Carribean Drumming

7/29/2019 Carribean Drumming

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Give it Up or Turnita Loose (Studio

Version)

OK, here is DA FUNK! If you haven't heard this song, the original by James Brown, go andfind it, put it on the CD player, let it ride a few thousand times, get up, get into it, get

involved. Here's the lesson in three different versions, Basic, Intermediate, and Original

Recipe. It's a baaaaaaaad groove! The groove is in 4/4 or Common Time.

BASIC GROOVE - NO GHOST NOTES

INTERMEDIATE GROOVE - ALL GHOST NOTES ON SNARE

ORIGINAL BAD BOY

Two Ghost Note Patterns

These two patterns are quite common, and I feel, very important to "understand" and play

well, with a good feel. The first groove is from John Bonham and When the Levee Breaks. No

bass drum is included yet! That'll be for the next lesson. The second groove is a very typical

groove that's played by many drummers. I was first made aware of this groove by drummer

Bernard Purdie The ghost notes are to be played softly, in comparison to the louder accented

backbeats (2 & 4).



If you'd like to add a BD, try it first on 1 & 3. Now, this might sound simplistic to some of

you, but, the most important thing is the groove. I could add a bunch of more intricate BD

parts (maybe I will for the next lesson!) but, for now, let's stick to the ride and snare pattern

and the BD on 1 & 3. As always, enjoy!

Lessons from "The Hit Maker" Bernard

"Pretty" Purdie

Bernard Purdie is arguably one of the most recorded drummers of all time. His grooves have

been heard with Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, James Brown, and hundreds if not thousands of

other artists. You may have heard that he recorded with the Beatles. well, Bernard says he did.

I believe him! Memphis Soul Stew, by King Curtis, is a baaad groove. Please find the album

entitled "King Curtis Live at the Fillmore West". Buy It! Listen to the live version of

Memphis Soul Stew. There is no way that written music can convey the masterful groove thatBernard Purdie lays down. Enjoy and hear from you soon!!

This first groove is a basic look at Bernard's pattern. Practice this lsowly to make surethat all the notes "line up" correctly. Only get some tempo and make it groove whenthe coordination is right.

Now add a different hihat pattern.

And now the fun begins. This pattern on the hihat provides a great motion and feel to

the groove. Honestly, you have to hear Bernard play this to really appreciate how thisall fits together.



When we play, most drummers "learn" to keep time with their left or hihat foot,pumping eigth notes or some subdivision of the beat. That's how the sound of thispattern is achieved. By pumping eighths and playing the hand pattern, the hihatopens on the last 16th of the groove. It makes for such a sweet sound! Just try this.

Now, of course, you must add this hihat pattern to the groove. Good luck!!

Bernard Purdie's groove from Memphis

Soul Stew!

If you're a drummer, you have to have these two CDs:

• King Curtis Live at the Fillmore West

• Aretha Franklin Live at the Fillmore West

It's very important for you to understand the basic patterns which underlies this wonderful

groove. Just scroll up and you'll find these patterns.

Bernard Purdie's Groove from Memphis

Soul Stew (continued)

This is a continuation of a groove I covered on the site a while ago. Here is is. It's the great

drummer, Bernard Purdie playing wit King Curtis, on King Curtis Live at the Fillmore West.

It's such a great groove and so important in many respects.

In the first groove, you're playing eighth notes in the HH, accenting on the downbeat.

And....all the ghost notes as well. And...making it groove. Your main gig is to make this thing

swing! Groove two adds another ride pattern for the HH. An added level of independence will

now be attempted and hopefully successfully achieved! As always, take your time to makesure this all works to make a smooth groove.



Purdie Reggae Groove

This groove came into my drumming from a couple of resources, both with Bernard Purdie on

drums. One song was Daydreamin', the other was Love the One You're With, both sung my

the great Aretha Franklin. Love the One is from the amazing record, Aretha Franklin Live at

the Fillmore West. Check this out if you need a nice reggae feel. Play cross stick on the snareand open HH on 1 and 3, as noted.

Chad Smith GrooveAt the Musicians Institute, where I teach, students play in what are called Live Performance

Workshops (LPWs). This past week, Tell Me Baby was the song to be performed. So....I

worked on it with some students. Here's how I heard Chad Smith's part.

First, here's the (relatively) basic groove.

Now, adding an accent on the downbeat, in the hi hat

And lastly, the open sound in the HH, on the downbeats. I think that Chad's getting this sound

by playing 8th notes with his HH foot and really smashing the HH to get the open sound. This

is reminiscent of Harvey Mason's HH on Chameleon by Herbie Hancock, although Harvey's

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sound was much more subtle. Chad's is more smashing of a sound! Anyone have other

ideas??

Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin with

Bernard Purdie on drums

This is one baaad groove. I'm not 100% of the BD part. Maybe one of my web visitors can

check out this great song by Aretha Franklin, and see if they can transcribe this any better.

Now, adding a 16th note in the hi hat in beat 2.

Opening the HH on the "ands" of 1 and 3

Now, one more open sound on the last 16th note of beat 2.

Spank-a-Lee, Herbie Hancock from the

album Thrust.



This is a must have CD. If you don't own this CD, get it! I've been trying to transcribe the

drum intro from Spank-a-Lee. This is close. Anyone want to try?? Come on :-) Give it a shot

and email it to me.



Afro-Caribbean Drum Grooves©

Many of my students, e-mail, and snail mail friends, have asked me to produce a compilation

of my articles which I have written over the last 12 years. Well, here it is! Afro Caribbean

Drum Grooves is finished, all the text is done as well a one hour CD! Please email me for information about the book.. I appreciate your interest in what I write and play. Here are four

examples from the new book. Clicking on each notation example will execute a Real Audio

file. You need the Real Player to hear the sounds. Accompanying the notation and CD, in the

book, will be the articles that I have written. The information is current, useful, and grooving!

That's what good educational materials are all about!

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Carribean Drumming