It’s as ancient as drumming itself and it’s a secret that is not revealed to beginning drummers until they are ready. Because of all your hard work, you have reached the point in your young drumming career where you are about to learn the answer to the age-old question: How do great drummers play super fast songs and make it look so easy?
After all that fantastic build up, the answer is very simple: They play half the notes. That’s right! For super fast songs, drummers leave out notes.
Here’s what the beat looks like:
Want to learn how to play it?
I can help, but first I’d like to give you some background.
I have this theory that the most popular rock, pop and country songs over the past 50 years can be played with one of six drum beats. For background on my idea, read these posts: 6 Simple but Powerful Drum Beats – Part 1 and Part 2. The Super Fast Drum Beat is the third of the 6 beats.
The Super Fast Drum Beat
Keep in mind that your primary role as the drummer in a band is to keep the speed of a song consistent. It’s a lot easier to keep the tempo steady when our body is relaxed and naturally feeling the beat. In How to Play a Super Slow Drum Beat, we learned that playing more notes will feel more natural when playing slow tempo songs. Playing a super fast song is just the opposite. You’ll feel better and more relaxed by playing fewer notes for songs with fast tempos.
You may hear it called many different things: “2 beat,” “cut time,” “boogie beat,” and “alla breve`.” All of these phrases refer to the drum beat used to play a song with a super fast tempo. Technically speaking, “cut time” is notated as 2/2 time (2 beats to a measure with a half note getting one beat count), but for this lesson we’ll use 4/4 notation.
Playing Your Right Hand on a Closed Hi-Hat
Just a reminder that for this beat, as with all the 6 simple but powerful beats, you’ll be playing your right hand on a closed hi-hat. The ball of your left foot will be pressed down on the pedal and your left heel will be tapping on each beat.
The right hand is usually played on a closed hi-hat during the verse of a song. During the chorus or bridge, the right hand is played on an open hi-hat (where the cymbals are slightly apart), on the ride cymbal or on the bell of the ride cymbal. For example, I might play an open hi-hat on the chorus, the ride cymbal on the bridge and the bell of the cymbal during the guitar solo. This provides different sound textures during each song section.
How to Play the Super Fast Drum Beat
Let’s start with the eighth note drum beat at 90 beats per minute.
Then let’s re-engineer it for speed:
- First, play the eighth note beat but count only on the beats: “1-2-3-4.” Remember to tap your left heel on each beat.
- Next, play quarter notes on the hi-hat, dropping the eighth notes on the “and” of each beat:
- Now, play the bass drum on beats “1” and “3” but not on “2” and “4”:
- Finally, increase the tempo. Try boosting the tempo 10 beats per minute to 100 bpm. Play the beat long enough to feel comfortable with it. Then increase another 10 bpm.Repeat this until you can easily play the tempo at 120 bpm. If you reach a tempo that feels uncomfortable, decrease the tempo by 5 bpm, get comfortable at that speed, then boost the tempo again.
Remember to play at the same volume even as the tempos get faster. I tend to play louder as the speed increases and I really have to work at not overwhelming the band with volume on fast songs.
Now try to go even faster. Repeat the same steps: Increase by 10 bpm, then play until it feels good, then increase another 10 bpm. Your goal should be to double the speed from 90 to 180 bpm!
- Create different beats by putting an extra bass drum beat on the “and” of a count. For example, here’s what the music looks like when you put the bass drum on the “and” of 3 in the second measure:
One thing you may want to try as the tempo gets faster is to tap your left heel on “2” and “4” and not on “1” and “3.” I tend to do this when the tempo is faster than about 200 bpm.
How Fast Can You Play?
Have some fun: See just how fast you can play. Remember to make it feel good and play at a medium volume. Next try playing along to some super fast songs. Three of my favorites are Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down, Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) by Beyonce’ (yes, this tune is a lot of fun to play), and Boys of Summer by Don Henley.
Once you can play the beat super fast then you can work on your on-stage style. Do you want to look wild and crazy by swinging your head in time with the beat? Or do you want to look super cool while your arms are traveling at light speed? Either way remember to keep the tempo steady!