Playing In 7 Expanded – By Paul Wandtke

Paul is pleased to be the new powerhouse for The Sammus Theory. Check out their current tour schedule at
www.myspace.com/thesammustheory

Hey sick drummers, it’s time to check out some ways on how to group and count different variations in seven. In the previous lesson, we focused on some very basic grooves in seven all of which were performed around the same tempo. We also analyzed the similarities between 7/4, 7/8, and 7/16 bringing up the simple fact that odd time signatures are not so complex after all unless, of course, you have odd meter changes that are performed consecutively.

Don't Forget:

If you’re having trouble reading the notated examples please review my first lesson, “Reading Basics,” which can be found in the fifth issue of Sick Drummer Magazine. Also, you can hear the examples in the Sibelius Scorch player.

Please note: It’s always helpful to hire a local private drum teacher for extra help. For a complete list of drum instructors in your area, check out Vic Firth’s education team list at: http://www.vicfirth.com/education/edteam_roster.php

Lesson #2

Playing in 7 “ Expanded” (continued from Paul’s “Playing in 7” Issue 6)
By Paul Wandtke

In this lesson we will break down the concept of playing in 7 into different groupings and breakdown the many ways on how to count these groupings.

The following topics can be found in Parts 3 and 4 of the pdf documents:

• Three basic counting methods in 7 using groupings of 2s and 3s
• Using the cut off method of counting
• Discussions of when to count and when not to count these methods of counting

The next issue of Sick Drummer will contain some cool grooves in 5 and after that we’ll take a look at mixing grooves of 5 and 7 learning the basics of weaving in and out of different meters.

Hope to see you there!

 

Lesson Resources

 

Coming Next:

Sick Odd Meter Double Bass Grooves / Playing in 5