Cool Tom and Snare Groove

Tom grooves are cool. They can sound powerful, tribal, happy, you name it. This is a syncopated tom groove that was built by orchestrating a regular drum beat to the tom and snare.

 

STEP 1: It's often helpful when learning a complex groove to break it down to its foundation. The final tom and snare groove has a lot going on. I suggest starting with the base groove first.

 

STEP 2: Once you're comfortable with the groove's foundation, simply move your right stick to the low tom and play the same groove (except the low tom is taking the place of the hi-hat). I've written this step in drum notation, but it may be easier to read if you look at the notation in step 1.

 

STEP 3: Alternate your right stick between the low tom and snare drum. In other words, 1, 2, 3 and 4 will be played on the low tom, and all of the “&s” will be played on the snare drum.

 

STEP 4: Add eighth notes with your hi-hat foot. This provides a steady feel to the otherwise syncopated groove.

 

CONGRATS! You've learned a new groove, but don't stop there. You can apply this same technique for building new grooves from beats that you already play. Experiment and have fun!