Bass players are essentially the other half to the rhythm section in any band. It’s important for us to develop a deep musical connection with them if we want the rest of the band to feel comfortable.
JP Bouvet, drummer for Childish Japes and winner of Guitar Center’s 2011 Drum-Off, is here to talk about the different options you have when your band throws a melody your way. Let’s run through each instrument individually! Watch the video above to get great musical examples of everything we discuss here.
The very first pattern most drummers play on their hats is a simple, consistent string of 8th notes. Most of the time you’ll find that this actually fits very well with the melody you’re given, but you should always explore your different options. The hi-hat is arguably the instrument that has the biggest impact on the sound.
Start with the subdivision. Run through quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes and try each with both a closed and open hi-hat. Chances are you and your band will land on something that sounds great with just these six options. Don’t be afraid to test out their triplet variations either!
The next step is adding dynamics. Even if you stick with the original eighth note pattern you tried first, experiment with accenting every second note, for example. Maybe you want to dig into the hats for every hit, or perhaps you want lay back and let the kick and snare be the main focus.
So whenever you’re coming up with a hi-hat part, run through these steps in your head:
As drummers, we often fall into the mindset of thinking we need to lock in our bass drum with the bass player. This is a great option to start with, and a lot of times it will sound great, but again – let’s explore what else we can play.
One option would be to ignore the band completely and go with the classic four-on-the-floor pattern (playing a kick drum on all the down beats). This can be done with either quarter notes or eighth notes. Another path you could take would be to match one or two of the notes, but play around the rest. And finally, play your kick drum in between everything they’re playing. This will fill up more space within the bar and create more melodic content.
To recap your options:
The biggest rule of thumb when creating a drum part is if it doesn’t sound good to you, change it up. There’s really no right or wrong way to play with a bass player so don’t be afraid to step outside the box.
Drumeo Team - We're professional, award-winning drummers and drum teachers, coaches, recording artists, and content specialists who are passionate about drums and helping drummers around the world. This post was written and/or edited by Sam Landa, Brandon Toews, Jared Falk, Dave Atkinson, or another pro on our team (which has a combined 1000+ years of drumming experience). Are you looking for inspiration, education, and support to take your playing to the next level? Join the Drumeo community today!
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