Beatkitchen Tutorials

12 Paradiddle Metacycle

2007-03-04T14:44:00.000+01:00

Finally... here is the long awaited conclusion to this first mini series of drum tutorials... the paradiddle metacycle... pretty simple idea... we will combine paradiddles 1-4 sequentially....

ie:
RLRR LRLL
RLLR LRLL
RRLR LLRL
RLRL LRLR

Simple but very effective... this has been one of my favorite exercises over the years... great for warming up before a gig but also for coordination and technique...

The recommendation for todays show is Kodo - One Earth Tour... these guys are very inspiring... not only is what they play amazing, but HOW they play blows my mind... every movement has a purpose.... click here to check it out on amazon....

11 Doubles Combination

2007-01-16T13:38:00.000+01:00

Happy new year everybody.... things have been busy in this neck of the woods.... Finally managed to get around to posting the next tutorial.... thanks for being patient!

Today we will be combining the doubles exercises we learned in episode 4 into a so-called metacycle.... it looks like this...

The recommended viewing for this episode is the Led Zeppelin live DVD that was released a few years ago.... it is absolutely great... John Bonhams playing is legendary and anytime I watch this DVD I just have to pick up a pair of sticks and start hitting things... and just for the record, all other members are just as unbelievable in their own right... in my books this is a must have for any aspiring rock musician... click here to check it out on amazon...

10 Free Flow Interlude

2006-12-28T12:18:00.000+01:00

Time for another little jam session in the kitchen.....

09 Paradiddle Four

2006-12-05T14:42:00.000+01:00

This podcast features the final basic paradiddle - number four: RLRR LRLR

I play it to the pre-programmed click track as eighths for beginners, sixteenths for intermediate drummers and thirty second notes for advanced drummers.

The recommended CD in this episode is a live album by a band called ‘Shakti’. I guess it would fall under the category ‘world music’ but don’t let that put you off. The rhythms are a valuable source of inspiration and no matter how many times I listen to this CD I always hear something new… click here to check it out on amazon.

08 Paradiddle Three

2006-11-16T14:24:00.000+01:00

Things have been a little mad here since I got the all clear from Blue Man Group... and I am sure they will get madder once I fly to Berlin on Saturday... so please be patient... I will be posting new episodes every chance I get, don't worry!

Anyway, this podcast features Paradiddle number three: RRLR LLRL

As usual I play it to the pre-programmed click track as eighths for beginners, sixteenths for intermediate drummers and thirty second notes for advanced drummers.

The recommended CD in this episode is a live album Sting put out quite a while ago called ‘Bring on the Night’ – click here to check it out on amazon… this album features a legendary drummer by the name of Omar Hakim… it is a true treasure chest for all of you out there who are bored with a standard approach to pop drumming… Omar definitely set a new standard with this performance!

07 Paradiddle Two

2006-11-06T13:49:00.000+01:00

Today we will be looking at Paradiddle number two.... RLLR LRRL.

As usual make sure to play along to the special click track to get the most benefit!

Todays featured CD is by an amazing band called Primus. It's called 'Sailing the Seas of Cheese' and the drummer is Tim 'Herb' Alexander... click here to check it out on amazon... this used to be my 'workout CD'... whenever I felt I was getting out of shape I would play along to this CD for a few weeks and be right back up there on top of things.... hope you enjoy it, and I will see you next week with Paradiddle 3 :O)

06 Paradiddle One

2006-10-30T20:43:00.000+01:00

Wow, the previous 2 weeks since my last post have flown by.... what can I say?! I made up for it today though by recording the next four episodes in one go... I will be posting them over the next four weeks starting today with Paradiddle one.... Now, the paradiddle is a well known rudiment in the drumming community... imagine it as a hybrid between the single stroke roll (RLRL) and the double stroke roll (RRLL).... it looks like this: RLRR LRLL

I can't emphasize enough how important the paradiddle is... it is such a simple exercise but it is not to be underestimated... I first learned the paradiddle about 20 years ago and to this day I still practice it to stay in shape... again, it is very important to make sure you try to keep the volumes of and spacing between each note equal (and don't forget to practice to the click track!)... this is KEY to mastering the paradiddle...

As of today, I will be featuring things that have inspired me (and continue to inspire me) over the years... Today I would like to feature a CD by Chick Corea entitled 'Three Quartets'....

...click here to listen to excerpts on amazon.... The great Steve Gadd is drumming on this and to me it presents one of his finest studio performances in a jazz setting... so check it out and I will see you with Paradiddle Two next week....

05 Improvisational Interlude

2006-10-16T21:02:00.000+02:00

I was going to start with paradiddles this videocast but then I thought 'Nah, to hell with it...' I felt like having some fun today... also a very important lesson... gotta just let go and HAVE SOME FUN... and that's exactly what I did... check it out!

04 Double Strokes

2006-10-06T21:01:00.000+02:00

Took a little longer than I expected but here it is... the next beatkitchen videocast... this time we are going to take a look at "Double Strokes"...

... in total there are four variations of the double - as follows ('R' being Right Hand and 'L' being Left Hand):
RRLL RRLL
LLRR LLRR
RLLR RLLR
LRRL LRRL
...pretty simple stuff... but, as with Single Strokes, they are not to be underestimated... these are the building blocks with which you will hopefully drum your way to success... and the better you master them, the more likely it is that you will be able to play all the tricky stuff well... as always make sure to practice these exercises with the click pattern introduced in the last podcast... have fun!

PS: By the way, the amazing sunglasses featured in this podcast where donated by the fabulous Gwen Gwen Gwen....

03 Single Strokes

2006-09-27T20:58:00.000+02:00

Todays edition of the beatkitchen podcast deals with the most basic drumming pattern: single strokes.

These are the symbols introduced in this videocast that will be representing the right and left hand from now on.

Here is the single stroke pattern... starting with the right hand (1) and also with the left hand (2). As mentioned in the videocast we will be playing the exercises along to a preprogrammed click track.... it is a basic metronomic pattern but with a little twist... normally there would be quarter notes playing throughout the exercise.... but I have found that even though this improves timing, it isn't necessarily the best method, as you can come to rely upon the quarter note click... and then when it isn't there, there is nothing left to 'guide' you.... so I have developed various click patterns to help overcome this reliance.... the particular click pattern we will be using for the time being is a four-bar pattern... for the first 3 bars there is a quarter note on every beat (as with a typical metronome pattern) and then in the fourth bar there is only one quarter note on beat 1 followed by 3 beats of silence.... trust me, it sounds a lot more complicated than it really is.... click here to download the 5 1/2 minute 60bpm click pattern.... beginners should play eighths.... intermediate players 16ths.... and advanced players 32nd notes.... it is important to make sure the volume of both hands is equal and the spacing between each hit is also equal... now get practicing!!!

02 Warm Up Stretches

2006-09-25T20:56:00.000+02:00

Making yesterdays introductory video-cast was so much fun, I decided to get straight to work on the second one this afternoon... in this next step I decided to deal with warm up stretches... what you see above is a collection of warm up exercises I usually do before going on stage to do a show... but you can also do them before practicing if you like... these warm ups include the fingers, wrists, forearms, shoulders, back muscles and spine... please note that these warmup exercises work well for me but might not work well for you... if you have any doubts or experience any discomfort please consult your physician before carrying on... a few of these exercises were shown to me by a teacher I studied with about 13 years ago by the name of Paul Elliot who I would like to give a quick mention here... in the next video cast we will actually get down to playing some drums... well, pots and pans actually... enjoy!

01 Introduction

2006-09-24T20:54:00.000+02:00

Wow, I can't believe I have actually done it... I have created the first Beatkitchen Videocast! I am so excited... even though it is really rough and bad quality... I don't care... you gotta start somewhere right?!?! This is just a test-cast in order for me to get my 'feet wet'... Was pretty nerve wrecking because it all had to be done in one take... no post editing facilities (yet)... but I hope each show will be better than the last... so check it out............