Advice on timing please

Ryan_Coke

Member
Is there any way to ease into off timing songs? Not sure if that is the right term to use. But I am sure you will get what I mean. Lets take Creep by Radiohead for example.

Creep.png


So if I count the 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and my hi hat hand keeps timing. But when I start doing the quick double bass followed by a single bass my hi hat hand want to follow my foot!
Is there any type of exercise or recommendation to keep that HH going in rhythm without losing beat and following my bass? Thanks again guys!
 
Start really slow and use a metronome to keep things on track, say at 60bpm or slower.

Then gradually build from there.

Gradually ...

It takes a lot of patience, so stay loose and don't fret if things don't happen quickly.
 
When I was starting out I would play the song in my stereo and tap along, hands on thighs, foot tapping on the floor. Now I would use my practice pads, but same idea.

If I could figure out the beat but couldn't pull it off, I would write it down (as you have) and then practice it very slow, as has been mentioned.

Nothing new to add except for me it was easier to practice new ideas without the actual drumset to distract and dazzle me. That's how I still approach things after twenty years.

Specific to the Radiohead beat: I would work on that bass-double that is giving you trouble, without worrying about the single that comes next, until the second bass hit and the hi-hat fall together. Work on that until it feels natural and then move ahead from there.

Hope it goes well, and keep at it!
 
yep, Ryan sorry to say there's no magic, just slowing things waaaaaaaay down, and isolating the part that is giving you the most trouble, I've only been playing a few months now, and learning " when the levee breaks" was a big step for me, lol, most of the people on here can do it in their sleep, but the bass part gave me fits, I wrote it out on paper, and just played it so slow, for an hour, then the next day after work " BAM" it was just there, and felt natural. keep at it.
 
yep, Ryan sorry to say there's no magic, just slowing things waaaaaaaay down, and isolating the part that is giving you the most trouble, I've only been playing a few months now, and learning " when the levee breaks" was a big step for me, lol, most of the people on here can do it in their sleep, but the bass part gave me fits, I wrote it out on paper, and just played it so slow, for an hour, then the next day after work " BAM" it was just there, and felt natural. keep at it.

You should take this to heart, it's the foundation of learning any new beat. Your body has to feel it done right, so go as slow as it takes to play it right. Often times that will be incredibly slow.

You might also check out this video, and make playing the samba pattern with the bass and hats part of your regular warm-up. It translates to so many styles and uses it's not funny. You can easily see where it applies to the Radiohead song.

G/L!
 
Thanks a tonnes guys. I love this forum! You guys are a terrific help. Will check out some of those books. Too bad they can be bought on PDF so I can have them now!
 
You should take this to heart, it's the foundation of learning any new beat. Your body has to feel it done right, so go as slow as it takes to play it right. Often times that will be incredibly slow.

You might also check out this video, and make playing the samba pattern with the bass and hats part of your regular warm-up. It translates to so many styles and uses it's not funny. You can easily see where it applies to the Radiohead song.

G/L!

Which video Spreggy?
 
Yes as for the slow down advice, my friend said to try the program Amazing Slow Downer. So I bought it for my ipad and it works awesome.
 
"The new Breed" by Gary Chester will improve your independence drastically (and solve your "my HH follow my bass drum" problem). It's a classic master piece which every drummer should study.

So this book came in today. The ony problem I see is the amount of equipment he suggests. Like 3 hi hats on the left side! I just dropped 4K on a set of Tamas. i cant afford to go buy a bunch more. Ut what the heck is he suggesting 3 hihats for anyway?
 
Ryan there's a trick to get past your hurdle...

Always remember, if you can't sing it, you can't play it. So, whatever limb is giving you a problem, your hi hat hand in this case, leave that limb out and instead, sing it's part. Just say chick chick chick to imitate the hat and leave your hand on your lap. Your voice should make the same mistake as your hands (in this case). When you can sing the part, you should be able to then play the part. You have to develop separate areas of your brain to work independently of each other, it's a mental challenge first. Get that separated out and the physical will follow.
 
Back
Top