Great Job! I love these patterns and still use them all the time! I actually just released a new lesson on my website called "Universal Function" that utilizes these patterns as well as a bunch of others like it and is based on forging the same kick snare relationship with different right hand ostinatos.
Thank you so much! These kinds of exercises have had an immeasurable impact on my approach to drumming. To everyone reading this: BUY HIS LESSONS AND GAIN HIS KNOWLEDGE.
This is some of the most frustrating shit I’ve ever attempted to learn. It’s really testing in my confidence in the process i.e if you keep at it with eventually click. Brutal
Have always loved odd meter stuff. What I live about this particular drummers explanation of this challenging pattern and variations is that he gets right to the breakdown and respects his viewers ability to figure out the concept quickly via his precise breakdown. No longer explanation on the concept of groupings nor polyrhythmic relationship. Cold numbers and prompt demonstration. Perfectly done! Enjoying working through this, thanks for the upload
The first couple examples I was like "ohhhh I know where this is heading and it's not worth watching.." Then it got to that Moroccan grouping, and the one before it. My face made a grimace. Then you added the hihat. Damn, I can't imagine trying to keep up with all that, let alone the feeling you must get once you can. As a guitarist I've always enjoyed how polyrhythms phase through the beat. It feels so good and makes for interesting riffs and grooves, but this is on another level. You need to see if you can add another layer lol. I guess you'd have to use your head or your mouth
I just discovered your videos. RU-vid doing its job well with the recommendation. I love the vibe of your videos. The drums sounds great. Open, simple, not too processed like on a lot of other instructional sites I find. Your explanations are concise, but thorough. I am a long time musician. Studied classical guitar in school, but my true love was always the drums. Wasn't really allowed to play them when I was a kid. So, I've been practicing the best I can over the last ten years or so as time and space have allowed. I don't think I'll ever have the time I need to practice all of these variations, but I love watching what younger cats, such as yourself, can do these days. I think drummers have really exploded the lyrical, rhythmic, and dynamic possibilities of the drums these days. Its such an exciting time to hear music. Everyone from Radiohead to Kneebody, and young guys (I just discovered) like dOMI and that young kid JD Beck. Just really interesting stuff to watch and learn from. I kind of breaks my heart a bit; I always wish I had been able to play the drums when I was younger and had the time and energy and the brain power (I think we learn faster when we are younger, but maybe that's just a myth) to do so. Anyway, keep doing what you are doing. I'd love to hear some tracks of bands you are in or songs you have written, whatever the genre. Godspeed.
Hey, thank you so much for watching! I'm glad you appreciate what the younger folks are whipping out these days. I'm totally floored by the ability of some of the people coming up! JD Beck is a great example - I've been playing for longer than he's been alive and am blown away by his sense of time and ability to phrase. His musicality has matured beyond his years. Being open to learning from everyone is the best thing you can do for yourself!
Dude. That was great. What an unreal independence challenge. Got the 8th note and quarters but the rest is twisting my brain too. Saw Matt live in a small intimate clinic. Incredible performance. Really nice guy and he spoke with me for a few minutes after the clinic. Very inspiring. Got him to give me his autograph on a picture of him. Very cool. Rock On Josh.
That's awesome! I'm glad you dig this stuff. I've only seen Matt perform once, but I definitely need to catch him in a clinic setting. Thanks for watching!
Dear dude. This is a nice lesson. I have another way to expand on this concept. Using patterns of 5. So instead of playing 2 then 3 separated by bass drum hits, you hit 1 then 2. This lesson is actually very similar. After a while you can focus on the 1 and the 2, or in your lesson the 2 and the 3, and you can start improvising. 2,2,3 2,2,3 1,2,1,2. so on and so forth. With 5's I also like to reverse it so that the bass drum does the 1 and then the 2 ( with this lesson it would be the 2 and the 3 hits on the bass drum) The other cool addition you can do to your pattern is instead of hitting a 16th note on the bass drum, you hit 2 32nd notes.
Matt's Universal Function stuff is a fantastic and endless treasure trove of challenging but still musical/groove based coordination exercises. Awesome to see you taking it way way farther than me so far 😂 Inspiring me to get way back into it, though. Glad to be subscribing!
Captioning has a funny interpretation of the flip on the ride: "sting does the Danes at the thing did the thing" to "that's the thing that the dance hit the thing"
I'm a big fan! I was curious what heads and muffling system for your bass drum. Do you have a pillow inside, and do you mostly bury the beater?..thanks
If you guys want to hear examples of this in action, check out Danny Carey on the new track Invincible. I think he uses a very similar process with the 3 against 7 beat.
Hi, when someone gets to the point of playing this with the 8th and two 16nths ostinato and then the dotted 8th note is impossible, what is the mental priority? The kick/snare pattern or the ostinato? Also, after having practiced all this, are you in a position of being able to play a different 7/16 or 9/16 groove over these ostinatos on the fly or is that another brain melting period/session? thanks
It's a balancing act. You'll want to practice the kick/snare pattern to the point where you can almost play entirely from muscle memory. That frees up the mental bandwidth needed to switch up the cymbal pattern. The coordination part isn't even the biggest challenge, in my opinion. The real trick is to get your ear to "hear" how the cymbal patterns seemingly phase through the kick/snare pattern. It ends up sounding like a bunch of different "7-against-X" polymeters. With enough practice, it becomes much easier to build out other kick/snare patterns under the different cymbal patterns. It'll be a bit more brain melting while your ears adjust, but soon you'll find yourself able to play 5/16, 9/16, 11/16 and beyond without having to grind as hard. Getting the first set of combinations down is the most difficult!
@@JoshMerhar Thanks, thats all i needed to know. I find it easier to play single permutated bits of it looped over and over than going for the full thing because if you fail on the third 7 pattern for example, you have to start from scratch as opposed to starting the groove on the ''e'' or ''a''' or '''and'', then all odd/16 under a steady pulse grooves make more sense. Peace
Saw Matt live playing with Animals As Leaders. He literally tortured a set of drums in a way I have never witnessed in all my 40+ years of life. I was convinced one of the cymbals was going to shatter or he was going to break a head. And it was so hot in the venue it could be considered attempted mass murder. The guy didn't give a f*ck. I wasn't really sure what I had just seen but I will never forget it. Thanks for that memory Matt!
Great video! Just started practicing this lick/concept today. Gave me a headache, no doubt! The morrocan rhythm you mention is called "Chaabi". You can check it out here: /watch?v=bKuSiW5Pwe4 although this guy prefers to play the second and third partial of the 8th note triplet. Here, (/watch?v=00qZfrqHuzI) the great Moroccan drummer Karim Ziad keeps it mostly on the first and second, as you mentioned. This is also probably the best video explaining and demistyfying this beautiful beat, which, interestingly enough has a lot commonalities with the Argentinian chakarera and the Peruvian festejo. Thanks for the inspiration!
Are these exercises only for advanced players? This is so groovy that I want to give it a try as a beginner. I don't understand what the terminology means (dotted 8ths, etc) yet but I can use my ears to try and break down what's happening
They're for everyone! Advanced players may have an easier time putting them together, but I think these exercises helped MAKE me a more advanced player. Gotta throw yourself into the really tough stuff to continue improving!
@@JoshMerhar OK so I'm really trying to play this. Right foot and left hand work fine, but I can't add my right hand to the mix. Should I set a metronome and try to mimic it with my right hand? What BPM? I'm a beginner and I've been using drumeo to learn. My musical tastes are far too difficult for my skill level lol! Prog rock is my passion
@@Kin0bii A huge part of learning these kinds of combinations is getting your ear to "hear" how the patterns relate to one another. Try playing just the kick and snare pattern (as 16th notes) along with a metronome. Start very slowly - set the click somewhere between 50-60 bpm (or slower if needed). When you have the kick and snare going, listen for how they seemingly shift against the click. The kick/snare pattern should repeat 4 times before aligning directly on a beat again (it'll take 7 beats to come back around). When you can comfortably play the kick/snare pattern as 16ths to a click, then try adding the right hand on top. Start with 8th notes on the right hand - it'll take 2 reps of the kick/snare pattern to resolve with your right hand again. Gradually change up the right hand as your ears adjust and things become more comfortable. I hope this helps!
Great playing Josh! I get the pattern now and it flows quite good with 8ths on the ride. Do you feel the pattern coming back to one after two times or do you count quarters? When I count quarters over it my head explodes! Thanks for your tutorial.
Thanks for watching! It depends on the cymbal pattern. For the 8ths, I feel the kick/snare pattern resolve after two times. Under quarter notes, the kick/snare pattern resolves after 4 repetitions. It's really easy to get lost in that space, but try to hear how it "flips" during the third repetition and begins in the middle of the beat.
That space is crazy with quarters but Im gonna try to listen to that flip. Maybe the pattern needs a few more sessions to feel natural, so I have my ears concentrating on everything else. Anyway, I´ll work on that! Again cheers for the great content and ur help! Keep those videos coming.
Josh,,, when playing these exercises are you hearing all variations in 4/4 ?,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I'm super struggling to hear that 7 16th note phrase over 4. great teacher and great player, thank you. Michael
Hey, thanks for watching! No, I'm hearing these variations in either 7/8 or 7/4 (depending on the cymbal pattern). Otherwise, it would take 7 measures of 4/4 for most of these patterns to come back around. That's a lot of space! Try hearing everything relative to just a quarter note instead. Everything should align after 7 quarter notes (except for the dotted 8th patterns, which take 3 measures of 7/8 to resolve).
Hy josh, great job but i think that you missed trying those ride paterns with accents on the bell that creates another voice or melody for your brain to listen to and makes the independence even more chalenging
I wonder if Garstka can play this with the hand patterns inverted (left hand cycling through 8ths, 1/4s, dotted 8ths while right hand plays the snare accents and ghosts)
Hats off to Matt BUT When combining two rhythms in any time sig that can be applied to a SONG ( to be most effective) is when one hand is playing quarter notes. Any eighths (in this case), 16ths against the pattern KILL both patterns therefore, it's only an exercise. Pattern showcases are FUN physical /mental challenges. Jazz drumming is an exception because it's an improvisational form. Where is James Brown RIP to reiterate this when I need him?
This is a killer technical lesson, but from a purely "serve the music" standpoint, I'm curious where you think you'd ever use this concept in a musical setting. Granted, we all work at things that we want to do just for the sake of being able to do it, and it would certainly help with timing, but then so would working the systems in The New Breed with a click and recording yourself. At the end of the day, will it make you a better servant of the music? Not a slight in the least, you're a machine! Just throwing it out there for thought.
In a metal setting, this is a fantastic thing to be able to play. Broken Cross by Architects has a similar type groove. Edit: Nevermind, I lied, it's Phantom Fear by Architects that somewhat has the same groove.
@@surveil3548 Ummm... Ok, I'll do that... Since that's why I trained all those years and went to music school. You say that as though you think there's a step up from there? What he was demonstrating was an exercise, not a groove. If a bass player was walking by when you were playing that, he would not whip out his bass and go "man, that grooves"...
Do it step by and starting from very slow to faster bpm. And start with the 4th or 8th notes on the hi hat to get a feeling. Breaking exercises down like this is like magic
"Under x" refers to the cymbal pattern played on top of the kick/snare pattern. For example, beginning at 2:33 I demonstrate the kick/snare pattern "under" 8th notes played on the ride cymbal. I hope this makes sense!
The hardest part about the 1&a2 was that at 1 particular point both of your hands are doing the exact same things and then you have separate your hands again. My Instagram is @res_the_pro
Some of these combinations are really tough to get through at first. I found putting the kick/snare on autopilot and using my ears to align the right hand helps me get out of my head a bit. Otherwise it's too much to think about!
@@JoshMerhar That was like right after I had just finished learning it. I can definitely play it a lot better now lol. Learning this actually helped when I went back to an Idea a friend tried to explain to me some years prior before I got into Polyrhythms and what-not and so I layered some of the ideas from this over the top of it and it was SUPER easy. This exercise dramatically increases your independence and the rate at which you learn other or less complex polyrhythmic grooves
