How to Play Hi-Hat Lifts on Beats 1,2 and 3

As a drummer, you can use hi-hat lifts any which way you want to. The hi-hat lift is one of the essential techniques of that piece of your kit, as you open and close the hi-hat to get different sounds during a rhythm. One way to use the hi-hat is to create structured and consistent open notes in a 4/4 rhythm. Here's how to do hi-hat lifts on beats 1, 2 and 3.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Start counting. If you have a metronome, that doesn't hurt for keeping time. If not, you'll be counting to yourself: set up a consistent beat with bass, snare or tom and follow along.
2. Put in hi-hat. When you have your beat going, introduce the hi-hat, hitting it on the 1, 2 and 3 beats to get used to including a hi-hat tap in your left- and right-hand combinations.
3. Open and close the hi-hat. To accommodate hi-hat lifts, first put your left foot on the hi-hat pedal and close the hi-hat. Continue your rhythm.
4. Prepare for a lift hit. When you get close to where you want to begin, prepare to lift your foot from the hi-hat.
5. Hit the hi-hat for an open sound. Just before beat 1, lift your foot from the hi-hat pedal. Hit the hi-hat with your stick on beat 1 as you did before.
6. Close up your lift promptly. This part truly tests you rhythm skill: you'll want to close the hi-hat in between beats 1 and 2 on the downbeat, so that you can hit it open again for a new lift note on 2. In between beats 1 and 2, just close the hi-hat by putting your foot down briefly and open it again.
7. Repeat the process for beats 2 and 3, but leave the hi-hat alone on 4. Some drummers might find this an anti-climax beat, where 4 is left out, but you can always change it by hitting a cymbal on 4.