How to Play Swing Beats With Bass Drums

Playing the drums for fun can lead to playing in a variety of bands across all genres. Swing is one of the most popular styles of music throughout small clubs and bars across the U.S. Swing music is fast-paced and widely considered some of the country's favorite dance music. To keep the tempo of the number, you can play bass drums with a swing beat.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Understand the basic 4/4 swing beat. It consists of two basic patterns: the high-hat pattern and the ride pattern. The ride pattern is played on the ride cymbal with swung eighth notes. This pattern is used for most swing and jazz beats.

2. Play the bass drum on 1 and the end of the third note. Once you are comfortable with this beat, bring it up to tempo. The tempo will be quite fast, as swing music usually is, quick and calculated.

3. Add in the high-hat on a two beat pattern. This will add a stark choppiness and level out the deepness of the bass drum. Once you have added other drums and components to the bass drum, it will start to come together to form a swing-like beat.

4. Practice is often to properly learn to play the drums, or any other instrument for that matter, but with swing beats you need to work extra hard on getting the tempo right. The bass drum sets the backdrop for the entire ensemble in a swing beat.