Drum Beat Project

Beat 149 of my #DrumBeatProject 11.10.22 Swipe for notations. This one has a few interesting layers if you dig in. There are two concurrent melodies here: the kalimba melody & the rhythmic melody happening between the low left stack and 2nd timbale snare. That rhythm melody is comprised of a dialogue between the stack and SD. On a larger level, there’s also the question & answer going on between that dialogue (the high LH sounds) and the low BD. This one grew from 2 similar beats - maybe more on those another time - but lots of room for variation w/this beat. Solo pieces are still up on my youtube channel, link in bio. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projectscheck ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco ...

Beat 148 of my #DrumBeatProject 11.1.22 Swipe for notations & pic. This one came out when I took my new @themillermachine for a test drive. That’s a @zildjiancompany finger cymbal mounted on it. I’m using a @meinlpercussion cajon blastick in the RH to strike the beater part & for a heavier hit on the @creative_percussion guiro stax - using a @promarksticks lightening rod in the LH to get a nice snap from the timbale-snare. This beat is basically a linear pattern w/an inside paradiddle on ct. 1. Still have the @keplingerdrums @meinlpercussion & @upcycledpercussion situation on the HH. Pic is a close up of the Miller Machine. 1 day late due to tech probs….Solo pieces are still up on my youtube channel, link in bio. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projectscheck ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco ...

Beat 147 of my #DrumBeatProject 10.12.22 Swipe for xtra vid & notations. This started with the idea of HH & SD on the strong beats & BD on the weak beats - swapping their normal roles & having the BD provide the backbeat - then I retrofitted the RH melodic ride (kalimba part) that I came up with the previous day. That’s @creative_percussion & @gruvxpercussion w/the SD xstk to get a cool sound I find vaguely reminiscent of a LinnDrum - at least from where I’m sitting. It matches up nicely w/the @keplingerdrums @meinlpercussion & @upcycledpercussion situation on the HH.
The xtra vid is a super close variation - just adding a few more BD notes to change up the cadence a bit and make it a 2 bar beat. 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 @wilco ...

Beat 146 of my #DrumBeatProject 10.18.22 Swipe for videos, alt beat & notations. This one experiments with broken triplets in beat form. I’ve done a few beats in the past that center around this same idea - but they’re so much fun - they just keep coming out. I picked it because the voicing & accent combos disguise the 3 over 4 feel in an interesting/funky way. OK - the technical play-by-play follows: this one displaces the 2nd SD backbeat so those are on ct. 2 and the “+” of ct. 3. The 1st measure utilizes alternate sticking FLR - FRL on alternating SD/HH & the 2nd mea. is steady FLR FLR, both w/a double RH tag. The 2nd vid is the same beat but a bit looser and the 3rd vid only has the HH openings every other cycle. All have lots of fun preparations on the hats and drums. The alt beat (4th vid w/notations following) keeps the sticking consistent for both bars but the RH stays on HH and LH on SD in the 1st bar (like mea. 2 of the original beat) but because of the sticking - the backbeats are nicely displaced to the “e" of ct. 2 and the “a" of ct. 3. Those are my fave @DaveDeming sticks on that one btw. I’m sure this idea will rear its head again in some form down the road! 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 145 of my #DrumBeatProject 10.11.22 SWIPE FOR XTRA 3 VIDS, notations & pic! I went into my drum room at home after a being on tour w/ @wilco & started playing the octobans after sitting down at my kit & this pattern/rhythm/melody came out. I then added the other 3 voices/limbs to beatify the melody. SD & HH are mostly on upbeats but switch it up and add some anchor downbeats (see notations for specifics) those are the most challenging aspects performance-wise for me. See vids 4 and 5 for this iteration. Then thought to try it on balafon/gyil and play the LH w/my GIANT CAXIXI - you can hear the interplay between LH & LF best this way, see 2nd vid. I finally moved the RH to kalimba w/LH moving between both SD’s - snares off though just enough to get that cool rebound vibration from the hanging snares on the high one = main vid. Also added 2 custom @Keplingerdrums spoke-ribbon-crashers to the HH - see pic after all the vids and notations. It’s a bit exhaustive, but I included all the vids to illustrate the process and evolution of the beat (since this whole project is a process-piece at its core). That’s a beautiful, furry @eventoed.drumskins head on the SD btw. 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 144 of my #DrumBeatProject 9.30.22 Swipe for notations. My prepared snare is front and center for this one. LH is using the small springs, cuica stick and elec. wires on that in conjunction w/prototype pc from @gruvxpercussion on the RT - all using a Korean Janggu (RH) stick (a mallet is used in the LH on that drum). My right hand might be doing a first (?!) by using glass chimes as a ride cymbal. Is there a precedent for that one? Can’t imagine why anyone would have had a need to but plz let me know if so! Those blue-glass beauties are @Dragonfly_percussion - and add a nice, ancillary high frequency to the beat. They are not shattering since I’m playing them w/a light Lang-Ying stick by @DaveDeming in a Stevens marimba grip with @creative_percussion shaker mallet. That outside mallet hitting the FT is getting some xtra shake and jingle action from the @drumgees mounted there. Lots of fun @upcycledpercussion on the HH as well. Both bars are the same sans the alteration of the moaning apparatus on the prepared SD… If you want to hear more of that, check out the video of my piece, Monkey Chant on YouTube. Other solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio. I did play this one without any of the percussion elements and it works on a 3 pc. kit but it’s just more compelling with all of the disparate timbres imo, but maybe I’ll post one of those down the road... Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @Ashwin_Deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor ...

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 ...