Pearl Educational Resource Library

Basic Beats
by Steve Houghton

The following is a collection of basic drumset beats that cover the three main areas of popular music, jazz, rock, and Latin. There are several things to remember when practicing these or any grooves for that matter.

Before you set out to learn a new pattern or groove you must start to build a concept for the music, this will help you understand all of the elements of the style, not just the drum part. I can't stress enough how important listening is. I like to say that drumming is 50% technique and 50% concept and that concept comes primarily from listening to players live or on recordings. Remember, you play like what you listen to.

Here are a few more things to consider........
1. Keep solid time
   • This simply means to pay attention to your time keeping.
   • Practice with a drum machine or metronome
   • Counting out loud while learning the new beats will help a lot.

2. Make it feel good
• This is really a matter of listening to what is going on around you and fitting in music-ally. Especially listen to the bass player.
• Balance..... the balance between limbs can really affect the feel, for example, if the hi-hat is too loud in a rock groove or the bass drum too loud in a Latin groove, it can sound (feel) very uncomfortable, even if the time is steady. Feel has to be realized, mostly through listening to the masters of all the different styles.

3. Play with energy and purpose
• It is very common when learning a groove or beat to play it kind of timidly. This, of course, won't work because the drummer is the backbone of any group, so play with some spirit and enthusiasm.

4. Have Fun
• This is actually the most important element of music. If you aren't having fun, forget it because the music will always suffer.

Steve Houghton
Internationally respected as a jazz drummer, percussionist, clinician and educator. Steve Houghton has shared both stage and studio with renowed jazz and pop artists, including Joe Henderson, Barbara Streisand, Arturo Sandoval, Gary Burton, Billy Childs, Scott Henderson, and Bob Florence. A Wisconsin native, Houghton received his first acclaim at age 20 as a drummer with Woody Herman's Young Thundering Herd; he was chosen for The Herd while a member of the One O' Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas. After two years with The Herd, Houghton polished his reading skills in Dallas studios for four years, then moved to California, where he quickly established himself through his tenure with Toshiko Akiyoshi. In 1980, a last minute call to substitute for Freddie Hubbard's drummer evolved into a two-year association. By the mid-80's, Houghton, a busy Los Angeles studio musician was writing, teaching at area universities, and performing with symphony orchestras as a featured guest percussionist, activities he continues to pursue.

Houghton's recent recordings (as a leader) include Steve Houghton (Signature - Mesa Bluemoon) and Windsong (Warner/Belwin), and he may also be heard on The Music of Pat Methany and Lyle Mays with Bob Curnow's LA Big Band (MAMA Foundation). Houghton also is the author of more than 20 composite educational publications, including The Contemporary Rhythm Section (text and video series), Essential Styles (play-along series) and his most recent sollection, Master Tracks (play-along improvisation series).

A guest lecturer at the University of Southern California, Houghton is a member of the Percussive Arts Society board of directors and co-chairman of the International Association of Jazz Educators drum commitee. He endorses Pearl, Zildjian, Calato, Remo, LP (Latin Percussion) and Innovative Percussion products.