Music Lesson: "Under the Radar" - Classic Rock Groove

With the indie piece "Under the Radar," we're starting the song and finishing it with quite a classic rock groove.

Basic Groove Structure

• Hi-hat: Eight notes
• Bass drum: Plays on beats 1 and 3
• Snare drum: Plays on beats 2 and 4

The groove reduces in the middle of the piece to play fewer notes before we build back up to that classic groove. Let’s explore that journey.

First Line

• Bars 1 and 3: Classic rock patterns.
• Bar 2: Snares drop out.
• Bar 4: Features a nice little drum fill.

Drum Fill Breakdown:

• Mark beat 1 with the hi-hat and bass drum.
• Follow with a quarter note rest.
• Hit snares on beats 3 and 4.

Sticking Patterns

• As a starting point, if you're right-handed:
  • Play the numbers with the right hand
  • Play the "ands" with the left hand

Counting Example:
1 and 2 and 3 and 4

For variation, try this sticking pattern for the snares in bar 4:

• Beat 3: Left hand
• Beat 4: Right hand
• And of 4: Left hand

Counting for Feel

Try counting as follows to feel the space:
1, 2, 3, 4,
1 and 2 and 3 and 4

Note on Sticking

At this stage, avoid playing three snares in a row with the same stick to work on balance and single strokes.

Second Line

Unusually, the song reduces slightly here:

• From eighth notes to quarter notes.

Snare Activity

• Not much snare activity until bar 4 where we have snares on beats 4 and the “and” of 4.
• Right-handed players: Choose to play those snares right, left to lead back into the hi-hat at the beginning of the third line.

Observations

• There is a lot of space with rests in the snare and bass drum parts.
• Hi-hats serve as the primary timekeeper; not much to flag up in the third line.
• Watch for the reintroduction of the snare in the fourth bar of the third line.

Last Line

The last line is fairly similar to the first line, but pay attention to:

• End of bar 3: Two snares on beat 4 and the “and” of 4 leading into beat 1 where we finish the piece with the hi-hat and bass drum.

End of Piece Breakdown

Last two bars example:
1, 2, 3, 4

Using Crash Cymbals

If you feel adventurous and your crash cymbals haven't been played much, you can choose to end the last note with a crash cymbal.

• This mimics the sound you'd hear when playing with a band, similar to songs you enjoy.

Ending with Crash:

• Let the crash ring out; mute it with your hand if necessary while talking to someone.
• If playing with a guitarist and bassist, you may want to stop the crash at the same time they finish their phrases.

Mute Technique

To mute the cymbal:

• Use the other hand to stop the vibrations.

Practice example:

• Mute it on beat four:
  1, 2, 3, 4
  1, 2, 3, 4

Control the length of the crash sound, especially as you incorporate it into your final ending. This could be a nice touch to your performance!