Hi-hat notes can be played as straight, even 8ths with the tip or shank of the stick. The 8th note pattern can also be accented on the quarter notes for a different feel.

To learn this style we’ll go back over some of the earlier 8th note grooves and apply this pattern. Then we’ll apply it to some grooves with 16th notes on the BD and SD.

1 – Song Examples

a) “Saturday Nite” - Earth, Wind & Fire, Maurice White, drums

 

Quarter note accents on the HH with a solid push beat in there too.

 
Earth Wind & Fire2.jpg
Earth Wind & Fire copy.png
Maurice White

Maurice White

 
 
 

Quiz 1

Check out the bridge of Saturday Nite. Where is the accent in the 4th bar?

  1. "and of 3"
  2. "a of 3"
  3. "4"
  4. "e of 4"
  5. "and of 4"

Answer D: "e of 4"

Quiz 2

How long is the whole bridge?

  1. 8 bars
  2. 10 bars
  3. 12 bars

Answer B: 10 bars

 

b) “Let A Woman Be A Woman, Let A Man Be A Man” – Dyke & The Blazers, James Gadson, drums

 
Dyke & the Blazers 2.jpg
Let A Woman Be A Woman.jpg
James Gadson

James Gadson

 

A super classic of syncopation with a 3-beat pattern between BD and SD that we’ll get to soon. Also quarter note accents on the HH.

Here’s a transcription of the beat:

3 - Let A Woman Be A Woman, Let A Man Be A Man.png

Here’s a drum track of me playing this beat from my book Give The Drummers Some! available on the Books/E-Books section of my site.

My quarter note accents on the HH aren’t really happening. There were a lot of other things to get in this beat!

 

c) “Boogaloo Down Broadway” – The Fantastic Johnny C., unknown drummer

 

An old school, up-tempo funk tune with quarter note accents on the HH.

 
Fantastic Johnny C copy.png
Boogaloo Down Broadway 45.jpg
 

Here’s a drum track of me playing this beat from my book Give The Drummers Some! available on the Books/E-Books section of my site.

 

d) “I Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)”, James Brown, William “Beau Dollar” Bowman, drums

 

This groove has a lot going on. We’ll get to these things later. Just notice the quarter note accents on the HH.

8 - I Can't Stand Myself Beat.mus.png
 
I Can't Stand Myself 45.png
 

2 – Hi-Hat Exercises

A.

First we have to work on this style with the more basic 8th note grooves.

Let’s take Funk Drumming, p. 9 & 10

Accent the HH on the numbers: 1, 2, 3, & 4. Use a down/up motion with the RH, forearm and wrist. Quarter note = 75 BPM

Make sure that when the BD is playing on an “and,” the RH is playing an UNACCENTED note on the HH.

And really accent those accented notes by squeezing the fulcrum.

B.

Adding 16th note BD patterns to this style.

Funk Drumming, p. 46
Practice p. 46, accenting the 8th note HH pattern on the quarter notes.
P. 39 – 44 can also be practiced this way.
Keep the down/up pattern and flow going when playing a HH opening on an “and.” The HH opening with speak for itself.

Again, make sure that when the BD is playing on an “and,” the RH is playing an UNACCENTED note on the HH.

Workbook

1. Play to Funk Drumming, p. 9 & 10, Ex. 1-9. Play 8ths on the HH, accenting the quarters.
Play each bar 4 x’s before moving on down the page. Quarter note = 75 BPM

2. Play to Funk Drumming, p. 46, Ex. 1-6. Play 8ths on the HH, accenting the numbers.
Play each line 2 x’s before moving on down the page. Quarter note = 75 BPM

3. Igoe, Groove Essentials 1.0, Groove 16 Fast, p. 55.
Use the first beat at the very top of the page but substitute 8ths on the HH for the 16ths. Accent the quarter notes in the 8th note pattern.
Check the instructions for the D.C. al Coda if you’re not familiar with this marking.