Have you ever been lost in a song? Do you wish you understood the structure of the tune you're playing? Do you want your drumming to be more nuanced and musical? This article is going to dig into 4 music theory concepts that every drummer should know to play better and know music more intimately.
Rhythm
As drummers, our entire world is rhythm. We spend a great deal of time learning and mastering rhythms; plus, we layer rhythms over rhythms to replicate and create grooves. The two rhythmic ideas drummers should focus on are rhythmic interplay and reading notes.
Before we get really into it, here is a video that demonstrates many of the concepts discussed in this article, which includes rhythm, melodic phrasing, chords & cadences, and form.
Rhythmic interplay is simply how rhythms interact. Using technical language this will include polyrhythmic and homorhythmic music. Polyrhythms are simply multiple rhythms that occur at the same time. A good example of this is playing 2 against 3. Or, just listen to any funk tune, as the interplay between the bass and drums is usually polyrhythmic.
Homorhythmic music is where the rhythms are the same. This is common in old school rock or country music. The drums, bass, and guitar all play the same thing, which create a wall of sound. Knowing the difference between these two ideas will allow you to interact with the music in a variety of ways.
Drummers should also learn everything they can about rhythm, which includes reading it. I am not saying you need to be a reading master (though the more you read music the better you will get at it), but a basic understanding of rhythm is important to being a good drummer. You will always be able to play more intricate rhythms than you can read, but having an understanding of how to read will go a long way. One of the fundamental reasons for being able to read sheet music is the ability to see and realize rhythmic patterns. A great example of this is the rhythmic grid below that I teach to all my students. These are some of the most common rhythmic patterns used in music.
Melodic Phrasing
Melody is commonly referred to as the principal part of music. As drummers, it is our job to support the melody and make the tune pop. To do this, we should understand melodic phrasing, which is how the melody naturally rises and falls. This can be thought of as a musical sentence or thought.
Most melodies have a natural arch, which is important to hear, as this should guide our drumming. For example, the end of the melodic phrase is when a fill usually occurs. Likewise, the groove should support and draw attention to the melody. So, keeping the groove solid and basic during this part of the song is essential. A good example of this is “Let it Be” by the Beatles, as the arch of the melody can clearly be heard in the verse and then in the chorus. Below is a video link to listen to it.
To understand this concept you really just need to listen to melodies and how the drummer and other musicians react. You do not need to know a bunch of technical terms like appoggiatura, leading tone, passing tone, and so on. What matters most, is that you can hear and react to the melodic line.
Basic Chords & Cadences
Knowing some basic chords and cadences will help you know how to respond to the music, interpret and tune, and know where you are in the music. A basic knowledge of major, minor, and seventh chords can be very useful. In short, taking time to hear the difference between these three types of chords can let you know what is happening in the music. Here are three ways to identify chords.
Major: Sounds “happy”
Minor: Sounds “sad”
Seventh: Wants to resolve...
For more on these 3 chord types, check out the video I provided at the beginning of this article. In the video I provide examples of these chords on the guitar.
A cadence is the ending of a musical phrase, but it is the chords that tell the listener that the phrase is ending. There are four main types of cadences: (1) Authentic Cadence; (2) Plagal Cadence; (3) Deceptive Cadence; (4) Half Cadence. But, really only the first two of these cadences resolve, are used 99% of the time, and are what you need to know. In general, Roman numerals are used to indicate chords. So, an authentic cadence is V to I. This means that the cadence includes chords from the 5th and 1st degree of the musical scale (1,2,3,4,5,6,7 or do, re, me, fa, so, la, ti, do). In the key of C (using the C scale), this cadence would use the G chord (5th degree) and C chord (1st degree).
This is getting a bit into the weeds, but what really matters is that you can hear the chords used to guide your drumming. Here are two of the most common chord progressions used in pop music, which I demonstrate in the video at the beginning of this article.
I, vi, IV, V:
Stand by Me by Ben E. King
I, V, vi, IV
Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold (chorus)
The ability to play the cadences is not important it (of course, it does help), but what matters is that you can hear the difference.
Song Form
Music theorists will spend a lot of time on the subject of form, but what really matters is that you have a basic understanding of the form of music you play. Three of the most important concepts/forms to understand today are the blues form, A/B form, and the bridge of a song.
I like to start with a 12 bar blues because it is an easy form to hear. It uses the I, IV, V chords, which is also the foundation of all pop music. Below is the 12 bar blues progressions. My favorite song to hear this progression is Wipe Out by The Safari. You can especially here it when the guitar and bass play the stop time section and Ron Wilson (drummer) takes his iconic solo. Follow along using the chart below while listening to Wipe Out to hear the 12 bar blues form.
Likewise, it is important to understand the most common form used in popular music, which is the Verse/Chorus or A/B form. This is pretty easy to hear, as the verse of any song is easy to distinguish from the chorus.
This can be heard in just about any pop tune. Examples of this are Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey and Thriller by Michael Jackson. The verse is the part where the words change and the chorus is the section that uses the same words over-and-over. The chorus is also the part of the song that everybody knows and sings along to.
Last, drummers need to know where the bridge occurs in any tune. This is where the music changes in the middle of a song. Typically, this is where a guitar solo or build will occur in the music. However, knowing this part of the form is essential, as the groove changes at this time and usually leads back into the final chorus.
All That Really Matters
Playing drums is more than just grooves and fills. Playing drums is reacting to the music and knowing the music. The more you know about music the better you will be as a drummer. Some of the greatest drummers ever were also songwriters, music theorists, and knew music in and out. This includes drummers like Neil Peart, Phil Collins, Dave Grohl, and many more. Like these great drummers, learn as much as you can about music and you will get better everyday. Good luck and keep drumming.
GET MORE
For more drum grooves, check out Tactical Drumming: Groove Survival Guide, which will show you a number of shuffle variations and other grooves. This can be found at https://tacticaldrumming.com or on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3Qr56pN
By John Owens, Ph.D (Author, Drummer Educator). For John's bio go to https://tacticaldrumming.com.
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