The steppers beat is one of the bedrock grooves in roots reggae drumming. In fact, the steppers, rockers, and one-drop beats comprise the very foundation of roots reggae music’s golden age, which spans roughly between 1975 and 1985. In this column we’re going to focus on one aspect of steppers that can really bring the groove to life: the rim click. First let’s talk about the other two pieces of the steppers beat, the bass drum and hi-hat. Steppers rhythms are also referred
to as four-on-the-floor patterns, which are grooves in which the bass drum plays solid, driving quarter notes on each beat. While the hi-hat pattern can vary, we’re going to stick with a straight 8th-note pattern so that we can concentrate on getting creative with the rim click. As you get comfortable with these exercises, feel free to spice them up by simply adding a couple 16th notes to […]

February 2019 Issue