Bonus Exercise 2

Sophie Alloway
Sophie Alloway

Lesson time: (1min 9sec)

A bonus coordination exercise from Sophie Alloway: keep the snare on beats two and four and the hi-hats steady while the bass drum switches between quarter notes and eighth notes without rushing.

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This lesson is part of the course Rockschool Drums Method for Beginners
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Lesson transcript:

Exercise: Hi-hats and Snares

In this exercise, you'll notice that the hi-hats and snares are very consistent.

Key Points:

  • Your snare drum will remain on beats two and four.
  • The bass drums will vary:
    • Some bass drums will be quarter notes.
    • Some bass drums will be eighth notes.

Important Tips:

  • Be prepared for any of these changes.
  • Try not to pick up any speed when playing the eighth note bass drums.

Let's count it out:
One, two, three, four.

About the instructor

Sophie Alloway
Sophie Alloway

Sophie Alloway is a session and touring drummer at the heart of the London jazz scene. She has performed with Jason Rebello, Yazz Ahmed, Laurence Cottle and Tony Allen, and notably played for Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace shortly before he became King.Touring credits include Roots Manuva, the Thriller musical and Paul Stacey (Oasis / The Black Crowes). She is also the drummer in original fusion band Lydian Collective, with over six million Spotify streams.Sophie has recorded sessions at Abbey Road, AIR and Angel studios, and her television appearances include Later… with Jools Holland, Glastonbury and two series of Adrian Dunbar’s drama Ridley. She is featured on Abbey Road Masters: The Drum Sessions and performed for the BBC Young Jazz Musician 2024 finalists, broadcast on BBC TV and Radio. Jon Newey of Jazz FM dubbed her the “goddess of groove”. read more

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