I want to thank each and every person who has been rocking with the series, no matter what number you started watching at! As always, I hope you dig it and much love. New things are on the horizon!

Wake n Break No. 2000 - Halftime Backbeat With Metallic Clap And Cowbells On The Hi-Hats
 
Holy crap, today marks 2,000 wake 'n break vids with zero days off! :) I decided to just have some fun with this halftime backbeat groove that utlilizes an old Hammerax Bash for metallic clap effect, as well as two cowbells on a hi-hat stand. I want to thank each and every person who has been rocking with the series, no matter what number you started watching at! As always, I hope you dig it and much love. New things are on the horizon!

Wake n Break No. 2000 - Halftime Backbeat With Metallic Clap And Cowbells On The Hi-Hats
This is one hell of an achievement, and a really unique archive of which you should be rightly proud!
 
This is one hell of an achievement, and a really unique archive of which you should be rightly proud!
Thank you so much, Andy! A new chapter begins soon. :)

Today marks the final episode in the Wake 'N Break series. I created this series five and a half years ago as a personal challenge to make sure I got behind my drums and created something everyday. The fact that I'm ending this series on number 2001 and is not a coincidence. The plan from here is to embark on a new odyssey of exploring solos and sounds, so an all new daily series starts next week. Stay tuned and thank you to each and every person who has been following the Wake n Break series, whether you've been watching since day one or if you started yesterday. The journey is only beginning and there's always room for others to come along. CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE YOURSELF!

Wake n Break No. 2001 - Fat Shell Shaker Backbeat (The Final Break)
 
Back
Top