Current Issue | Home | Back Issues | Other Mel Bay Sites | Purchase Percussion Products
Where's One? | Summer NAMM 2004 | Bring On the "Funk"

Where's One?

by Michael Green

There is nothing more important than a solid beat that is undeniable and leaves no questions unanswered, but. . . sometimes it's fun to play with it just a little. So, for this issue of Percussions Session I came up with a few exercises that do exactly that with a basic rock beat. To be more specific, these exercises displace the beat. The hi-hat is going to hold down the eighth notes while the snare and bass drum move one rhythmic slot over and simultaneously turn the beat around all the while maintaining the same metric relationship to each other. Wow! That sounds much more complicated than it really is. By doing these exercises you'll be able to keep your bearing straight while perking the interest of the listeners. I've included some counting guides underneath each exercise to show what numbers or syllables the notes land on. Make sure that you are always aware of where you are in the measure or else a cool manipulation of the rhythm can turn into a major mistake!

First let's start with quarter notes.

I hope that you found this article stimulating and that you have some new tools to creatively incorporate into your own playing. Feel free to email any questions or comments to me, it would be great to hear from you.

-Michael
mtgreen76@yahoo.com

Thanks for reading this issue of Percussion Sessions.
Feel free to email comments or questions to me at mtgreen76@yahoo.com