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Lesson time: (7min 25sec)
Paul Elliott shares his pro take on the Grade 1 piece 'Bend & Snap', a classic pop groove in the vein of Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson.
This lesson is part of the course Rockschool Drums Grade 1
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Okay, here we are with Bend and Snap. Apart from sounding very painful, it's basically a classic pop feel. This arrangement has been influenced by:
If you want to check out some really great session musicians from the Madonna and Michael Jackson era, check out the late great Jeff Pocoro, John Robinson, and Jonathan Moffat. All are fantastic pop groove players. Josh Friese is also a great drummer who plays on loads of sessions. Guys like that can really give you a feel for their consistency of sound and how they approach tight pop drumming.
The first thing, of course, is to get a good time feel. It's essential to internalize that feel before you start playing. Here's a good tempo:
1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4.
You can sing 8th notes or 16th notes over that internally:
That gives you a good start before you get into the tune.
We have kind of three or four reasonably empty bars there: hi-hat, bass drum, a little bit of snare, but there's a lot of space. It's in the space where you can lose the count, drag, speed up, or just lose where you are.
It's always great to:
Fill that space with a nice, even internalization of the count. We sometimes refer to this as being the internal clock, which is important.
Being a good timekeeper is a must for all drummers. You develop that good timekeeping by:
Now, let's get into the parts. I played this piece with quite a tight pop feel. I used a big rim shot and a tight feel on top of the hi-hat. Here's a demonstration of a sample groove that captures how I played it.
There's a slight inflection on the hi-hat, so you'll hear that in the recording. It's not too heavy but has a tighter feel.
Remember:
Here we go with a typical groove from somewhere in the chart. I even threw in an open hi-hat just for good measure. But that's that kind of feel that I played.
It's not necessary for you to play this technique on the hi-hat. If you want to just play the center snare, that's fine. This is all part of your practice and development, it's your call.
What we need to do is:
Repetition is key in groove playing. You don't want each beat or each bar sounding different. The listener needs to hear that it's going to be repetitive.
Always think about the balance of sound and keep in mind the words repetition and consistency.
On the ride cymbal, you can play more of a monotone feel, which sounds great in many contexts. I chose to play with a lively accent on the ride, creating a definite emphasis on the downbeats. This leads us into the quarter note section of the particular part of the chart.
As we move into the C section, remember:
Transitioning from eighth notes to quarter notes can feel different, so keep the count going.
If you play on the side of the hi-hat, it's a little more challenging to control. I recommend playing more on top of the hi-hat for an open hi-hat sound. Use a strong connection with the shoulder of the stick, quite firm and definite.
Here's an idea of what that might sound like, using a solitary, quite lonely looking open and closed hi-hat in this tune.
Remember to:
As always, play along with the track. Try playing with and without the click with the track. Do some practice just with the click.
Communicate with your teacher to prepare in the right way.
Helpful Tips:
And I think that's it! It's a quirky tune, and I believe you will enjoy it.
