This is Steve Gadd’s opening funk-Afro 12/8 groove from Al Di Meola’s epically absurd fusion opus Casino, from the album of the same name:
Listen to the recording and note the different qualities of accent— the first one is a fat backbeat, and the second one is a rim shot, played closer to the edge of the drum.
Here’s the entire intro, with that ending lick:
I feel like people have issues with rhythm in */8 meters, so just understand that the underlying rhythm on the lick is quarter notes— which, in 12/8, are equivalent to quarter note triplets in 4/4. Check out Grady Tate doing a similar thing in a different context.
If you want to develop this feel further, here’s an old Page o’ Coordination (due for an update) for working through some bass drum variations.
I am happy to help you with any of the materials on the site, and with anything else drumming related— contact me for private lessons, online world wide, or in person in Portland, Oregon. All levels of players, and all people, are welcome.
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