This week, I was messing around with my double stroke roll. I wanted to come up with a new way of breaking it up on the kit. Sometimes the simplest idea of this type is to substitute “something else” for one or more notes of an existing pattern. In this case, I wanted to maintain the flow of the roll, but occasionally substitute some other drums for one of the doubles. I wanted to be able to make that substitution for either a double left or double right.
I came up with Nasty Lick #107 this way and I think I’m onto something. By substituting a bass drum and a single stroke with the right hand for a double right or a bass drum and a single left for a double left, you can add some interesting accents while maintaining the roll.
This is just the germ of the idea, but it’s a solid one. These substitutions can be made for either your left or right hand’s doubles and they can be made on any of them which means rhythmically, the combinations are pretty much endless. That’s what gives this idea power; it’s flexible and once you have some facility with it, you should be able to improvise with the concept on your own.
So, Nasty Lick #107 stands on its own, but it is just the tip of the iceberg. Start messing with moving the substitutions around and you’ll find there’s much you can do. Have fun!
Here is the PDF: Nasty Drum Lick #107
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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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