The accent, according to Greg in a YouTube video, is played with the shoulder of the stick on the bow of the cymbal (notated below). Greg Bissonette teaches that the cymbal pattern has an accent on beats 2 and 4. Plus, it’s easier to find explanations from the best shuffle drummers (see the playlist below). This article focuses on the Texas shuffle because I was a drummer in Texas for almost 20 years. They all have a different idea about how it goes. You’ll find players talking about the Chicago shuffle, too, but it’s the same case with those players. The same goes for the cymbal, to a degree - some drummers claim that the Texas shuffle is just quarter notes on the cymbal. The accent patterns and hi-hat are different, depending on who you ask. The Texas shuffle is kick drum on all four beats, shuffled snare, and shuffled cymbal pattern. It’s a light shuffle and works for songs that don’t need a heavy groove to support a song with some attitude. It’s a shuffle on the cymbal, kick on beats 1 and 3, and snare drum on beats 2 and 4. The country shuffle, or so it was called by the Dallas musicians I played with, is the simplest shuffle. Different interpretations support the style of the song or the way a particular artist chooses to play. This is written with the understanding that the shuffle feel is open to interpretations. The examples in this article are notated with eighth notes (upper right). The shuffle feel is sometimes more of a triplet feel (upper left) than sixteenth notes.
Some of sources are in the YouTube playlist below. To expand the scope of ideas, the article includes different interpretations and opinions about the beats that I’ve found through Internet searches. This article explores the basic blues drum beats as I learned them playing in Texas blues bands. All of these areas, and more, contributed to the development of blues music in the 20th Century. It’s Chicago blues, Texas, the West Coast, and the Mississippi Delta. Generally, it’s up to the band leader or other members to negotiate the style with the drummer on the style. Beats can be played with a variety of cymbal patterns, accents, feels, tempos, and dynamics.
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Yet, even though the blues is so recognizable, so many people have their ideas about what to call the drum beats and how to play them.Ī blues drum beat will fit into one of three categories - shuffle, straight, or 6/8. It grew from the same tree as jazz and laid the foundation for country music and rock ’n’ roll. Gradually increase the tempo.It’s hard to say if there’s any music more American than the blues. Similarily, if you see “hip-hop,” “go-go,” or “swing sixteenths,” play sixteenths with this feel: Variations This beat sounds the same as the other Basic Rock Shuffle, but is is written as straight eighth notes. If music in is marked “shuffle,” play eighth notes as triplets They are played exactly the same either way. Mastering the inter-dynamics between your drums is the key to playing a wide stylistic range. Funk generally has a tighter, quieter hi-hat. In rock, the hi-hat tends to be more open and more “driving” than in funk. In other styles, the snare is often relatively quiet. In rock, the snare is often louder than the hi-hat, whether in a soft rock ballad or a hard, driving tune.
What matters more than the number of decibels is the interdynamics -the relative dynamics of each drum compared to the rest of the kit. Half-time Shuffle Further Towards Rock/Funk Shuffle beats are usually based on an eighth-note triplet feel. Play a basic rock beat at♩ = 60–120.įunk is often approached with more finesse than rock. Rock can be more raw and less syncopated than funk. If the bass plays a lighter, sixteenth-note feel, the same beat will sound more like funk. If the bass plays a driving eighth-note line, the basic rock/funk beat will sound more like rock. Style depends on the whole band, not just the drummer. This beat can be used for either rock or funk. Play a basic rock/funk beat at♩ = 60–120.
Notes with stems pointing upwards are played by your hands, those pointing downwards by your feet. The notation examples in this article follow the Percussive Arts Society standard. Practice the beat without any added fills until it is very solid. Simplify the part by playing both parts on a single surface (in this case, the snare):ģ. Put all the elements of the beat together, and repeat it, over and over. Play the right-hand and left-hand parts on a single surface. Try just the ride cymbal and kick drum together, and see how they relate. Working at a slow tempo helps you to develop muscle memory.Ģ. Whenever you are learning a new beat, whether it is by reading it or by listening to it, follow these guidelines.ġ. The following is excerpted from the Berklee Press book Beyond The Backbeat From Rock & Funk to Jazz & Latin by Larry Finn.