Faster beats
With
Alex ReevesAlex Reeves shows how to work your fill phrases into faster grooves, starting below tempo and building up speed over simple disco and funk patterns.
What's in the course
15 lessons (1h 26m) · 1 free
01. Locking on
Free lesson4:27
02. Moving around the kit: Some basic ideas
4:37
03. Short fill-ins
5:43
04. Longer fill-ins
4:55
05. Playing with music
4:51
06. Tightening up the Rhythm
7:00
07. Faster beats
You are here5:31
08. Triplet phrases: snare drum only
7:01
09. Adding triplet phrases to fills
6:11
10. Combining triplets and straight sixteenths
5:28
11. The Shuffle feel
5:48
12. Dynamics
6:37
13. The use of long notes and space
4:54
14. Drum rolls
5:22
15. The remainder
8:24
Lesson transcript
Lesson Seven: Playing Faster Bass Lines
Hello, and welcome to lesson seven! In this lesson, we're going to focus on playing the faster bass lines featured on your DVD.
Getting Started
Firstly, get comfortable playing a beat with each bass line. Remember, we're aiming for a high degree of quality control, so follow these steps:
- Play only simple, groovy beats.
- Wait until it sounds and feels good before adding fills with each bass line.
Practice Steps
- Play below speed.
- Play at speed.
- Play with the bass line, adding simple fills as you progress.
Groove Examples
-
Simple Disco Groove: Here, I play a simple disco groove, focusing on the fills only on the snare drum.
-
James Brown Style Funk Tune: Next, I demonstrate a James Brown style funk tune.
Listening and Syncing
When you're playing, remember to:
- Listen hard to the bass line.
- Sing it, count to it, or sway to it.
These actions will help you create the feeling that you and the bass guitar are one solid section. Enjoy the practice!
15 lessons
1h 26m of structured video lessons
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Alex is a freelance musician who has performed live and in the studio with artists as diverse as Dizzee Rascal, Unkle, Bat for Lashes, Guy Garvey and Elbow. He has played headline slots at all the major UK festivals, including televised appearances on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage, Oxygen Main Stage and T In The Park. International TV performances also include Live on MTV, the Jools Holland Hootenanny and The BBC Electric Proms with Dizzee Rascal.
On stage Alex has played with artists who have scored number one singles and albums all over the world, including Boy George, The Jones Girls and Johnny Hates Jazz. Alex has also been Musical Director for Island Records' Cocknbullkid, produced an album for Lotte Mullan, and performed live with Mercury nominated rapper Ty, American Blues legend Earl Thomas and singer-songwriter Ezio.
Alex has recorded in all the major studios in London, including Abbey Road, Angel, Air and Rak, and runs his own private drum studio from East London's Fortress complex. Recorded highlights at The Drum Fortress include the top 5 single Shine with the Lovefreekz, Wretch 32's Breathe, UNKLE's collaboration with Nick Cave and the beat for American rapper Nas's single Nasty. He has also played drums and percussion on major TV adverts for companies that include McDonalds, X-Box and Toyota, provided beats for computer games like Sega Rally 2 and Shellshock 2, and appeared on many TV and film soundtracks, including the major release of Brideshead Revisited.
Alex writes a regular tuition column for Drummer magazine, has written a book with accompanying DVD, and recorded a 1960s funk breaks sample CD. In his MusicGurus course, Fills In Time, he distils all that studio and stage experience into 15 quick lessons that sharpen your time-feel and build a vocabulary of drum fills you can drop straight into your own playing. And yes - he still calls his mum every week.
