We’ve been working on learning to read music. If you’ve been following this series, you’ll have checked out the previous two posts, Your First Drum Lesson and How To Read Music For Drummers Part One. If you haven’t been following it, feel free to check out those links.
The idea is this: first, learn a few simple rock beats without any theory and using only physical movements that are easily explained (Your First Drum Lesson), then, learn what those beats look like on paper using rhythmic notation (How To Read Music For Drummers Part One), and then, use that new understanding of reading by learning a dozen simple rock beats (THIS post).
It’s simple. And it works. Now, if you are an experienced drummer but you don’t know how to read, please try to be patient with these beats that you probably already know. The only reason I’m showing you these simple beats is to teach you the reading for them. Once you understand that reading, it’s going to open up a lot of doors for you to learn more efficiently and quickly. So I hope the fact that some of you may know these beats in your sleep doesn’t put you off — the point is to learn to read—and re-examining these simple beats will make learning to read easier for you.
In this lesson—see the video below—I’m going to take 12 eighth note rock beats and play them each four times while putting the notation up on the screen as I play. You’ll be able to relate the reading to the playing and I think you’ll be able to understand the reading that way. I’ve created a PDF with the 12 rock beats from the video and you can check that out here:12 Eighth Note Rock Beats
Take that PDF to the practice room if you like. Here’s the video!
Please ask any questions via the comments section either here on the blog or on the YouTube channel. And please, subscribe to the YouTube channel by clicking the link below:
He first gained attention as one of the winners of Modern Drummer magazine's very first drum solo contest, judged by Rush's Neil Peart.
He's played with Oz Noy, Will Lee, Alison Krauss, Curtis Stigers, Emily Remler, Joel Hoekstra, GE Smith, Andy York, Marshall Crenshaw, Tony Shanahan, The Drifters, The Marvelettes, Big Brother and The Holding Company, and many other artists.
For more info: onlinesessiondrummer.com
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