If you want to be a good drummer, it’s not enough to copy the drumming from your favorite players and songs. A good drummer needs to understand the why’s of drumming. A good drummer should understand the structure and function of a drum groove, and how the groove supports the mood and flow of the music.

In this module, you’ll learn about how to develop a precise awareness of time, and how subdivisions of the beat serve as smaller groove components which establish the time-matrix and the feel of the music.

In this module, you’ll learn how to use strategic distortions of the subdivisions to create a swing feel, how different swing amounts can be created using subdivision bases, and how you can apply a swing feel to any subdivision level within a groove.

In this module, you’ll learn how to use syncopation to subvert expectations and disrupt the normal groove pulse to add more energy and shape to your grooves.

In this module, you’ll learn how to use beat displacement to shift the structures of the groove in order to create more novelty, syncopation, and shape in your grooves.

In this module, you’ll about the “in the pocket” or behind the beat feel, where the backbeat is hesitated very slightly to make the groove feel more relaxed.

In this module, you’ll learn about how to create two sound levels for creating dimension and texture in your grooves.

Learn how to tap into the expressive powers of the hi-hat to add more texture, expression, and shape to the music.

Develop more dynamic control and fluidity, by applying the 4 basic stick motions: full stroke, down stroke, tap, and up stroke.

This module explores the relationship of the bass and drums, through key points in the groove called anchor points.

In this module, you’ll learn about rhythm as an arrangement of musical shapes created by organizing patterns of sound and silence, and how phrases are the larger shapes which contain the smaller shapes.

When locking in with the bass player, the drummer has to understand the bassist’s interpretation of the groove feel, and vice versa.

There are many types of groove-feels, each using different applications of the materials previously discussed in this course. Study the PDF provided, which includes examples of various groove feels.

It’s not easy to know exactly what to practice in order to keep improving. The attached PDF has specific practice routines, organized into categories. These categories have been chosen in order to cover the basic range of skills that you need to develop and practice in order to be a solid drummer.