Welcome to the third and final installment of my “Groove Freedom” series. For those of you who missed the first two lessons, these articles are based on exercises from my latest book, Groove Freedom. The book is built from the very simple concept of combining a consistent pattern, like a repeated hi-hat and snare part, with a variable pattern played by another limb, like on the bass drum. Having the freedom to keep two or three limbs repeating an ostinato while another limb is free to improvise is a beautiful thing. I want to first explain the difference between simple and easy. The concept of these articles is simple. You start with a groove ostinato, which in this case is a 32nd-note pattern between the hi-hat and snare. Then you work through various bass drum placements, such as the downbeats, the “e,” the “&,” and the “a.” You practice all […]

October 2014 Issue