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Create interesting variations of ideas with Displacement

Create interesting variations of ideas with Displacement

by | Apr 1, 2020 | Creativity

Thanks for checking out this video drum lesson about creating interesting variations of ideas with Displacement.

Hey guys, in this video lesson you’ll learn to apply the concept of Displacement in order to spice up your fills and create more interesting grooves.

Download the FREE PDF below to learn the how to play this, and the concepts and processes applicable to make it happen so can use it with your own ideas to get more juice out what you already know!

FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO: HERE

FREE PDF HERE

GET A COPY OF MY BOOK HERE

Thanks again, and enjoy!

Nick

Challenge Your Coordination Skills With This Drum Game

Challenge Your Coordination Skills With This Drum Game

by | Mar 30, 2020 | Beginners, Creativity, Learning approach

Who doesn’t like drum games? They’re a great way to test and challenge yourself and your friends and family.

Today, on my Instagram Live lesson we played some fun drum games! These were actually excellent exercises develop your coordination skills, but can also translate to the drum set in fantastic ways. We could use these to come up with fun drum beat or fill ideas.

As you may recall, the game was about replacing notes played by our hands, with notes playing by our feet. Below are the simplified instructions to follow in order to play. Keep in mind that, if you don’t have a drum set, you can use your hands to tap on your lap, and feet to tap the floor.

Instructions

  1. We start by playing simple Single Strokes (i.e. alternating hands) on our snare drum or lap, playing them as 16th notes (semiquavers)
  2. Then we replace one, or more, notes with a bass drum (or right foot) one at a time, repeating the exercise a few times over without making a mistake
  3. After that, we played a easy beginner drum beats (see previous blog post) for 3 bars and one of the above exercises on bar 4 (referred to as a 4 bar phrase)

Use a metronome to challenge yourself; try to do these really slowly, say at 40BPM, to really explore the space between the every note. Then, try them faster, and try not to slip up! 

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more content; I tend to post drum covers as well as drum lessons from time to time.

I’ve written a quick PDF with each game / exercise for you to download and have fun with. Grab it by clicking the link below.

DOWNLOAD THIS FUN DRUM GAME HERE

If you want to learn more drum games, or are interested in learning to play drums, check out my drum lessons and drop me a line! Also, check out my drum book Concepts here and grab yourself a copy; it’s a great learning resource and helps support what I do.

Thanks, and see you online!

Nick x

Using a Melody To Create A Groove and Fill

Using a Melody To Create A Groove and Fill

by | Feb 12, 2020 | Creativity

Thanks for checking out this video drum lesson about Using a Melody To Create A Groove and Fill.

In this video we get creative by taking a simple 1 bar melody and going through process of adding bass drums, ghost notes, and accent patterns to create the groove and fills in the video.

Download the FREE PDF below to learn the how to play this, and the concepts and processes applicable to make it happen so can use it with your own ideas to get more juice out what you already know!

FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO: HERE

FREE PDF HERE

GET A COPY OF MY BOOK HERE

Thanks again, and enjoy!

Nick

Using a Melody To Create A Groove and Fill

Using Paradiddles Creatively By Changing Subdivisions

by | Jan 3, 2020 | Creativity

Let’s have fun with Paradiddles! They’re one of the most musical rudiments, with lots of melodic possibilities and scope to create lots of grooves. They’re also a fantastic way to make our movements around the drums more efficient! So, let’s explore them differently in the lesson below.

In this video we get creative with a Single Paradiddle by applying a few concepts to it. Today it’s about changing the rudiments subdivision from, in this case, sixteenth notes to a sextuplet. We also take advantage of the fact that Paradiddles have tons of fun accent options to create fun fills with them.

 

Tips

When going through these exercises, go through them slowly. Pay attention to, not just every note but, the space between every note and your motion. Using a quarter note click is great to develop pulse, yet to help develop accuracy, you could try using a sixteenth note click to give you more references for every stroke.

One of the cool things about this lesson is that it’s a different way to approach the Paradiddle. This means we’re looking at it from a different perspective, which is great as it sounds so different played as a sextuplet! We can apply tons of concepts to Paradiddles to make them sound totally new.

My book, Concepts, contains lots of ideas and processes you can apply to rudiments, stickings, chops to expand on your drumming vocabulary. Check it out here and get a copy!

You can download a FREE PDF to learn with all the exercises below.

Download the free Paradiddles lesson PDF HERE

 

Check out my book Concepts HERE

 

If you’re interested in more of what I do, you can check out my Instagram page where I post weekly groove lessons, fun tips and the occasional buffoonery.

Thanks again, and enjoy!

Nick

Groovy Half-Time Paradiddle Fill Drum Lesson

Groovy Half-Time Paradiddle Fill Drum Lesson

by | Dec 12, 2019 | Creativity, Drum Lesson

Applying concepts to the Paradiddle

Here we learn to apply the concepts of Replacement and Modulation to a Single Paradiddle to create this groovy, half-time fill. Mind you, this great lick works really well as a groove too, so don’t be shy to try out like that!

Both concepts (Replacement and Modulation) are actually simple to understand and apply, yet the trick is to practice them enough so they become second nature!

A pro tip!

A pro tip I give all my students is to practice consistently as the incubation period isn’t overnight. What do I mean by that? The time it takes from learning new things and for them to come out naturally in our playing can take several months! Be patient.

Paradiddle

Spend some time learning the concepts and apply them to your existing drumming vocabulary.

About this Paradiddle video lesson

Watch the full video lesson below and download the FREE PDF transcription of all the exercises demonstrated in the video. The idea is for you to understand the process and concepts I’ve used to come up with this Paradiddle rather the fill itself. Understanding the concept will help you come up with your own ideas to get more juice out what you already know!

If you’re interested learning more creative concepts, you can check out my drum lessons or get a copy of my book Concepts. The latter is a great resource for taking your existing drumming vocabulary to the next level.

You can watch the groovy half-time Paradiddle fill drum lesson below. You can also watch it on my YouTube channel where you can find more video lessons, as well as covers, clips from sessions and other random stuff.

Download the free PDF HERE

Thanks again for stopping by, and enjoy! I hope you find this stuff interesting and useful.

Nick 🙂

Creative Grooves Using the Six Stroke Roll

Creative Grooves Using the Six Stroke Roll

by | Nov 27, 2019 | Creativity, Drum Lesson

MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Let’s get creative with the Six Stroke Roll for a minute. I’ve always been into the idea of getting the most juice out of what I already know. I mean, think about it, you’ve mastered, say, the Single Paradiddle (i.e. RLRR LRLL) and got a couple of cool grooves out of it and think “OK, what’s next?”. To me, that’s not value for money… I’ve spent all this time learning the Paradiddle just to get a couple of grooves and fills out of it? No way! I want my money’s worth!

 

six stroke roll

A sextuplet interpretation of the Six Stroke Roll

 

How do we do this? By going deep. So I wanted to share a few creative concepts to this end. You’ll be able to use these to turn something you already know, into something unexpected with just a little creativity! Learn more creative concepts to freshen your playing.

 

Watch the video below to see how you can turn a Six Stroke Roll into an awesome funk groove by applying a few simple creative concepts. You can also download a free PDF with transcriptions to each exercise below.

The idea behind this video is for you to understand the processes and concepts I’ve used to create the groove rather than groove itself. So, take these ideas, get creative and come up with your own stuff!

 

 

I’ve written a more in-depth version of this drum lesson for Drumhead Authority. There you’ll find a more detailed, step-by-step breakdown of every exercise with extra notes and tips for your to learn!

If you’re interested, I can help to take your drumming to the next level with my drum lessons too! I teach face-to-face or online if you’re not in London!

 

DOWNLOAD PDF

 

And make sure to check out the CHOPZzz Pillowcase Practice pad to help you develop hand speed like a demon.

Thanks again, and enjoy!

Nick