hi-hat stuff

[Scream187]

I've been trying to improve my playing on the hi-hat lately, so you guys got any cool tricks, exercices or stuff that got to do with the hi-hat?

 

dont tell me about a teacher, I just dont have the money for that at the moment...

 

so yea, any cool hi-hat techniques or tricks you got post them here!

[DrummerCafe]

First of all, you need to hook up with a teacher to show you in person. LOL Sorry, I couldn't resist

 

I'll try and think of how I can share some things with you online. It's tough to do, not knowing where you are at and/or what you already know. Plus, being limited with words only makes it really difficult. It's so much easier to show or demonstrate while explaining.

 

One thing I think I can explain is the Rocking Motion. This is basically rocking the stick back and forth, moving from the shoulder of the stick to the tip of the stick. If you are familar with the Moeller Method, this would basically mean Down Strokes and Up Strokes on the hihat.

 

Using the Rocking Motion will really drive a song, for example if you are playing a Rock drum beat using eighth notes on the hihat. Allowing the shoulder of the stick to strike the hihat on the downbeats, and then the tip of the stick makes contact on the hihat as you lift the stick on the upbeats. You should hear a steady pulse with which to play your kick & snare patterns to.

 

You can reverse this for a quasi cut-time feel by using the shoulder of the stick on the "AND" or "upbeat" of the pulse. Don't confuse the "upbeat" with an "up stroke" ... they are two different things.

 

Good luck with all you playing!

[felix stein]

Take Bartman's advice for the obvious groove aspect and expand on it with Latham, Chaffee and Chester books and of course JoeL Rothman has written volumes of disco hat patterns...that's the proper method (hard, long, and time consuming) or hip way.

 

But if you want fast felix's course to cheating on the hat one sure fire way is just displace (mix up) normal fills you play every day. Substiture right or left hand on closed hat when filling with toms or snare and open it before coming into the One.

 

Can you do a paradiddle? Great, displace those as well. Can U double? Easy cheat, just double a 16th note here and there.

 

Can U do John Bonham "power triplets"? They're fn' easy aren't they-so do them on your high hat or substitute your rfoot with your left on those types of patterns. Work them in a groove...makes one sound hipper than they are.

[DrummerCafe]

Great suggestions Felix!!!

[KikkyMonk]

power tiplets? Could I get a song reference?

 

and a million bucks while your at it

 

Thanks

Dave

[Scream187]

Thanks guys

[ModernDrummer]

Scream -

 

Well, Bart and Felix have some excellent suggestions. And you have the benefit of Bart actually being a teacher, so you can thank him for the free lesson, LOL.

 

For me, depending on the song and it's appropriateness, as some point or other just about everything I play on the drums gets played on the hi-hat as well. Triplets, rolls, paradiddles, whatever. If you're hands'll do it on any drum, they'll do it on the hats. The 'hard' part, I think, is to do it with some taste. So you don't just sound like Animal on the Muppets. Like you actually gave some thought to playing a specific pattern on the hi-hats. Just my opinion.

 

Also, if this helps you, I like to utilize my left hand on the hi-hat more than average. Little stuff like accents, maybe ride left-handed for a more off beat rhythm. I use a traditional grip a lot, and sometimes I just flip the stick underhanded and whack the bottom hi-hat cymbal. People think it looks cool, I guess, and it's pretty easy to do, really.

 

Or I'll do a tom run UP the toms, or something on the snare, finish THAT with a left hand downstroke, then whack the bottom hat with my left hand coming on the upstroke. Like a glancing upward blow, if you can envision that. Something that's also pretty easy to do, and adds just a bit of accent here and there, usually at an odd place or odd time so it's a bit of a surprise for the audience.

 

I was always sort of a "left hand and right hand work together" kinda guy. Kinda the way I was taught I suppose. At least, it was the habit I fell into. You know, triplets on the snare or the same tom, or rolls on the snare or floor tom, etc. Now however, I work a lot more on breaking that up. "Left hand heads left and right hand heads right". I have a floor tom left of my hi-hat (I play a right-handed set-up), so sometimes I'll play a roll or pattern with the left hand on that tom and the right hand on my lowest right.

 

Pretty much any direction(s) I can head in addition to the 'standard' stuff. Maybe a flam on my lowest and highest tom, like a harmony. Stuff like that. Whatever works to be interesting AND complimentary.

 

Just some thoughts.

 

J.B.