need help playing upbeats

[chud]

hey whats up guys. I started playing the drums like 4 months ago and i need some help playing upbeats. How do i maintain a 4/4 on the hi-hat playing upbeats. For eg;
H -x--x--x--x--x
S -o------o-----o
B ---o--o--o--o--

something like this...i have trouble keeping the constant strokes on the hi-hat, it ends up following the bass drum strokes. any tips? btw im a rightie.

 

[yuen]

i guess you should start out slow, as slow as possible, jus to get the groove right. when you get the rythem then move faster
jut my 2 cents worth..
:wink:

 

[Funkifized]

Keep a chick on the downbeat, then play the upbeats on a ride. Keep doing it until it feels natural, then slowly add more stuff to complete the groove. It's a feel thing, not necessarily a technique prob.

 

[drummar-buah]

eh bro i suggest u know wat or not?

i think ur hi hat u play quavers first :

| x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
| x--- ---- x - -----
| -- x - -x---x---x
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

sorry arr very hard to type some dash some 'x' haha so the lines abit don't correspond.. but hope u understand the groove.
in other words.. u try this first which is to hit the hi hat togehter with the other drums u hit.. AIYAH.. haha err try to understand wat i'm saying.
once u got it down and comfortable.. remove those hi hat hits on the '&' counts and u'll get wat u originally posted!!

 

[Frummer]

in other words mr. buah is trying to say...SUB DIVIDE!

sub division is a musicians best friend.If its in 4/4, count in 8ths...u cant count in 16th for accuracy...32s for killer accuracy...64 if ur nuts and ur mouth doesnt hurt... :lol:

1 e n a 2 e n a 3 e n a 4 e n a

PS: i shud start taking my own advice...i hate counting drum scores

 

[nkf31]

start off slow. it helps if you try to do it bit by bit first without needing to be in time (if you get what i mean), and then working on time when your limbs are more familiar with the strokes.
also try to do each limb seperately in time, and then adding the other limbs slowly. i know i've repeated some stuff, sorry hehe.

 

[drummar-buah]

hmm i think it's better to do it slow. yet in time. but in slow time haha. this way can develop consistency in slow tempos.

 

[epk]

Well don't forget your metronome too. It sure helps a lot.

 

[drummar-buah]

hey.. that guy hasn't replied!!!! :twisted:

hmm hope he's having some good luck with his upbeats.. it can get real funky when used at the right time..

 

[chud]

hey sorry guys, havent been online in a while....yeah im takin the upbeats slowly, but the problem is i dont own a drumset so im just air drumming or just tapping my fingers and feet while in the bus or when im just idling...

i have another problem...there are some days when i just cant get the flow goin and i have trouble with my bass strokes. sometimes the strokes kinda stutter and its frustrating. I play punkrock music and i always need the fast flow goin. any tips? i have this problem maybe in 1 out of 5 jamming session..but when the flow's there, its gnarly! i dont know about you guys but being able to play 1/2 of the punkrock songs out there's awesome man...considering the fact that i started like 4 months ago. heheh

 

[Funkifized]

Are you burying the beater into the bass drum head? Is that why it is stuttering?

I'd strongly recommend every drummer to NOT bury the beater... I mean, look at your sticks, do you bury them into the head unless u want a buzz? You want the head to resonanate, no?

 

[chud]

yeah i like to rest the ball of my feet on the pedal (i play heel-up)...so what do i do with my feet when im not hitting bass notes? (i cant hang my feet up in the air, cant i?)....any suggestions bro?

 

[drummar-buah]

then your spring tension must be too loose.

cuz it's supposed to be tight enough so that u are able to rest ur feet there without the beater touching the bass drum. it's also supposed to be loose enough so that u can efficiently execute your doubles on the bass drum.
learnt if from weckl. so don't u guys dare flame me. haha!! :lol:

 

[nkf31]

may want to try heel-down as well

 

[Frummer]

haha dont worry. not everybody owns a set here.

i dont. but we shall find out by the end of the week eh? :wink:

 

[chud]

yeah man...i got the upbeats goin, just need to get it constant and smooth.

about my bass strokes stutters, i got it solved. thanks to Funkifized. i just move my feet down the footboard when im not hitting bass notes, and move it up when im about to hit the notes.

 

[chud]

hey whats up guys, can you get drumsticks at half its original price during the swee lee sale?

 

[drummar-buah]

yea probably. i'm going there to check it out too. hope to see u there. =)

 

[lepids]

drumsticks are half priced..
but wait a min, did the vic firth sticks go up in price? my AH5AN didn't cost as much as recently.. used to be a $10 per pair with the white sleeves.. bought 2 pairs and it was $30 with the new red sleeves.. which is $15 per pair?