Skip to main content
5 Musical Tips For Achieving a Great Feel and Groove
I love listening to other drummers, to hear where they're coming
from musically and what motivates their choices. I often share my
observations with colleagues while shooting the breeze. My questions
framing the conversation are always the same; "What makes this drummer
great?" "What separates him from the rest of the pack?" "What drives his
musical choices and instincts?" Recently, a bass player colleague paid
me a compliment by telling me that I play "right on the beat; not ahead
or behind." I was elated, until I realized I didn't know precisely what
he meant. Musicians often evaluate the worth of drummers with phrases
like, "Behind or ahead of the beat", or "Great time and feel." But what
do these phrases really mean?
Just because I can't translate these
expressions into specifics, doesn't mean that others are clueless. What
it means, is that I think of these traits in different musical terms.
I'd like to share these with my fellow drummers and instrumentalists.
Here are 5 musical tips for achieving a great feel and groove.
Don't worry about your overall time. Instead answer the question,
"Does it feel right?" There are countless examples of musicians speeding
up or slowing down in relation to a click track, and yet the overall
track still works. From a drummer's perspective, I immediately think
about John Bonham and Levon Helm. Getting the right feel will take care
of everything.
Maintain focus on the part you're executing and how it enhances the
track you're playing. Your choice of instruments of the kit; what to
leave in, what to leave out and what to highlight will make all the
difference. A drum track with little or no use of cymbals has a much
different feel than one that leans heavily on them.
Drummers--try leading with your weak hand. (Other instrumentalists
may be able to apply this principle to their instrument.) Doing this
places your stronger hand on the weaker beats. With practice, this can
change the feeling of your musical phrases. An added bonus is that the
strong hand will often be on the second-to-last stroke (weak beat). I
refer to this as the "leading tone" of the phrase. Emphasizing the
leading tone brings added life and energy to phrases. Articles have been
written about this, and legendary timpanist, Fred Hinger, made this
leading tone theory the centerpiece of his teachings. Implement it and I
think you'll see what I mean.
Plain and simple: take a step back and use your ears as a casual
listener. How does your track sound now? Play to a wide audience and not
only to fellow musicians.
Be deliberate and precise when playing note values. Drummers can
express lengths of notes as well as the type of attack or sustain.
Sometimes just being aware of it is all you need. However, if you want
to take it further, you can sometimes achieve longer tones with dead
strokes. This works really well on the ride cymbal or kick drum. Longer
sounds can also be expressed with press rolls, bigger crash cymbals,
etc. Quick hi hat splashes, smaller cymbals and quickly pulling the
stick away from the drum head can help with shorter sounds. I'm not
suggesting you go crazy with this stuff; don't let it get in the way of
your playing. It's supposed to enhance your feel.
Brian Doherty is best known as a drummer for groups like They
Might Be Giants, XTC, M2M, Freedy Johnston, and Ben Folds. He grew up in
Randolph, NJ and earned a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan
School of Music. Brian also holds a Master of Teaching degree from The
City College of New York. He is currently a music teacher in the Bronx
and remains professionally active in the NYC area. For more information
visit [http://gseriesmusic.blogspot.com]
Comments
Post a Comment