Timms Drummer Mag Issue 98 Reggae Paterns Part 2 The Stepper 1
2 3 R L R L 4
3 3 3 3 5
3 3 3 3 6
3 3 3 3 7
L R L R R 3 3 3 L 8 //Level//
Beginner
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“Any Bob Marley Album will do”
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Tuition Steve Timms
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Reggae part 2 The Stepper
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Four to the floor
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In part 2 of our study in reggae patterns we are going to take a look at the Stepper, also known as “four to the floor”. This pattern has a lot more drive than the “one drop” or the “rockers” because the bass drum plays on all of the quarter notes which tend to push it along. Good examples of this are Bob Marley’s “Iron, lion, Zion. This has a straight feel, and “jamming” this has a swung feel.
Example 1 In example one we have a basic Stepper groove, the hi hats are playing eighth notes throughout the bar with the bass drum on all four quarter notes. The snare drum on beat 3 can be played as a cross stick or on the head, this generally depends on the dynamics of the song. To create the right sound keep the hi hats tight and the bass drum dominant. //Ex 1//
Example 2 and 3 Here we have two examples of popular snare drum variations. Note that in both exercises the snare replaces the hi hat on the & of beat 4. Having gone through these exercises individually you should now practice going from one to another. //Ex 2 and 3//
Example 4 This is a short fill finishing on beat 3 with a crash, snare and bass drum, this is very typical in all styles of reggae. //Ex 4//
Example 5 In this example we have the Stepper played with a swing feel, the hi hats are now playing a shuffle pattern with the bass drum on all of the quarter notes and the snare or cross stick on beat 3. //Ex 5//
Examples 6 and 7 Here we have another two examples of popular snare drum variations to suite the Stepper when played with a shuffle feel. //Ex 6 and 7//
Example 8 We finish off with a basic fill finishing on beat 4 with a crash, snare and bass drum. Unlike most other styles of music where we tend to crash on beat 1 reggae more often then not will finish a fill with a crash on beat 3 or 4. //Ex 8//
When you see these patterns written out it has to be said that they don’t look very exiting, however when you play them with a rhythm section they come alive and sound great. A good way to put this into practice is to get your headphones on and play along. Any Bob Marley album will do. In next months issue we are going to look at the rockers. To see these lessons online visit the website at www.back2thebeat.co.uk .If you have any questions or comments contact me at [email protected] .