Rock School Debut: A Guide to Your Pop Track

Hey, so big ideas. Rock School debut! You're at the debut, such an exciting place to be!

Understanding Pop Music

This is a pop track, so immediately we have to be thinking about pop music. Generally, pop music has a singer and is not going to be crazy complicated. But just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy.

Structure of the Track

• A Section: 8 bars
• B Section: 4 bars
• C Section: 8 bars

It's going to be fun!

B Section Notes

In the B section, we aren't playing the snare drum until the second bar. From there, it's not that regular, so just watch out for that. But go through it with your teacher; it's all going to be great!

Groove and Sound

With regards to the sounds and the groove we're going to play:

• Steadiness: We really, really, really need to be steady.
• Listen: To the backing track, relax, and just keep it simple.

When playing this groove, it's very important that each hit is at the same volume on each drum. For example, don't play the bass drum quietly on beat one and then really loud on beat three.

"Sounds good. That sounds muddy, even though it's still in time."

Also, keep the hi-hat steady. There's nothing saying you have to change the sound of the hi-hat, so:

• I play on the edge each time.
• If you want to play it on the top, that's fine too, they both sound cool!

Pick one and do it. But I like it on the edge; it's strong.

Phrasing with the Track

There are some offbeat bass drums in there, just watch out for that.

If you listen to the track, you'll actually be phrasing with it. A lot of the time, those hits will add up. When I say "phrasing with the track," I mean:

• The instruments on the track will be playing the exact same rhythm as your bass drum every now and again.
• So listen out for that, it sounds really, really cool.

Snare Drum Technique

I'm playing a rim shot on the snare drum on beats two and four. That's when you hit the rim and the snare head at the exact same time, giving a lovely thwack sound and adding authority to the groove you're playing.

"Don't feel you have to use it; it sounds totally fine without that as well. It's cool. It's all a lot of fun!"

Technique Tips

• Just hold your sticks loose and let the stick do the work.
• Let them rebound off the head and everything will be totally cool.

There's not really any developing to do here, we're reading exactly what's on the page, and it sounds great!

Optional Crash Cymbal

You might be tempted in this kind of music to throw a crash cymbal in at the start of each section to mark the form. For example:

• If the band hears me play a crash cymbal on beat one, it's quite likely that we're moving to a new section.
• This just keeps everybody in check.

Again, there's totally no pressure. I didn't do it on the recording, and I probably wouldn't do it live either, so don't worry.

Conclusion

To sum up:

• Stay steady
• Keep all the sounds consistent

As you move on your drumming journey, you'll find that lots of different musical styles require different sounds. So just experiment, have some fun, but within this pop thing, keep it consistent and enjoy yourself!

It's a really fun track, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Take care!