Linear Patterns - Do you have Independence and coordination?

Independence you maybe asking? You may have answered, "Sure, I have independence!" I'm sure that you do, you can independently do things on your own such as putting in practice toward your art (drums) and maybe able to play basic drum beats, among other things.  But do you truly have "Drum Independence?"  This maybe one of the important, if not the one the most, aspects of being a drummer.  Is your left hand as good at playing the hi-hat as your right hand, is your left foot as strong as your right in playing a rhythm on the hi-hat or kick drum? Independence, or coordination, with drummers is about limb development so that each is as strong as the other.

Marvin Dahlgren said in the introduction of his book (4-Way Coordination by Marvin Dahlgren and Elliot Fine), "This book was written for the drummer interested in developing coordination between both hands and both feet.  The development of this technique will lead to complete independence."

In today's world of drumming, it is vital to the drummer that he have independence in order to play the best that he can and be as versatile as possible.

Jack Hall, my drum instructor told it to me like this, "You may have to continue to play a rhythm with your right hand and right foot, but you may also have to move over to play a tambourine with your left hand, or hit electronic sensor that will play an audio track. All while not interrupting the current groove of the song."

Today fellow drummers, musicians and followers, I present the eighth drum lesson that covers the topic of Linear Patterns that when practiced the right way will increase your technique, independence and coordination between your hands and feet.  The exercises presented here are re-produced from the lesson taught to me by my drum instructor, Jack Hall, at his studio on May 22nd, 2013 at the Willis Music Store on Hurstbourne Land here in Louisville KY. Also check out the resource section of this article that includes some great books on drum independence / coordination. 

What are Linear Patterns?

Linear, as I was informed by my drum instructor, means "One" and by definition it says, "Having only one dimension".  

Patterns, I know what this is, something that repeats in a predictable manner.

So Linear Patterns for the drummer is a set of patterns that will focus on one limb beats.

Lesson objectives:

Present a group of exercises that when applied, will work the limb independence. The below exercises, use the right hand on the hi-hat and left hand on the snare drum.  After completing a measure and getting accustomed to the pattern to be played, you will want to play the it a second time without stopping, but this time switch the right hand to play the snare part and the left hand to play the hi-hat. For me, this took some time to get accustomed too and still working on.

Notes: "Speed Kills" is the warning that my instructor provided to me with these exercises and I can testify to this fact working through the exercises so far.  I normally recommend that you work with a metronome with the work that I present, but this has been the exception so far, work on just getting the patterns down with the right hand as the lead, then work on trying to do them with the right hand as the lead then switching to the left hand as the lead.

PDF document is now available for downloading: Drum Lesson 8 - Linear Patterns

Exercises:

The first measure starts off with a kick drum on the 1, hi-hat on the e, snare on the & and another hi-hat on the a.   On the beat of two, there is a snare drum, followed by a hi-hat, snare on & and hi-hat on a. For three and four, one and two repeat to end the measure.  If you don't know how to read sixteenth notes, take a look at this lesson as each of the measures are in sixteenth notes: Drum Lesson 1 - Musical Theory.

Linear Patterns - Exercise 1

The second measure starts off like the first, except there are changes to the second and forth beats.  The & of 2 changes from a snare drum to a kick drum and same applies to the & of 4.

Linear Patterns - Exercise 2

The third measure maintains the first and second sections of the measure and replaces the e of 2 and 4 with a kick drum.

Linear Patterns - Exercise 3

The forth measure we change up the whole measure by replacing the hi-hat on the e of 1 and e of 3 with a snare drum and replacing the snare that was on the & of 1 and & of 3 with a kick drum.  On the second and forth beats, the kick drum on the e of 2 is moved to the & and replaced with a hi-hat on the e; same changes apply to the beat of 4.

Linear Patterns - Exercise 4

The fifth measure carries forward some of the notes from the above such as the first and third beat phrase. The second set of notes the kick drum is moved to the e of 2 and replaced with a hi-hat on the &; same applies to the forth beats.

Linear Patterns - Exercise 5

The sixth measure we mix it up again, this time we move the hi-hat from the a of 1 to the e of 1, move the snare to the & of 1 and the kick drum to the a of 1; same applies to the 3rd set of beats.  The second and forth set of beats, the kick drum in moved to the & and the hi-hat that was on the & is moved to the e.

Linear Patterns - Exercise 6

The seventh measure keeps the setup of the first and third beats, but moves the kick to the e of 2 and replace it with a hi-hat; same applies to the forth set of beats.

Linear Patterns - Exercise 7

The eighth measure keeps the same first and third measures that the previous two introduced, but again changes the second and forth to replace the kick on the e of 2 with a hi-hat and the hi-hat & of 2 is now has a snare drum replacement.

Linear Patterns - Exercise 8

The ninth measure mixes things up again.  The measure starts out with a snare on 1 and 3, hi-hat on e, snare on & and kick on a; same applies to the third set of sixteenth notes.  The second and forth have a snare on the 2 and 4, hi-hat on e, kick drum on & and hi-hat on a.

Linear Patterns - Exercise 9

The final measure is a slight modification of the ninth measure.  The second and forth set of notes say the same.  The first and third measures start out with a hi-hat, kick on the e, hi-hat on the & and another kick on the e.

Linear Patterns - Exercise 10

This is a challenging lesson!  I was introduced to this set of exercises about three weeks ago and I have only gotten through the first six exercises with both the right hand as the lead and then switching to the left hand as the lead.  As I mentioned before, "Speed Kills" and should not be the focus of doing these exercises, speed will come in time, this is about developing independence.

My challenge to you know is to download the Linear Patterns for Drums PDF that includes the exercises presented above, take this take this to your kit and get started today on improving your independence and coordination!

Also, take a look at the resource section below and see about getting one or more of these great resources for more exercises to assist you.

If you have any questions, reach out to me through the various ways that I have listed on my Contact page.  Remember to have fun, keep it real and about the music!

Resources:

Here are some great resources that will assist you in developing more independence within your drumming.  Each of these books have been listed as essentials to learning to play the drums and to take your skills to the next level.

Gary Chaffee - Linear Time Playing

An introduction to linear time playing. The first section contains basic exercises for linear playing skills: voice coordination, dynamic balance, accenting, and more. The second section deals with the development of time feels in the linear style, including 4/4, half-time, shuffle, and odd meter feels.

4-Way Coordination by Marvin Dahlgren and Elliot Fine


Proficiency as a drummer has always come from great hand dexterity. However, with the introduction of modern drumming techniques, it has become increasingly necessary to gain complete independence of both the hands and feet. With various rhythmic exercises in easy-to-read notation, 4-way Coordination is designed to guide the drummer from simple patterns to advanced polyrhythms. Through the study of this method book, the student will gain invaluable listening skills and techniques that will provide insight to drumming in all styles.

 Master Studies by Joe Morello

This is the book on hand development and drumstick control. Master Studies focuses on these important aspects: accent studies, buzz-roll exercises, single and double-stroke patterns, control studies, flam patterns, dynamic development, endurance studies, and much more!

The New Breed by Gary Chester

This is not just another drum book, but rather a system that will help you develop the skills needed to master today's studio requirements. By working with this book, you'll improve your reading, concentration, coordination, right and left-hand lead, and awareness of the click.