Shuffle Drum Beat Tips

Series Summary

The drum was perhaps first created from the primal idea of mimicking the human heartbeat, yet today its music has developed into a technical, complex arrangement of beats and grooves. Different sized drums and cymbals are arranged into kits, where a drummer can pick from a variety of sounds to lead or accompany a particular song. Kit sizes vary from the simple to the outrageous. Modern drummers, including the likes of Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham, Neal Peart, Dave Weckl, and Jimmy Chamberlain, have helped drummers develop their playing skills by inspiring new beat and rhythm patterns, new combinations of sound upon sound. The modern approach to drumming, then, is to try and master the fundamentals of beat and time signature, and then to create fresh, innovative patterns and fills for each song. Learn how to play drums in these free video music lessons on setting up drum kits, playing basic beats and time signatures, and other drumming rudiments. This expert drummer will walk you through several easy and unique adjustments to blues beats and how to master standard rhythms to become a solid drummer.

Video Transcript

"Alright, so my name is Tim and today, you know, we're going to be talking about the Blue's shuffle and we're going to be doing two types of shuffles. One is, I like to call the Fat Back Blue Shuffle, which is you're syncopating up your right hand with your snare hand, and it's pumping away shuffling eighth notes, one and two and three and four, and one and two, and really stressing, we're really stressing the and of one and then two and then the and of three and the four. One and two and three and four, and one and two and three and four, and one and two. But all along, you're hands going to be shuffling, alright, on the snare. And then we're going to be going in to a Boogy Shuffle, which is more of, I like to call is a Boogy Shuffle because it's more of like a swing, Swing Boogy, but, you know, it's kind of, a Boogy is more rocked out and less shuffled, you know. More of like a swing, swingish type shuffle. Alright, let's get to it."