How can I maintain other drum kit co-ordination with open and closed hi-hat pedal?
Firstly, think of your right foot as an extension of your bass drum and your left foot as part of the hi-hat (or vice-versa if playing left-sided) keep this mentality in mind. I often tell my students to ‘go for a silly walk!’ Literally walk the feet on the pedals right, left, right left (bass, hi-hat etc.) alternating until it becomes second nature that the limbs are connected to these pedals as if their parts of the body are parts of the drums and the sound is even and steady in tone.
Practise the foot pedalling and your right hand sticking a steady semiquaver even rhythm on the hi-hat as well as a pattern using both hands on the hi-hat to snare. Keep the hands playing without stopping! Keep the feet doing their bass drum single beats and hi-hat single open, closing ‘silly walk’ alternations without start-stop or watching what the other part of the body is at!
Once this is under control, build up speed and dynamic colour (loud and quieter variations) with the snare hits, bass drum kicks and any accents given using the drumsticks. Pretty soon you can put them all together.
Finally, start to practise your technique reading drum score when open and closed hi-hat mixed rhythms appear to put into practise what you have learned.
“You only get better by playing.”
Buddy Rich
If you still aren’t quite getting it right, please book in an online or face-to-face lesson with me so I can set you on the right track!
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