Drumming · Technique · Rudiments · Gear · Lessons & Learning
A little tip for better 16th feel on high hats
Here’s a great idea to try out on the drum kit.
You know those semiquaver (16th note) grooves we all used to play so much of in the 70s? You know, the disco type beats with running 16ths on the high hat? Heck — some of us STILL play them a lot! Well here’s a very simple idea to give you some variation in the feel and possibilities.
Traditionally a 16th high hat groove is played using single strokes leading with the right hand:
R L R L R L R L R L R L
This means it’s very easy for the right hand to come away from the high hat and play the snare on beats two and four. There’s nothing wrong with this method and it works well.
Just for something different though, why not try using single paradiddles and leading with the left hand?
L R L L R L R R L R L L R L R R
This actually in some ways is more relaxed. For a start there is a double stroke before the snare drum hits on two and four, so the right hand has more time to lift and play a relaxed and solid stroke.
Also, for those of us who have worked on the paradiddle correctly as a rudiment — i.e. with the accents, not without — using this sticking pattern will tend to automatically give a little pulse on the high hat. A slightly uneven feel which tends to highlight the beat. This may not be what you want, but it makes a nice alternative feel.
You will certainly have to re-learn coordination for some of your bass drum rhythms etc, as they may now be falling on a different hand. Some patterns will be harder, but some easier — it certainly opens some new ideas though, and you tend to use different rhythms when you use this sticking pattern, so it is worthwhile just for its variation power.
I personally love to use this pattern without the right hand EVER playing on the high hat.
The idea is that the right hand notes — other than the accented beats two and four — are still on the snare drum but played very softly. In other words, with the same accent action that a paradiddle SHOULD use anyway. This makes for a nice variation from the normal running high hat pattern, and adds a little shuffly funk type feel.
You can experiment with extra accents as well — for example:
l r l l R l r r l R l l R l r r
Capitals are accented · lower case are soft
As usual — the blatant self promotion: check out the “Stick Technique” book at www.sticktechnique.com for heaps more info on drumming technique.