Drum Lesson: "Ready or Not" by The Fugees

Introduction

Okay, Ready or Not, I'm here to give you a drum lesson on "Ready or Not" by the Fugees. Music Guru's here again, and we're looking at this great track, which teaches us lots of really useful things, like how to play a good cross stick sound.

Cross Stick Technique

So, I'm going to start with that because it features heavily in this track. One thing that I found really useful over the years, and I need to give thanks to my original drum teacher, a guy called Dave Hassell, based in Manchester, UK. If you're not familiar with Dave, go and check him out, he's an absolute legend.

Dave taught me at a young age that when you play cross stick, turn the stick backwards and play with the butt end of the stick on the rim.

Sound Differences

• Back of the stick: Sounds kind of nice and round and full.
• Top part of the stick: Doesn't sound quite so good.

Of course, neither is better than the other; it's about thinking musically about when to use each variation. For recording, I tend to play with the back end of the stick. You might even see me play with it on the snare drum because I just like the sound, it feels fuller and more solid to me.

Another drummer you should check out is Yogi Horton. I remember watching him as a youngster, and he used to play like that a lot. I like the sound of it, and it particularly helps when you're playing cross stick.

Hand Positioning

With the cross stick, be aware that I'm tilting the stick while keeping my hand on the drum. My arm is in contact with the drum the whole time, which makes it easier to be consistent with where the stick hits.

Key Point: The goal is consistency in volume and sound.

Tempo and Swing

You will see that we're playing at 90 beats per minute. It's hip hop, with slightly swung 16th notes.

What "Slightly Swung" Means

• It's got a little bit of a lilt as it moves along.
• I'll demonstrate: first, I'll play the groove pattern straight, then switch to a swung version.

Listen for the difference!

Breaks and Programming

One interesting aspect to note is that there are a couple of little breaks in the piece, like in:

• Bar 10
• Bar 28
• Bar 36

These come from the original record where the beat programmer has chopped up the beat a bit. As a drummer, you might have continued playing rather than leaving a vacant bar, so think about incorporating that into your style.

Notation

What's new to us here is the symbol used for the cross stick. It's indicated on the snare drum line with a diagonal slash and circle around it. Make sure you are familiar with that.

• One Bar Repeat: Diagonal line with dots on either side, repeat what was in the previous bar (found in bar 3).
• Two Bar Repeat: Two diagonal lines and two dots, crossing over the bar line, repeat the previous two bars (found in bar 8).

Dynamics

The only significant dynamic shift occurs at rehearsal letter D (bar 37), starting with a crash cymbal and marked as an F for forte.

Key Takeaway: Forte means play pretty loud, but it should be stylistically appropriate depending on the band and room size.

Practice Suggestions

Looking at this piece, most of you will find it quite easy to get together. Watch performances to help you greatly.

• Groove Timing: Ensure your groove sits nicely with the other instruments on the backing track.
• Recording Yourself: Practice with a click track, sometimes on beat one, sometimes on beats two and four. You can even use apps that randomly drop the click in and out.

Remember: As a drummer, one of your main contributions is time and making the music feel good.

Listening Skills

Listen to as much music as possible, especially hip hop, to get the feeling of the genre.

• Pay attention to the internal dynamics between the bass drum, snare drum, and hi-hats.
• Look at great live players, like those from The Roots, to hear a certain flavor and style.

Final Note: The most critical aspect, besides playing, is the listening. It makes the difference between an average player and a great player.

So enjoy the piece, soak up as much information as possible, and keep having fun with your drumming!