Today I’m going to teach you the fundamentals of basic rock drumming. Basic rock drumming is in 4/4 time. That means there are 4 counts in a measure. You count up to four and then just start over again. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. In basic rock drumming, each of these 4 counts is divided into 2 eighth notes. To count all the notes in the measure, we count 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. These notes are played on the hi-hat with your right hand. I like to think of these hi-hat notes like a grid.
Step 1-Hi-Hat and Snare Drum
The left hand is going to play the snare drum on 2 & 4. This is called a back-beat. It’s a very simple thing to do, but playing the snare drum on 2 & 4 is the most important element of basic rock drumming. This is what really makes a song rock! Notice that your right hand is playing every single note on the hi-hat. Your left hand plays the snare drum on 2 & 4, so on counts 2 & 4 both hands with be hitting different instruments at the same time time. You just count and line everything up like a grid.
Step 2-Bass Drum and Hi-Hat
The next most important element in basic rock drumming is the bass drum on counts 1 & 3. If you listen to lots of rock music, you will hear the bass drum doing all kinds of things, but playing it on 1 & 3 is the best place to start. In this exercise we are again playing 8th notes with the right hand on the hi-hat. Again, the right hand is playing every single note. This sets up a grid so you know where to play the bass drum. Note that the bass drum and hi-hat hit together on 1 & 3.
Step 3-Complete Basic Rock Beat
Now we’re going to put it all together. For the complete rock beat, we’ll continue to play the hi-hat on all the 8th notes. We’ll play the bass drum on 1 & 3, and the snare drum on 2 & 4. I usually have my students count out loud. Go slow. Play it over and over, until you’re very comfortable with it. Like anything else you do, the more you work at it, the easier it gets.
Congratulations, now you’re a rock drummer! I’ll bet most of your friends can’t play that beat on the drum-set. Here’s the next lesson you should check out.