Continuing this item from the other day, introducing some light fills, or general variety of texture, to that bossa type groove, in 7/4. This is actually really, really good for getting a basic creative playing vocabulary in 7. Thats *three* adverbs, babe. That’s how strongly I feel about it.
Reviewing the multiple steps here: we need a melody rhythm in 7/4, which we get from p. 38 of Syncopation, using the first seven beats of any two measure phrase— lopping off beat 4. We turn that into a drum groove by voicing it on the drums according to this pattern, adding 8ths on the cymbal:
BSSB BSSB BSSB SB
That simple formula works out to make some surprisingly interesting, and functional grooves.
For the fill, we’re going to switch to a ride hand lead orchestration on the last three beats of the measure. And of course the right hand part can be played on the toms, or on the cymbal + bass drum. This is just an illustration of the method, you practice it reading from Syncopation:
Starting the fill/variation on beat 5 is arbitrary, of course, it would be easy to start the fill on any bass drum note of the groove. You’ll notice in example C we start the fill on beat 4. And in B, in effect, on the & of 4, all that doesn’t require playing anything differently.
Get into my archive of odd meter loops, and play along with one of them. This is just an opening to play some stuff— getting the system, or this structure, exactly right is really not the point. The reason to get the system right is just to play something you wouldn’t already have done yourself.
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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