On The Job

by Bobby Miller

Disco style drumming has its own unique sound. To authentically capture that sound and feeling calls for a little preliminary preparation.

The pulse is basically a moving eighth note rock feeling complete with a 2 and 4 afterbeat. The bass drum is usually played in a straight four though the variations below are acceptable.

The most distinctive percussive quality in the disco sound lies in the hi-hat “bark”. By playing the left foot on the 1-2-3-4 of each measure the hi-hat would close on the downbeats and open on the “an”. By striking the hi-hat on the “an” of each beat, the player will find the bark is automatically predominant.c – closed hi-hat
o – open hi-hat