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ISSUE #26 \__\__\___THE____/__/__/  Feb 5, 1999
_____________TEMPO DISPATCH _____________
Newsletter For Drummers and Drumming Enthusiasts

    Copyright Bill Powelson 1999 all rights reserved.

_____________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS  What is in this issue?
Contents
      1. Feature Article
                         HI-HAT Tips and Tricks
      2. Humor (Another . . . Dumb Bass Player joke.)

______________________________________
|__________FEATURE ARTICLE___________|




                   HI-HAT TIPS & TRICKS
HI-Hat Tips . . .
     The hi-hat is loaded with gobs of rhythmic potential . . .
just like any other piece of the drum kit.   If you have your
'chops' together and if you can 'jam-out' elsewhere on the kit . . .
the hi-hat will simply become another avenue of rhythmic
expression.  You will discover numerous 'original' tricks of your
own as you continue to play and experiment.

     We usually maintain our timing from the hi-hat.  We use the hat
to solidify the tempo.  Normally . . . during the slower, more boring
tempos . . . the hi-hat can become a life-saver!  We can tap lightly on
the hat to softly and tastefully 'fill-up' the dead-spots in what would
otherwise be boring and mundane beat patterns.  There are many
approaches to this!   16th (Rock) 4/4 is probably the best example. 

LEARN TO CONVERT FROM 8THS TO 16THS . . .
    
     When 8th rock tunes are thrown into that sloooooow and
and draggy, boring zone . . . it is great fun to convert the basic
beat structure over to 16ths (on the hat), filling up the dead spots
and inducing tons (literally Billions) of new rhythmic ideas.

IT'S A MATHEMATICAL THING . . .
      If we do a thorough study of Permutation (or variation) theory,
it becomes evident that 8th 4/4 only contains a maximum of
65,536 rhythmic (un-syncopated) variations per bar. 

     Then as we explore 16th 4/4 we discover that 4.3 Billion
un-syncopated permutation (or variation) possibilities exist in each bar!
That is 65,000 times the amount of new, rhythmic ideas! Just because
we switched . . .

     This means that a whole NEW WORLD of improvisational possibilities
emerge as we make that transition from 8ths to 16ths on the hat in
the middle of a slow, boring rock tune.  (Your underlying tempo will remain
constant as you do this . . . you will simply be doubling the number of
notes on the hi-hat while maintaining the same (very slow) rock  tempo.)

     BOOM! 
     THIS IS EXPLOSIVE!  Most of these latent 16th
patterns exist in 8th 4/4 . . . but the slower tempos and
human natural tendencies towards a 'craving for speed' tend to
inhibit the use of those patterns.  The more complex and intricately
syncopated beat variations are just too difficult to maintain
in slow 8th 4/4.   Switch to 16ths . . . AND THE SKY OPENS UP!
No syncopating is necessary as we make the switch, so the
playing gets easier and our creativity simply explodes.
     It is usually difficult for all of us to really cut-loose and jam in
sloooooowwwwww 8th rock!  On the contrary . . . by converting
our 8th (hi-hat) notes to 16ths . . . then allowing the imagination
to soar . . . ALL HELL CAN BREAK LOOSE!  All at once we are
dealing with a 'fast-but-slow' beat. It's fun again!

     Funk, Rap . . . Hip-Hop and many forms of metal-rock are
grounded in this simple hi-hat conversion to 16ths from sloooow
8ths..  A couple of more progressive example tunes to focus on
might be 'Whole Lotta Love' by  Zeplin or 'Tom Sawyer' by Neil
Peart and Rush.

MO' TRICKS WITH THE HAT . . .
     By learning to control the 'open' & 'closed' position when striking
the hat at specific times  . . . many tonal variants emerge.  The
variations that may be achieved by doing this are virtually endless
and they ROCK!!!!  Experiment with this!  I have other lessons that will
help in this area but it would be a bit much for this little e-note.

ALSO . . .
    Once you have your rolls cooking . . . (ie; Rolls like singles, doubles,
paradiddles, 8th triplets and 16th triplets), a whole new bag of tricks

can be converted to the hi-hat . . .

    It is very common to maintain one of the above mentioned rolls
on the hat and at the same time . . . manipulate the bass and snare,
into a repetitious beat pattern, thus forming common dance beats
called 'Disco' beats.  That label 'stuck' back in the 'Disco era'
of the mid-70s.   These beats are awesome, though
most of us still have a bad taste in our mouth from the 'Disco' era. 
'Disco-beats' deserve a more respectable name but it is pretty much
universal now!  They're called Disco beats!  Disco beats existed long
before the Disco era and they have also survived that era.  They are currently
used as the foundation of MANY top hit (non-disco) songs of the 90s. 
'Disco' is just a bad name.  Don't let that 'Disco' tag turn
you off.  Every drummer needs an arsenal of these so-called 'Disco'
patterns.  They cook! And the 'hat' is the key 'heating' element!  Especially
when we incorporate the 'open & closed' hi-hat tricks that were discussed
in the previous paragraph.
 
     Check out Carter Beauford with the Dave Matthews band.  You need
to buy his videos and 'watch' the way he attacks these 'Disco' patterns. 
Take some heart in the knowledge that Carter is left-handed too . . . this does
a lot to add to the awesome appearance of his mastery of ;'Disco' type rhythms. 
He is doing everything in reverse of the way we right-handers might
operate . . .   The boy is double-bad!  >)

MORE ABOUT  PERMUTATIONS & ODD/EVEN TIME.


 
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|_________THOUGHTS & GRINS__________|

MORE . . . Dumb Bass Player Jokes . . .

     A bass player went to his doctor and said, "Doc,
I ache all over. Everywhere I touch it hurts! The
doctor said, "OK. Touch your elbow. The bassman
touched his elbow and winced in genuine pain. The
doctor, surprised, said, Touch your head. The guy
touched his head and jumped in agony. The doctor
asked him to touch his knee and the same thing happened.
Everywhere the guy touches himself it hurts like the devil.

The doctor is stumped and orders a complete examination with
X-rays, etc. and told the guy to come back in two days.
     Two days later the guy came back and the doctor said,
     "We've found your problem".

     "Oh yeah . . . ", the bass player replies, "What is it?"

     "You've broken your finger!"

   BA-DIP BOOM CRASH . . .
       (Thanks to Keith's Korner for this one . . .)
______________________________________
       
Are you a prospector for pure gold?

 THE WINNING SECRETS ARE BURIED HERE.


END OF TEMPO DISPATCH #26  Feb 5, 1999






 





Copyright Bill Powelson 1994 all rights reserved.