Drum Beat Project

Beat 143 of my #DrumBeatProject 9.20.22 Swipe for alt vid & notations. This was a spontaneous outburst while getting ready for soundcheck w/ @Wilco in OR. My trusted friend & tech @ashwin_deepankar suggested I capture it - so that’s his fine camerawork. I can hear the Tony Allen influence since it’s got an A-B form instead of a more traditional backbeat (a-b-a-b). It’s got overlapping SD & BD which I’ve been kind of obsessed with since my teens - but is basically a Swiss triplet between those 2 limbs (also been obsessed with those since playing Keith Reichelt’s fantastic snare solo “Swiss Triplet” in 7th grade)... The HH openings veer between starting on the + of ct. 2 or downbeat ct. 3 - so both are notated here (but too similar to be 2 diff. beats imo). Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @clark.hubbard #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 142 of my #DrumBeatProject 9.6.22 Swipe for notations. This is the 3rd & final installment of Beat 140 variations. This one is different enough to be on its own tho. The RH switches surfaces 3x’s a mea. - this time on toms. The snare part is revoiced on a low left-side stack. This whole process is something I like to do if I have the time; to get a beat really feeling good and then find ways to expand or re-orchestrate it so that other, secondary aspects and qualities of the beat come out to the front - casting the whole thing in a new light. It’s an educational and meaningful pursuit imo - a way for me to keep teaching & challenging myself by getting outside of what’s already ingrained in me… I used 3 posts to illustrate this idea since each iteration/generation is unique (like parents & children). Once again the cool t-shirt design by my amazing daughter Vivian. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 141 of my #DrumBeatProject 9.6.22 Swipe for variation beat vid & notations. I think I prefer the 2nd beat. It’s a bit more patient which is usually a good thing. Which one do you like more? These are both variations of last week’s beat - same notes but the RH is orchestrated on octobans. In the 1st vid I’m switching pitches every mea. so it takes 3 cycles of the beat or 6 mea. to come around. In the 2nd vid, I switch every 2 bars or 1 complete cycle of the beat - but still 6 mea. or 3 cycles to come fully around to the B-flat on count 1 mea. 1. It might be tough to make out (I record all these on my phone) but the pitches are B-flat, E-flat & C. As you can tell from some previous beats, sometimes I like to melodicize certain voices of a beat - it just changes everything in such an interesting way (and can be a nice challenge too). Using some self-customized @Promarksticks marching tenor mallets in the RH as well as @creative_percussion shaker mallets on the @gruvxpercussion x-click in the LH. Cool t-shirt design by my amazing Vivian. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 140 of my #DrumBeatProject 9.2.22 Swipe for notations & 2 alt vids. This came out while brainstorming a drum part for a track for a friend. I chose this one because of its ambiguity. It was ingrained in my head as 6/4 but watching the vid, I keep hearing the 12/8 feel. I think it’s due to the ancient overhead bass drum pedal that’s also hitting the cymbal attachment - that sound is making me hear the standard jazz ride cym. pattern but on the BD. I hear it in 6 again when watching the 2nd vid or the 3rd vid where it’s voiced on the toms of the pre-1918 kit (minus the hh of course - btw I have a rule to only use vintage sticks & mallets on that kit…) In the end, that feel all boils down to 2:3. The character really changes depending on the voicing of the RH as you can tell in these 3 vids: Wood Blk then @MorfBeats mini marvin & finally toms. Likely to explore that aspect further in the coming weeks…A few sonic notes - in the main vid that’s an antique flat spatula (you can find a flat spatula in most of my stick bags btw) that’s enhancing the x-stk and a paper-thin vintage splash on my HH stand that’s getting the after-woosh. Also @creative_percussion shaker stk on the gruvxpercussion x-click in the 2nd vid. Unfortunately, my daughter’s amazing design on my T is mostly out of frame… Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 139 of my #DrumBeatProject 8.2.22 Swipe for notations & 4 alt vids! This is a sibling of the last 2 beats. It’s the same syncopated E dorian melody as beat 137 but with a very different drum part that shifts nicely between support of, and counterpoint to, the melody. The HH openings imply slower movement under the prevalent active rhythmic movement too. I wrote this one before I ever tried playing it (it was written a month ago - but recorded the other day), and it’s got a few tricky spots (like the count 4 contrapuntal action between kalimba & HH/BD). Using my small SD w/preparations since the main SD is acting as a resonator for the kalimba. Also experimenting w/diff. Implements: #1 @creative_percussion shaker mallet, #2 my @promarksticks AW570 w/ @davedemming rods - & his fans in #3. As I’ve previously mentioned, changing the implements brings out certain voices and ultimately how the beat is experienced. The last 2 vids are just the drum beat (no definite pitches) both slower & then faster - I also doubled the backbeat for these since it was easier due to the kinesthetic memory that was going on. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 138 of my #DrumBeatProject 8.3.22 - Swipe for notations. This is a companion to last week’s beat. I'm thinking of it as the 2nd part to a solo piece that I need to write! The kalimba is a bit more challenging than beat #137 but the accompaniment is more stripped down and is built around the BD / kalimba interplay along with a grounding backbeat. It’s got an edgier vibe and is a bit tougher as well, even though I didn’t have the distortion pedal with me. This was filmed backstage in the @Wilco jam room and features the fantastic camera work of @NelsCline. The dressing room area was in a cool barn, but didn’t have interior walls so I’m holding back in volume and intensity as to not disturb too many people - but I think the spirit of it still comes across. This is also in the E dorian mode fyi - see tags for the fun preparations. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 137 of my #DrumBeatProject 8.5.22 - Swipe for notations and alt vids. This is another ex. of a beat w/pitches. The LH kalimba part does a syncopated rhythm on an E Dorian melody starting w/the scale bookends that then collapse inwards to the middle of the scale. The feet mark a half-time feel against the RH which ascends up the toms and jingle cym with a rhythm that accompanies the LH/melody rhythm. The xtra 2 vids are the same beat at different tempos in case anyone wants to write to this. Using a customized @promarksticks tenor mallet in RH for a bigger tone out of the toms. I have a few variations and related beats to this one that might be showing up here soon. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 136 of my #DrumBeatProject 7.28.22 -Swipe for notations and alt vid. This one features an inadvertent, double-time Son Clave pattern in the feet - 3:2. The first half is based around an alternate-sticking, broken triplet w/the BD. 2nd half features a solo HH answer to that. The 2 together create the clave rhythm - nestled up in lots of cool sounds that melodicize the hands part: @Keplingerdrums custom spoke, @creative_percussion Z Shaker, @meinlpercussion jingle ring on @zildjiancompany stack, Upcycledpercussion on the HH…. This one came out naturally - just blowing off steam while working on another, more intensive beat (#135). I didn’t notice the clave aspect until listening back. The xtra vid is the same but with matched grip. As I mentioned in the post for beat 135, small changes - like grip (and tempo & preparations) - have an effect on internal and external feel, sound and performance - sometimes subtle and sometimes significant. It’s so much fun to try out different things & experiment. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 135 of my #DrumBeatProject 6.28.22 - Swipe for 2 alt vids & notations. This melody came to me while listening to @Elena_Setien as I walked around Madrid while on @Wilco tour. It’s definitely influenced by her - if not outright lifted! I tried it on kalimba, but it worked best on my @MajesticPercussion glock & @zildjiancompany crotales. Its in 11 & the drum part offers both support and counterpoint to the melody. I included the xtra 2 vids to show a bit of my process. If I have the time, I like to try each beat at slightly different tempos or experiement a bit with implements or grips or preparations too - just to see what works the best. The 1st xtra vid here is at 135 dpm, the second at 129 but I went with the one at 132 bpm as the main beat since it felt the best and the aluminum mallets cut better on my phone recorder than my usual go-to poly ones. The DrumBeatProject at its core is about process - but also about exploring beats in a few different ways. The first is thinking of them as mini-compositions. I started this whole project after writing 3 concerti within a year & then wanting to change things up and shift my focus to the most consise, micro-compositions possible: beats. I also want to create beats that other people might want to use to make their own music with. And, I also view this as an educational undertaking - both for other drummers and myself - whether that’s finding something unique or overlooked to focus on or re-imagining things that are already in my vocabulary or the drumming cannon. Most beats touch on more than one of these aspects, but because of the melodic component and even moreso how it was composed (writing an accompanying part to a lead voice), I think this one falls into the first category of being a micro-composition. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 134 of my #DrumBeatProject 6.24.22 Swipe for 2 alt vids & notations. This one started from the @Wilco song “A Lifetime To Find” from our new record, Cruel Country, specifically a live variation that I was messing w/on stage in Valencia, ES (2nd vid). Nothing flashy or fancy but harder to execute consistently than it might appear. The spot to watch is the + of ct. 2 where SD and BD are in unison. I wrote it riding on HH w/openings but these 3 vids voice the RH on ride, tambo and FT rim respectively - anything works tho. It seems that people are really drawn to the most showy & complicated drumming posts - but the #DrumBeatProject is about process and is educational (for me at least!) at its core, so I really wanted to include this decidedly un-flashy beat since the musicality of the beat really comes out from the slight variations of sound that result from the subtle shifts in playing areas on the Cross-stick and Ride. Those little movements w/the LH get different tones on the rim or @Gruv-X X-Click as does using 2 playing areas on the Ride or FT rim. The motions and minor stroke height differences that result really impact the groove too - all things that I love dorking out on and didn’t really come to appreciate until I was older and more experienced - the more you know, the more you learn. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 133 of my #DrumBeatProject 6.6.22 Swipe for notations. On a fam roadtrip this week, so here’s a recent-ish compound beat from the vaults. These 2 beats are all about incorporating a fun 4-note embellishment into the beat - basically a 4-stroke ruff split up between all 4 limbs (the interp opens a bit for the last one making more of a 16th-note triplet tho). Both beats/bars have subtle voicing differences at the end between the HH, stack & 2nd SD, giving each a slightly different pitched cadence, even tho the sticking remains consistent. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 132 of my #DrumBeatProject 7.15.22 Swipe for notations, alt notation, xtra vid and pic. I was listening to my morning playlist yesterday and @Thirdcoastpercussion “Aguas da Amazonia No. 4 by @PhilipGlassMusic from TCP’s beautiful album “Paddle To The Sea” came on. It was still in my head a few mins later when I went out to drum, and this came out. It sounds like the aforementioned is actually in 15 - but mine came out in 16 - but broken up into these cells: 4+3+2+2+2+3. I included 2 vids since a very minor difference seems to have had a much larger impact. On the 2nd vid the Guiro stax on my main SD is between 12 & 3 o’clock causing me to concentrate a little more to angle my rt. arm properly in order to get a good scrape. In the 1st vid it’s mounted between the SD and RT and is oriented more flat to me - no angling necessary, which frees me up physically to “dance” a bit more while I’m playing. Little ripple-effect stuff like that totally fascinates me! There are so many subltle complexities in what we do that just hide under the surface but are ultimately elemental to the feel, sound and our experience of playing. The kit is full of fun flair/preparations currently thanks to Gruv-X, Creative Percussion, Upcycled Percussion, DrumGees, Meinl Percussion and Keplinger Percussion - so many cool sounds that are integral to this beat - not to mention the Dem Sticks prototype fan and CP shaker mallet - see xtra pic. When I started, if you wanted these sounds you had to dream them up, find them or make them - but thanks to these hyper-creative and driven musicians / entrepreneurs, there’s a wealth of sounds that no single person would ever have been able to come up with alone - I’m so thankful for you all! If you’re hearing this one with a different count 1 - listen to the TCP piece then listen to the beat again, you might hear it differently. New solo piece is now up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 131 of my #DrumBeatProject 6.24.22 Swipe for notations & xtra beat vid. Like last week, another sound check-Purdie shuffle variation in Valencia w/ @Wilco. For this one, I'm tagging on 4 16ths for a mix of 3 and 4 note cells. It’s a half time feel w/ a little implied double time or glitch at the end. Along the same lines, the extra beat vid is just a funk shuffle in 6. Enjoy! New solo piece is up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 130 of my #DrumBeatProject 6.20.22 Swipe for notations & 2 xtra vids. Was messing around w/a funk shuffle aka Purdie shuffle at sound check and seeing how it flowed after taking some subdivisions out. This is the first one I came up with (more to come likely) in San Sebastian. The next time I tried it in Valencia, I added a BD note on the “a“ of ct. 1. which I actually like better (see the xtra 2 vids for this: faster & not so fast) but the SS one has looks better thx to
@ashwin_deepankar - so I made that one #130. This kind of reminds me of the RHlead variation for Ted Reed’s classic Syncopation book - it’s all about locking in the right side & keeping all the SD ghost notes steady & just loud enough to solidify & anchor the whole groove. New solo piece is up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 129 of my #DrumBeatProject 6.4.22 Swipe for notations. Got this one down just before leaving on @wilco tour in Europe. I typically do these the week of so I can keep a sort of loose log of what I’m up to with my drumming & ideas over a long period of time, but no backstage kit on this tour & limited stage time so rolling w/it this month. Scroll to the bottom for more philosophical meanderings on this! This one is about the interplay between the 2 SDs and HH. Since it’s hand to hand, those 3 sounds can be placed anywhere - & this is one of a series of variations - all with those small differences ultimately determining the cadence of the beat. It can easily be done with one snare or incorporating stacks or other sounds too. OK thoughts: I love to go to art museums when I’m on the road & wonder if one of the seeds of the #DrumBeatProject is seeing how some artists did series of self-portraits over decades, documenting not just the development of their technical skill but more their vision & insights too. Not comparing my DBP to high art - but perhaps that’s one inspiration behind this whole thing. I honestly went into this project blind with no aim at all but to follow a gut feeling. Reasons for embracing it & continuing it are slowly being revealed tho... New solo piece is now up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 128 of my #DrumBeatProject 6.6.22 Swipe for notations and 2 var. vids. I was listening to some African drumming earlier that day which influenced this one. It’s basically a call & response between hands & feet w/the hands doing x-stk the 2nd time/call. I’m so used to my limbs working in concert to play beats that it’s a nice change to divide things up in a little conversation like this. 1st var. vid is just with snares on, but that one simple sonic change really affects the character of the beat. The 2nd vid is an earlier iteration w/out the x-stk. I like positioning that lower right side stack so the x-stk is striking both the stack and the @gruvxpercussion x-click for a beefier sound. New solo piece is now up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 127 of my #DrumBeatProject 6.6.22 Swipe for alt beat vid/notations and 2 diff. balance example vids. This a longer one in 15 but is super repetitive so not complex as it might seem. I think of it in smaller, 16th note cells = 4+3+4+3+4+3+4+3+2 OR a+b+a’+b+a+b+a’+b+c. Using 2 snares here but can be done on 1 and the LH stack can also be played on a rim or anything else. This popped in my head while dropping the kids off at school and I was able to take a couple of quick vids when I got home, but I really hear this with the RH parts on something pitched too - since I’m back on tour w/ @Wilco though, that’s going to have to wait! The 2nd & 3rd vids are a var. w/out LF but w/LH on HH and interpreted 2 ways: @creative_percussion shaker mallets w/ @zildjiancompany metal castanets & w/my @promarksticks #ActiveWave570 sig. stx and sizzle pang hit thx to @gruvxpercussion. The last 2 vids show how certain voices/sounds/limbs tend to naturally emerge and retract while playing this continuously for a long while. 1st one I’m emphasizing the toms and 2nd the LH on stack, whereas the main post vid focusses more on the SDs. Each interpretation has its own charm. New solo piece is now up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 126 of my #DrumBeatProject 6.1.22 Swipe for a diff. mix & notations. This is a composite beat constructed from layers of percussion for the live version of Sold Out Sky, an #OnFillmore song that’s in the works. I came up with something similar for our show last weekend at #SolidSoundFest - but added the BD part and better sounds for this vid thx to the @MorfBeats mini marvin. Some of my most fav beats to play are ones that arose from live interpretations of multiple overdubs on the recording - it forces me to come up with creative solutions that are often challenging and push me to do something that’s not yet in my vocabulary... The BD is playing off the dotted 1/8 pulse & the HH = the anchor. Using my threaded spring rods on cyms, guiro stax & @meinlpercussion birds for fresh colors in plaa a ce of a SD. That closest cym is a super cool @Keplingerdrums btw. 2nd vid is the same beat, but has a louder FT but quieter CBell. New solo piece is now up on my youtube channel, link in bio! Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

Beat 125 of my #DrumBeatProject 5.14.22 Swipe for notations - This is a beat based on a melody, specifically Undiu by Brazilian legend Joao Gilberto. I’m playing a hybridized but stylistically passable foot ostinato with hands doing a new rhythm pattern/melody set to his pitches - all possible w/ @Sunhouseinc #SensoryPercussion to play the @Morfbeats metal plates. This is a partial reduction of sorts of my solo adaptation of this tune - which will go up on my youtube channel (link in bio) next week. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects- check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...