Lately, I’ve been experimenting with the following five note pattern: RLRLF. You may have read about it before here on “The Drumming Blog,” as I’ve posted about its use as 16th note triplets (more details on that later). To go deeper, let’s bust out the 32nd notes.
The eight exercises on the PDF show you the “keepers” from my practice with “RLRLF” as 32nds (I should add “so far” because I’m not done, I think there’s more there that I’ve haven’t discovered yet). Note that there are plenty of other “RLRLF” ideas that were rejected. That’s part of the method that I recommend. Find an idea that you like, and go deep. Rotate the pattern through different rhythmic metrics. Within each metric devote practice time to experimentation with the pattern. In turn, that experimentation will get you loads of ideas; some good and some bad. You’ll simply reject the bad ones and go deeper on the good ones. That’s how I got to these eight.
Here’s the PDF: Nasty Lick #97
Take it into the practice room and get into it. I promise to get a video of this stuff posted shortly.
By the way, if you’re interested in checking out the other articles using this pattern as 16th note triplets, you can check out this: Nasty Lick #89 and this: Nasty Lick #90
PS – Imagine that you could regularly get these Nasty Licks delivered to your email inbox every time we post one. Great drumming vocabulary to raise your drumming level–free. Go do it–just type your email addy into the form below, and click that button.
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.
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Hi Mark: I want to comment about a section of this article…”find an idea and go deep”. As you know, I have limited time to practice. So before I do, I give much thought to will this exercise/groove/fill be useful to me in my playing? How much can I get out of it? I am first very selective in what I decide to spend time on. Once I pick something, I try to do what you advise…”milk it”. I have learned that from you in my lessons and from the blog. I believe the best way to build vocabulary is to take one idea and “master” (if anyone ever masters anything on drums) it and learn how to make multiple uses of it. Thanks for all your hard work and in creating very useful material.
Hi Lisa-
Thank you for chiming in and thanks for your kind words. I’m glad to hear that you’re putting these ideas to good use! Hope to see you soon.
Mark F