Series: How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solos

None of the lesson in this series have been reviewed.

Below are the descriptions for each of the lessons included in the series:

• 13-How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solo 1

  Now that we can play some simple rock beats, its time to put them together and play some real music. Our first drum kit solo has a few basic rock beats and also a few notes on the tom toms. Be especially careful to count the rests correctly. This solo is called Four Steps One, and includes flams, which were learned in a previous lesson (http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1632). In this solo, we also see a “repeated section” for first time. The repeated section is like a musical bracket, and is the bars played between the double bar lines with the double dots, as shown in the supplemental file. This section is played twice in a row (repeated) before going on to the end section.

  This lesson is excerpted from a broader course available from www.begindrumming.com. The Begin Drumming course is a 100% comprehensive drumming course which takes you from absolute beginner to expert soloist without any gimmicky short cuts! Through a combination of video and written lessons, the course will teach you proper technique as well as how to read drum music.

• 17-How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solo 2

  This solo shows us some typical examples of 2-bar and 4-bar phrases. It is common on drum kit to play some kind of steady beat for the first three quarters of a phrase, then play something a little trickier - perhaps using the toms - for the last quarter. This is often referred to as a “FILL”. There is also a contrasting section using a melody on the toms over steady bass drum quavers.

  This solo, The Big Rock, is more up tempo than has been played in previous lessons. It incorporates the repeated section learned in the last drum kit solo (http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1633), and previously discussed double strokes and single paradiddles, but adds a new twist with the steady quavers on the bass drum.

  This lesson is excerpted from a broader course available from www.begindrumming.com. The Begin Drumming course is a 100% comprehensive drumming course which takes you from absolute beginner to expert soloist without any gimmicky short cuts! Through a combination of video and written lessons, the course will teach you proper technique as well as how to read drum music.

• 20-How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solo 3

  This drum kit solo, called Rock the Boat, is a little more difficult than the last one. It uses some rock beats which we have already learned, as well as some we haven't. It also has some quaver and semiquaver rhythms on the tom-toms. Keep an eye out for the section in which you play the snare on every beat. This is common in lots of rock songs. Also, there are single paradiddles and double strokes that are not written; make sure to watch how they are played! Finally, remember to repeat the section between the double dots repeat signs.

  This lesson is excerpted from a broader course available from www.begindrumming.com. The Begin Drumming course is a 100% comprehensive drumming course which takes you from absolute beginner to expert soloist without any gimmicky short cuts! Through a combination of video and written lessons, the course will teach you proper technique as well as how to read drum music.

• 26-How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solo 4

  Now that we have learned about some different time signatures, it is time to try them in a solo. This solo, called Play Time, makes you swap time signatures as you play, so you have to be ready for the changes before you get to them! You will start in 4/4 time, move to 12/8, then 3/4, and finish back in 4/4. There are some tricky fills on the toms as well, so make sure you remember how each drum is written on the music stave. Finally, make sure you are careful changing between the high hat and ride cymbal-don't hit the crash!

  This lesson is excerpted from a broader course available from www.begindrumming.com. The Begin Drumming course is a 100% comprehensive drumming course which takes you from absolute beginner to expert soloist without any gimmicky short cuts! Through a combination of video and written lessons, the course will teach you proper technique as well as how to read drum music.

• 31-How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solo 5

  In this solo, Funky Chook, we get to use some of the snare drum and bass drum 16ths between high hats. We also play some fills and use accents. The main aim is to get used to phrases of different lengths-both a 5 bar and a 4 bar length. Be careful for the 2 repeated sections and the semiquaver rests on the beat. Finally, watch how Jim uses his hands, using a single paradiddle on the snare and a rest in the hand to hand section to free up his right hand for the tom and crash cymbal.

  This lesson is excerpted from a broader course available from www.begindrumming.com. The Begin Drumming course is a 100% comprehensive drumming course which takes you from absolute beginner to expert soloist without any gimmicky short cuts! Through a combination of video and written lessons, the course will teach you proper technique as well as how to read drum music.

• 36-How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solo 6

  This solo, Funkasaurs Rox, is a good extension exercise for those who have mastered the “Snare drum 16ths between high hats” lesson (http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1650). Most of these rhythms involve the left hand playing these in between notes while the right hand plays a steady quaver pulse. The right hand plays this sometimes on the high hat, sometimes on the ride cymbal, and even sometimes on the floor tom. The cymbals are written a bit differently than we have seen before in this solo, using the China and the Crash cymbals, both for a variation in sound and as a way to get around using the same cymbal in close succession. Finally, this solo utilizes the bottom three toms more than tom 1.

  This lesson is excerpted from a broader course available from www.begindrumming.com. The Begin Drumming course is a 100% comprehensive drumming course which takes you from absolute beginner to expert soloist without any gimmicky short cuts! Through a combination of video and written lessons, the course will teach you proper technique as well as how to read drum music.

• 40-How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solo 7

  We should now be fairly familiar with quite a wide variety of rhythms and notes, so we can play a more complex drum-kit solo like this one, Dots 'N Dashes. This solo includes the semiquaver on the high hat pattern from the previous lesson (http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1663). There are quite a few notes on the toms and cymbals so you will have to read carefully. Remember to repeat the section between the double dots repeat signs. This solo also uses some different sounds on the high hat, starting with a loose and sloppy sound, moving to a crisper sound when playing the semiquavers, then opening and closing the high hat to make a note sound longer, and finally using a shank-tip method to create a drive and pulse. Watch Jim carefully as he utilizes all these sounds in Dots 'N Dashes.

  This lesson is excerpted from a broader course available from www.begindrumming.com. The Begin Drumming course is a 100% comprehensive drumming course which takes you from absolute beginner to expert soloist without any gimmicky short cuts! Through a combination of video and written lessons, the course will teach you proper technique as well as how to read drum music.

• 42-How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solo 8

  This is the most difficult drum kit solo yet. There is a variety of tricky rhythms and fills in it, as well as a repeated section, and a time signature change to 6/8 and back.. Remember to emphasize the snare drum backbeats - that is beats 2 and 4.

  This lesson is excerpted from a broader course available from www.begindrumming.com. The Begin Drumming course is a 100% comprehensive drumming course which takes you from absolute beginner to expert soloist without any gimmicky short cuts! Through a combination of video and written lessons, the course will teach you proper technique as well as how to read drum music.

• 44-How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solo 9

  This drum kit solo explores 7/8 time. The basic feel is just like playing a straight 4/4 groove with the last half a beat missing. The snare drum notes that are written smaller are special “ghosted” notes. That just means that you can play them really softly. Watch out for all the open high-hat notes with the “o” above them - closing again with the “+” symbol.

  This lesson is excerpted from a broader course available from www.begindrumming.com. The Begin Drumming course is a 100% comprehensive drumming course which takes you from absolute beginner to expert soloist without any gimmicky short cuts! Through a combination of video and written lessons, the course will teach you proper technique as well as how to read drum music.

• 45-How to Play the Drums: Drum Kit Solo 10

  In this solo we use some rudiments on the kit and also make use of the bell of the ride cymbal. These notes are written as diamond headed notes above the stave, and should be played with the shoulder of the stick. In this solo, the ghosted notes are written without heads.

  Overview: This is the final lesson in this series. It explains some of the more standard forms of notating drum set music, as well as providing a full demonstration of the the drum set solo, "Kit-Kat." This solo covers many more advanced techniques especially paradiddles.

  This lesson is excerpted from a broader course available from www.begindrumming.com. The Begin Drumming course is a 100% comprehensive drumming course which takes you from absolute beginner to expert soloist without any gimmicky short cuts! Through a combination of video and written lessons, the course will teach you proper technique as well as how to read drum music.