Get the hand part down first then add the BD and come up with a groove.
Funky Stickings - 2 Part Coordination Groove, Fly Deceased
Got rid of the fly/bee that was attacking me. Another groove based on a funky hand sticking, a great formula for creating grooves. Put the BD in later.
Funky Stickings - Funky Stickings w/BD, D.Garibaldi, Future Sounds
This comes from David Garibaldi’s book Future Sounds, a great book that every funk drummer should have.
Funky Stickings - Funky Stickings + BD, Part B, Sticking Becomes a Groove!
Funky Stickings - Funky Sticking + BD, Part A
A sticking + BD that will add up to a funky groove in the next example. Get the stickings down first.
Funky Stickings - RLLR - Becomes a Groove Maker
Funky Stickings - RLLR, Warm Up which becomes a Groove Maker
This sticking is the key to a lot of very funky grooves. One of my favorites.
It was super hot that day. That’s why the funky t-shirt!!!
Elliot's Secret Pages
Check out the funky stickings in these pages that I found loose inside an early version of “Accent On Accents” that Elliot Fine gave me. Not sure if he intended to write another book on this. Maybe these pages were part of it.
The video deals with line #6 in pages 1, 2 & 3, a displaced paradiddle-diddle. There are a lot of other stickings to explore as well.
I Didn't Practice, Now What?
It happens to all of us. Here are some of my solutions.
Bass Drum singles first.
Bass Drum Doubles
HH exercise.
HH + SD
5 - HH/SD Doubles
6 - Clyde's Thing
Funky Solo
A lot of Latin stuff in here. To me, Latin and Funk go hand in hand.
Groove, Solo, Groove 1
Let’s play a groove, take an 8-bar solo, then come back to the groove.
View from above. Man, that crack in the wall doesn’t look good!
Groove, Solo, Groove 2
Let’s play a funk groove for 4 bars, then solo for 16 bars, then come back to the groove.
Funky 4's
Good old trading 4’s but in a Funk style.
(Most) Everything You Need To Know About Funk
Just A Little Bit Of Funk
Maybe just a little bit of funk is all you need. Let’s not overcomplicate things if the music doesn’t call for it.
"Step On Your Watch" Groove
This is the groove for a tune I did when I was with Slickaphonics. It was one of my few lead vocal appearances! Actually it was a Rap. It was a great favorite when we played in Switzerland!
Here’s the tune “Step On Your Watch” from our “Wow Bag” album.
Moves & Grooves, by Elliot Fine
I consider Elliot Fine on of my mentors. I was fortunate enough to meet him and hang out with him several times. Along with Marv Dahlgren he wrote “4-Way Coordination,” which was my coordination bible for a long time. I’m actually on my third copy. More on that in another post.
Moves & Grooves is a more recent book which is more style-oriented. Some great ideas with all kinds of variations and they ARE funky! As a drummer who spent most of his career as a percussionist in the Minneapolis Symphony you might think he didn’t know much about popular music, including funk, but believe me he did!
Check the video to see how this sounds. And check out the variations above. Ideas, ideas, ideas!
My Favorite Books - Mastering the Tables of Time
This book, by my good friend David Stanoch, has an incredible wealth of information. A student of the great Elliot Fine, (of “4-Way Coordination” fame) David has really taken it to another level on a lot of interesting and fun topics. This is just scratching the surface. Go out and pick it up.
The Power of 3 in 4/4 Funk - Part 1
Grouping 16th notes in 3’s in 4/4 time creates motion and great grooves!!
The Power of 3 in 4.4 Funk - 2
Grouping 16th notes in 3’s in a measure of 4/4.
If you group 16thnotes in 3’s in a measure of 4/4 there will be 4, groups of 3 (=12) plus one group of 4, total 16. That takes account of all the 16th notes in the measure.
123,123,123,123,1234 - total 16, 16thnotes.
(Note: you can put the group of 4 anywhere in the measure. For this exercise we’ll put the group of 4 at the end of the measure.)
Video explanation:
1 – 16ths on HH. Groups of 3 with LH on SD playing the 2 & 3. 123,123,123, 123, 1234 + total 16, 16th notes.
2 – Add LH, no rim shot.
3 – Add LH, with rim shot.
4 – Add BD in holes, without SD, i.e. on 1 of each group.
5 – Add LH, with BD, no rim shot.
6 – Add LH, with BD & rim shot.
Workbook
a) Follow the video explanation and play exercises 1-6 above.
b) Create and play two beats of your own using these ideas.
The Power of 3 in 4/4 Funk - Part 2
Let’s use this concept (one of my favorites!) with some different HH patterns and accents.