Que Bola Ninjas!! For today’s lesson we’re heading down to Cuba to learn about one of it’s coolest exports, Songo. This is one of my favorite grooves as it combines elements from the rumba, son cubano, and other contemporary afro-american styles like jazz and funk. Read More

Since we’re winding down towards christmas I thought I’d hit you with something a little easier this week. This lesson takes another look at punk drumming with twelve more grooves to work on. If you are new to drumming this is a great place to start but if you’re old hat then this will be a good opportunity to tighten up on things you already know. Read More

Drum & Bass is fast paced, syncopated and jam-packed with ghost notes. It’s great fun to play and when you feel those heavy bass lines in your chest you just want to move. It really was made for drummers because we get to play for the song and show off our chops at the same time.

More and more live musicians are getting drawn to this style because of the challenge and the freedom that it offers. Drummers like Jojo Mayer, Johnny Rabb and KJ Sawka are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on the drumset as well as what’s possible with the genre. Read More

Some of the greatest songs ever written in rock, prog, jazz and fusion are in odd-time signatures. The problem is, what sounds good on the ear doesn’t always come natural to the body so playing them can be a bit of a challenge. It is, however, much scarier in theory than it is in reality and if you break it down then slow it down you’ll be surprised at how quickly you get it.

In this lesson we’ll have a go at drumming in 7/8. Out of all the odd-time signatures this one feels the most natural to most drummers so lets head over to the kit and get started: Read More

In this lesson we’ll take another look at linear drumming where no two voices/limbs play at the same time. This is without doubt one of the slickest styles of drumming and when you hear the masters… Steve Gadd, Mike Clark and Carter Beauford it’ll blow your mind. Read More

If your goal is to play anything like Gavin Harrison, Mike Portnoy or Neil Peart then you’ll have to step up to the odd time plate sooner or later. Odd time drumming can be a little tricky to get your head around but once you have it down it will add a whole new dimension to your playing.

In this lesson we’ll take a look at 5/8. There is an exercise pdf that you can download and some recommended listening to help you develop the feel so go grab your sticks and let’s do this: Read More