Drum Beat Project
Beat 161 of my #DrumBeatProject 2.2.23 - 2 alt tempo vids & notations at the end. This one is deceptively tricky to nail and came out of an exercise of mine where I just create a unison hand pattern mixing up 1, 2 or 3 note groupings, all w/a single subdivision rest in between. I then fill in the rests w/feet - either in unison or alternating - this one is alternating BD & HH. Lastly, I keep the pattern in one hand and treat it like a “ride” part and deviate the other hand to make into more of a SD or “backbeat” part. So for this beat, the first mea. is unison hands & in the 2nd mea. The RH keeps the pattern (ride) and the LH only plays a couple of select SD (backbeat) notes. I’m also switching timbres between the 2 mea. from toms to @Creative_percussion guiro stax and SD x-stick on the @Gruv-x X-click. I’ve got a brand new CP shaker BD beater too that you can’t see but is sounding great - also a shaker mallet by them. The trickiest part for me is the feet. Since it’s in 3/4 and there are 5 notes per mea. the feet reverse in the 2nd mea. that coupled w/the feet being highly syncopated (AND when the RH goes from a reg. horizontal stroke to a lateral scraping motion) makes it tougher to really lock in when you’re playing it than it might seem when you’re watching it. The contrast between the 2 measures and the rolling feel of it all make it worth the effort though imo! That’s also@stack_ring_percussion and @upcycledpercussion on the HH and an @meinlpercussion finger shaker for a little xtra spice.The 2 xtra vids are just different tempos - also included notation for a breakdown ex. to try out first.New solo piece - Equilibrium - is up on my youtube channel, link in bio, scores for all solo pieces are on my website. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco
Beat 160 of my #DrumBeatProject 1.23.23 - 3 alt tempo vids & notations at the end. This one popped into my head as a bass line (which happens quite a bit) that I then simplified into a beat. I wasn’t sure what tempo I liked it at best, so included an offering of several here. The first 3 counts are the same linear pattern in both mea. but the 1st ends with the space of a hanging HH opening & the 2nd as a BD upbeat punctuation. That contrast is why I chose this one. That’s @creative_percussion Guirostax that I’m hitting as a SD rimshot & @stack_ring_percussion and @upcycledpercussion on the HH. Last vid uses @davedeming lang ying brooms that really blend nicely with the other timbres. New solo piece - Equilibrium - is up on my youtube channel, link in bio, scores for all solo pieces are on my website. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco
Beat 159 of my #DrumBeatProject 1.10.23 - 2 xtra vids & notations at the end. Studio vids: not your typical IG drummer fare here- nothing flashy or difficult - but this one embodies what this project is all about - giving a glimpse into my approach to playing, composing and teaching. The vid is from an actual drum take in the studio with @wilco last week. That’s my little booth at the loft in Chicago where I’m trying out a new part to a new song. It’s only 3 voices but uses all 4 limbs. This one eschews the normal rock ebb & flow of BD & SD alternation in favor of a HH event/part that gradually opens and expands over 3 counts w/bookend punctuations on SD & BD. The hardest part is getting those openings consistent without losing the musicality of the part. The 1st xtra vid is of the HH isolated. The rest/space is actually on count 1 - but it’s easy to hear that space on count 4 - but by having that unison SD/BD marcato accent on count 2 it sort of acts like a backbeat accent. In the second xtra vid I say “1” so you can calibrate the timing.
New solo piece - Equilibrium - is up on my youtube channel, link in bio, scores for all solo pieces are on my website. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco
Beat 158 of my #DrumBeatProject 1.4.23 - Notations & alt vid at the end. This is a compound beat in 3, comprised of 2 sibling beats that have the same notation but diff. orchestration - the RH is on HH for the 1st half and moves to the alternating toms for the 2nd half & LH goes to the stack for the 2nd 1/2 as well. The xtra vid includes part of another, 3rd sibling beat, on non-alternating rack toms. I tried a few different stick choices but the @tackle_instrument stick topper felt and sounded the best. So using the shoulder of the stick on HH and then the felt topper part on the toms - those toppers are such a great tool to have! That’s a @Gruvxpercussion & @creative_percussion situation on SD along w/ @stack_ring_percussion and @upcycledpercussion on the HH. New solo piece - Equilibrium - is up on my youtube channel, link in bio, scores for all solo pieces are on my website. Past beat vids & notations at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco
Beat 157 of my #DrumBeatProject 1.2.23 - Multiple notations & alt vid at the end. Yet another kalimba beat! Woke up w/the melody and BD pulse in my head. Then added the staggered HH pulse which, w/the BD, creates an underlying 12/8 feel over the more 6/4 feel of the melody. It can be written/felt either way - hence including both notations here. The SD x-stk answer to @meinlpercussion Waterfall and Birds creates a 3rd layer of action - & having to use 2 diff. techniques (sliding on the percussion and then striking the SD) is a nice challenge too. This isn’t my fav melody but I choose this one because of those multiple layers & feels which create a lot of opportunites to break this down several ways for teaching purposes - more on that in the future tho… SD situation is a @zildjiancompany FX Spiral Stacker using @drumgess w/ @creative_percussion guiro stax & @gruvxpercussion click - that timbre cocktail just blended better w/the other elements than a reg. SD. The alt vid is moving the kalimba rhythm to ride cym - a good initial step in learning the beat before introducing the pitches. New solo piece - Equilibrium - is up on my youtube channel, link in bio, scores for all solo pieces are on my website. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco
Beat 156 of my #DrumBeatProject 12.27.22 - alt. vid and notations at the end. A little new year’s eve ditty: A B A B’ form - kalimba is locking in with the feet rhythmically & RH is doing a 2 note / 1 note / 2 note pattern w/the single note on SD as the backbeat and the doubles voiced around the 2 stacks and FT. The LF HH is displaced a 16th forward acting more like a SD ghost note than backbeat reinforcement - I’ve been doing that a lot lately... That’s some great brand new @stack_ring_percussion sounds enhancing the stacks and @upcycledpercussion the the HH. Try the LH on any pitched percussion if you’re kalimba-less. 2nd vid is just a slower groove w/rods instead of the customized @promarksticks tenor mallet. Wishing everyone a 2023 full of growth, compassion, truth & gratitude! New solo piece - Equilibrium - is up on my youtube channel, link in bio, scores for all solo pieces are on my website. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco
Beat 155 of my #DrumBeatProject 12.7.22 - alt. vid and notations at the end. Utilizing my homemade threaded spring rods for this one, focusing just on the scraping sound in this beat but these are capable of so many more unique & interesting sounds (a limited number are now available for purchase on my website! https://www.glennkotche.com/product/custom-threaded-rods/ Link also in bio). The beat is pretty much linear (like last week) & centered around the melody that emerges from the scrapes on different surfaces. It’s fun and challenging to intertwine techniques - going between reg. strokes to the scraping/sliding motion. The HH bells & HH opening augment the scraping melody nicely too. 2nd vid is the same beat, but slower. New solo piece - Equilibrium - is up on my youtube channel, link in bio. And Fishing A.M. which exclusively uses these threaded rods is up there as well. Scores for both are on my website. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco
Beat 154 of my #DrumBeatProject 12.8.22 - two alt. version vids and notations at the end. This one is a combo of a snare lick (= offset & inverted 5 stroke roll in 1st 2 vids & singles in the last vid), and an all-limb linear pattern (= all-limb wave followed by an inside paradiddle and w/HH opening punctuation at the end). The @creative_percussion bells on the HH accentuate the left foot downbeat/upbeat pattern nicely and work well with the other ones on the SD. 1st vid = 2nd vid w/snares off. Glad to be back and sharing these! New solo piece - Equilibrium - is up on my youtube channel, link in bio. Score is on my website. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco
Beat 153 (again…but all caught up now) of my #DrumBeatProject 11.23.22 notations at the end & on my site. This beat is the backbone of a new solo piece - “Equilibrium” - score is now available on my website and video is up on my YouTube channel, link in bio. It builds on last week’s beat by orchestrating the LH on kalimba. Try it on any pitched inst. tho. Its a 4 bar progression ABCA form. So the low E kalimba pedal then goes to G - F# - & back to E, keeping all the other pitches as written. LH was def the most challenging aspect here for me but once you get it, it feels gr8. Using customized @promarksticks - Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @thunderlab @clark.hubbard @ashwin_deepankar
#ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco
Beat 152 (again…)of my #DrumBeatProject 11.23.22 xtra vid & notations at the end. This is a variation of a beat that’s the backbone of a new solo piece - more on that in the next beat - but it’s now up on my YouTube channel, link in bio. The LH is playing the rhythmic melody over a 2 bar RH ostinato while the feet are anchoring it all. It’s always easier for me to use 2 mallets in the RH (old @promarksticks steel drum tenor mallets here) instead of a fast sweep - it keeps my aging marimba chops from disappearing too… Xtra vid is just swapping the SD to x-stk - quiet since it was early morning. Using amazing @davedeming African fans and Lang-Ying brooms in the LH along w/a @Meinlpercussion finger shaker - that’s an @upcycledpercussion @creative_percussion & @keplingerdrums stew situation on the HH btw, @drumgees on SD. 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 151 (again) of my #DrumBeatProject 9.20.22 vid & notations. A straightforward one from the archives. Nothing tricky here but great PA sound and view of the empty amphitheater at @wilco soundcheck in Bend, OR. Just riffing to check the sound. Some nice aspects tho: the space & simplicity, the contrast of open HH hit against the low BD/FT ruff & the SD flam to end the phrase. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio. Past beats & notations at GlennKotche.com/projects check ’em out! @ashwin_deepankar @ clark.hubbard #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor
Hello - I’m back! With heartfelt appreciation for all the amazing friends and fans who reached out or mobilized or spoke up loudly on my behalf -
Thank you! Several of my #DrumBeatProject posts have been deleted, but hopefully I’ll figure out a way to remedy that. As always though, they live on my website under glennkotche.com/projects - I’ll be reposting the last few again fyi. xo Glenn #donthack
Beat 150 of my #DrumBeatProject 11.11.22 Wait for xtra vid & notations. The humidity caused the Chinese tom head on my antique kit to tighten up so I played a beat using it as a sort of conga. The left x-stk is hitting a woodblock & spatula, w/the splash on the HH getting a nice after crash. Good view of the overhanging BD pedal too. It’s a 4 bar beat in 2 parts w/alternating high and low endings. Each (8 count) part is felt as a grouping of 3 + 3 + 2. Thx to @clark.hubbard for showing it both w/ & w/out brackets. Tried it on my @Sonordrumco kit too & utilized some African drumming techniques that I learned @Kentuckypercussion - using those dead strokes in place of slaps to contrast with the lower open tones. That’s the 2nd vid w/RH split between 2 toms for tonal variation and augmented by @creative_percussion bells on the HH w/ @gruvxpercussion & @drumgees on SD for a nice combination of colors. Solo pieces are up on my youtube channel, link in bio. Past beats at GlennKotche.com/projects check’em out! @ashwin_deepankar #ABeatAWeek #DrumBeatTheory #DrumBeatImmersion #loveyourneighbor @wilco
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 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 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