One thing that separates the novice drummer from the professional is the ability to play grooves that have dimension. Ghost notes are a great way to achieve this, but first you need to understand, on an elemental level, how to create them. In this lesson I’m going to show you the six ghost-note elements that I use when playing music that’s based on a 16th-note subdivision.

When implementing ghost notes, I recommend playing a rimshot on the backbeats (the snare hits on beats 2 and 4), while making sure to play the ghost notes in the center of the drum at a low volume. The wide dynamic range that those two techniques create will give your grooves greater depth and dimension.

The first ghost-note approach is the single tap. These notes fall in between where the hi-hat is played. This first example has the single tap being played on the “a” of beat 4.

Here’s how I might expand the use of the single tap within one measure.

The next ghost-note element is the drag, which is positioned in the groove between the hi-hat notes, similar to the single tap. The drag can be performed by playing a buzz in the center of the snare, but I often prefer to play it as two distinct notes. Here’s the drag played on the “a” of beat 4.

This is how I would typically combine the use of single taps and drags in a measure of groove.

 One of my favorite ghost-note elements is this next one, which I call the “backbeat stutter.” It employs a ghost note immediately following the backbeat. The challenge is to be able to play a rimshot on the backbeat and immediately transition to playing a light tap in the center of the drum. This will take some practice, but the payoff will be well worth it. Here’s a simple example using the backbeat stutter.

This groove uses the three ghost-note elements we’ve covered so far.

The last ghost-note element I want to show you is what I call the “middle two.” It places the ghost notes on the middle two notes of a four-note grouping (the “e” and “&” of the beat).

This example combines all four ghost-note elements (single tap, drag, backbeat stutter, and middle two) in a one-measure groove.

Shifting gears, we can also apply the ghost-note concept to rhythms played on the hi-hat. There are two variations that I commonly use. The first places an additional hi-hat note on the “e” of the beat to create a three-note figure on the hi-hat.

The following example shows how you can combine the hi-hat ghost notes with some of the previous ghost-note approaches for the snare.

Our second hi-hat variation adds a note on the “a” of the beat.

Our final example combines the second hi-hat variation with all of the snare ghost-note elements. I hope these ideas help open you up to a wider world of groove possibilities.

Jim Riley is the drummer and bandleader for Rascal Flatts. He is an endorsing artist for Ludwig, Sabian, Remo, Shure, Gibraltar, Vater, and Latin Percussion.