Understanding Linear And Non-Independent Drum Beats

Today were going to talk about going to talk about the “Linear Drumming And Non-Independent Drum Beats,” referred to by Bob Moses, in his book, Drum Wisdom.  Up until about the time I read this  book, I really believed that the key to mastering the drum-set was mastering independence.

Independence is the ability to play a repeated rhythmic pattern with one of your limbs, while playing something different with your other limbs. This is a pretty standard way of playing the drums. From the very beginning, students usually learn to play a repeated pattern of 8th notes on the hi-hat or ride cymbal, while playing rhythms underneath that on the snare and bass drum. This is a traditional, basic rock beat.

There is nothing wrong with this type of playing. In fact, many teachers would argue that it’s important for students to master a certain level of independence on the drum-set in order to really learn how to play the instrument. I won’t disagree that a certain amount of independence is useful, and probably necessary. However, as Bob Moses points out in Drum Wisdom, at a certain point, trying to maintain a strict repeated rhythmic pattern with one limb, while playing other rhythms against it can actually limit your creativity and ability to create a groove.

As I frequently explain to my students, we are not machines. Our bodies simply have physical limitations, whether we like it or not. We will always be somewhat limited by our ability to only play so many notes, up to a certain speed, whether with one limb or all four. Therefore, ultimately our goal is to create music, to create grooves, solos, etc., with whatever technical abilities we have. We can strive to develop as much technique and speed as we can, but our goal is not to “machine gun” our audience to death. It’s to create music.

Bob states in Drum Wisdom, that the musicians in your band don’t really care what you play, as long as you groove. I agree with this statement. So then the question becomes, “How do we create a groove?”

In Drum Wisdom, Bob says that inherent in the word “groove” is the word “repetition.” Some grooves are very repetitious-think “disco,” and some are less repetitious, but there has to be an element of repetition, or it simply won’t groove.

Getting back to the basic rock beat, we have a bass drum that plays on 1 and 3, or some type of variation. We have a snare drum that plays on 2 & 4, and a hi-hat playing a repeated pattern of 8th notes over and over on the hi-hat. It’s easy to see how this grooves.

About the same time I was reading Drum Wisdom, I happened to see a video of Charlie Watts playing with the Rolling Stones. Watts had a very unusual way of playing the basic rock beat. Instead of playing a steady 8th note pulse with the right hand, so that the hi-hat and snare drum hit together on 2 and 4, Watts would leave out the hi-hat on 2 and 4, and just play the snare drum. When I saw this video, I assumed he was basically not a very  good  player. I just figured he hadn’t mastered any basic independence, and so this was the only way he was capable of playing.

I’m currently reading a book by Stones guitarist Keith Richards, in which he explains that Charlie decided to play this way after studying other players. He did it on purpose, feeling that this gave him a very unique feel. Richards claimed that this was actually one of the secrets to the Rolling Stones feel that made them so successful. That’s a great example of a drummer who was more interested in creating a groove or a feel than he was in showing everyone how much technique he had.

If you just create grooves that enhance the music, the band will enjoy it, and so will your fans! Again, this isn’t to say that playing an independent groove won’t work, or that it isn’t ever appropriate. I’m simply saying that you don’t have to play that way all the time, and that you will sometimes find the non-independent method of drumming much more useful. Good luck!

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