Your Second Beginner Drum Lesson

In the previous online drum lesson, every four count the beat repeated exactly. In this lesson, the beat is going to repeat every eight count, but instead of counting to eight, we are going to count half beats like so, "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and...", where the 'and' indicates an inbetween half beat. Our beat is now going to be have an 8^th note feel, because the basic unit of count is an 8^th note.

This is how the beat is like:

In this beat, all we're doing is adding an extra bass drum foot tap. It's right after the second bass drum sound, at 3&. If we remove this extra bass sound, all we are left with is the exact basic beat as in the previous lesson, just with a different count.

Since you've gotten this far, having practiced two beginner drum beats, I know you're up for a little more challenge. Try this beat:

Here, the second bass drum comes right after the first snare, and the second bass is right before the second snare. The extra 8^th note gap between the 2^nd and 3^rd bass sounds contributes to a great quality of anticipation for that third bass.

After mastering the last beat, congratulate yourself for having completed drum set basic training. Once you get an actual drum set, or if you already have one, you may want to check out my technique lessons on holding and using drum sticks. Start with the first technique lesson here.

Where to go from here? Get one of the beginner drum lesson book and DVD collections.

Or, for some more interesting beats to practice, go to the next online drum lesson.