Eagle Rockabye, for solo drum set by Chad Floyd
About the Piece:
From the Composer: “Eagle Rockabye is the third of three works for drum set that I composed during my sabbatical in the fall of 2019 at Campbellsville University. Commissioned by Ben Cantrell, Director of Percussion at Winthrop University, the title pays homage to the “Eagles” of Winthrop University in “Rock” Hill, South Carolina.”
To order, visit http://www.chadfloyd.com/eagle-rockabye
From the Performer: I’ve always found the drum set to be such an inquisitively musical instrument, capable of not only loud, thunderous downbeats but also melodic lines and phrases normally associated with more mainstream instruments like the piano or guitar. I really enjoyed learning Eagle Rockabye as it explores the melodic nature of the drums and some unique rhythmic patterns and grooves that will really test your independence on the kit.
Main Groove 1:19
The main groove is introduced at letter A, but one of my favorite sections is letter C, which features the same melodic groove on the toms, but with the hi-hat striking on every quarter note. This really helps push the groove forward and is also a ton of fun to play! It’s super important to keep your feet and hands locked in.
Controlled Chaos! 3:55
The entire piece is really one long build-up and at letter O it’s finally time to let loose! This section took a few days to get down tight. The Right hand is basically playing the same motion the whole time from the ride cymbal to the floor tom. The key is not to lose any momentum to the big crashes and outro at letter P.
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“Monsters” by All Time Low
Important Rhythms:
1. Main Groove (Chorus) ~0:39
A fairly simple pattern here. Steady 8th notes on the hats, snare on 2&4.
It’s the kick pattern that really drives this song and adds that forceful pop/punk “punch.”
To change things up, I started playing many of those 16th note kicks on the snare for some extra energy.
Transcription: Dan Ainspan
2. Disco Groove (Chorus) ~50
The 2nd half of the chorus switches to this fun disco-style groove. It may be easy to play, but just as easy to play it sloppy. Really focus on locking in the snare and kick for a tight, even sound.
Transcription: Dan Ainspan
Favorite Fill? ~2:37
There’s plenty of room for flashy “chops” in this song, but for me, the perfect moment for some 32nd note flare was right at the outro. The energy coming out of the last chorus soars with Demi Lovato’s high note sustain and just begs for the drums to lead us into the last few bars of the song with something extra. The guitar and bass cut out on beat 4 and come back in on beat 2 of the next bar. Thus, this 32nd note fill between the kick, snare and toms compliments the tune nicely while giving the drummer some extra attention. 🤩
Transcription: Dan Ainspan
What makes this cover challenging?
As seen in the groove examples above, this song is not technically challenging for any medium to advanced drummer that can play some basic syncopated rhythms. However, I’d say stamina is something to be mindful of. The energy of “Monsters” really never lets up, and a heavy, forceful drum track is super important to make this song as catchy and impactful as it is.
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It’s a New Year (Happy 2021!) which means the perfect time to evaluate your practice strategies on your instrument. Do you find yourself playing the same things over and over, with no real progress? If you’re looking for a fresh, new warm-up exercise on the drum set, I’ve got just the thing.
This exercise is based on the 7 Stroke Roll rudiment, which is really just 3 double strokes [RRLLRR] (3 x 2 = 6 strokes) and 1 single stroke +1 = 7 total strokes.
Image via Vic Firth
For this exercise, I’m taking the 7 Stroke Roll, playing it 3 times back to back, and then closing out the bar (which is in 4/4 time) with 4 single 16th notes on the Right hand.
So the full pattern looks like this:
As with most exercises, we’re going to start first on the pad, then move to the snare drum, and then on to the full drum set.
Start slow (~80bpm) and work your way up to ~100bpm or wherever is most comfortable for you.
Notice this pattern will alternate between a Right-hand lead and a Left-hand lead every other bar.
Once you feel good on the pad and snare drum, it’s time to have some fun with this rudiment around the kit.
As with all the rudiments, there are truly a myriad of ways to apply them creatively on the drum set, each having its own specific purpose for growth.
For today’s lesson, we’re going to keep things simple and only change the last 4 notes of this exercise, the single 16th notes.
The 7 Stroke Rolls will remain on the snare drum, but when we get to the 16th notes to close out the bar, we’re going to move our Right hand to the middle rack tom.
On the next bar (which will be a Left-hand lead) we’re going to move our Left hand to the high rack tom (the Tom closest to your Left hand and to the snare drum).
Doing this will help develop fluidity around the set, or the ability to move from instrument to instrument with relative ease.
Check out the entire lesson below and give it a try!
What are your drumming goals for 2021?
Comment below with what you’re working towards.
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