

In a jazz ostinato groove, the snare drum rhythms can vary. Once you have the kick drums and the hi-hat notes in place, we will attack the hard part: the snare drum. The "chk" sound should feel consistent enough to keep the rest of the band in time.


More often than not, drummers will use the hi-hat to keep time when playing the jazz ostinato by softly stomping on the hi-hat pedal on the 2 and 4. Jazz drummers will often refer to the technique of hitting the kick drum this soft as "feathering." The kick drum plays on every beat, though is often played so softly that it is felt, not necessarily heard. The jazz ostinato drum beat uses a swing groove and is often played on the ride cymbal. When a drummer plays a jass ostinato, they give the rest of the band the ability to play with more freedom. Jazz is a musical genre where players are often free to improvise and show off their chops.

We recommend getting comfortable with the other drum beats first before attempting this one, as it requires more control. Once you feel more comfortable, you can move the eighth notes over to the ride.Ĭheck out the video below to see this drum beat in action:įor the last of our common drum beats, we'll give you something that is a bit more complex. Let's say you were to count out the kick and snare pattern as "1 2 3 4." For the entire eighth note drum beat with the hi-hat included, you will count it out as "1Ĥ" to get those extra drum beats in there. The hi-hat will be played each time the snare and kick are played, as well as in-between each of those beats. The hi-hats will use eighth notes, which will hold the entire drum beat together like glue. Once you have this down, it's time to add the hi-hat notes. Start by playing this pattern with only the bass drum and the snare. On the second beat and fourth beat, you play the snare. In this groove, the bass drum is played on the first drum beat and the third drum beat of the song. In a standard bar of sheet music, you will find four beats. Most of the popular music that we listen to nowadays has drum beats with eighth notes, whether pop, blues, rock, metal, or just about anything else. Knowing how to play a simple eighth-note drum beat is crucial for any drummer. The simple eighth-note drum groove is the first drum beat most drummers learn.
