You all have asked and so I will be posting some DEEP DIVE drum lessons over the next couple of months. All about taking small drum ideas, working them out on the drums, and then expanding the licks, fills, and drum beats that we create with those simple drum patterns. This particular drum exercise has really helped me with moving around the drum set, thinking over the barline, and expanding my ideas of what a drum beat can be by just playing around with some rules. Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts! ► Start Your FREE StephensDrumShed Drum School Trial Here: bit.ly/2TpkJmJ Subscribe or I will steal your cymbals: bit.ly/2AyH1Fb

Great exercise, but as a former professional commercial photographer (30 years in the biz) I want to compliment you on you lighting setup. You are one of the few (if any) KZfaqrs doing music lessons who use backlighting and directional front lighting. All of which make everything more dimensional and visually interesting. Like the lit wall too. Well done sir!

It's like learning to drive a car. When you approach a junction for the first time, you feel very uncomfortable with all the things you have to do and check before turning. But if you do it again and again, it becomes easy. This is a very good practice routine for me. Thank you very much for that.

Just listened to your podcast about drumming not being 'hard' but rather just unfamiliar. This video fits right with that! There's nothing 'hard' going on, it's just complex/unfamiliar :) sounds amazing.

I was watching some of your very old videos from when you had more hair and less beard. You have inproved so much as a teacher! You tone, the way you break down ideas and your confidence. Dude. You were a good teacher then, great teacher now.

The first groove with the 8th notes and three voices is a straight jam. This is one of my absolute favorite things to play.

Love how this transforms a familiar groove into something more melodic. You nail it! Killer cinematography and set design too!

Simple, but amazing effective. If I heard the two or three voices on a track I would not be able to figure it out. Effective exercise, inventive grove. Amazing.

I like this...thanks Stephen!!! I've been playing since I was 5 and I'm now 56 and I get caught up repeating the same old patterns and I get bored with playing; so instead of playing everyday, I'll play 3-4 times a week. Something clicked with this video and I can't wait to get home and work on this exercise. I like the ghost notes...I struggle with that, when I mix everything up, around the kit. My mind goes back to my single stroke habit. Thanks again...GOD Bless!!!

I would TOTALLY use this in a song. The last exercise sounds like a version of samba and creates a great groovy feel

I love that you also showing your little mistakes. Makes more real and showing that it is fine to make mistakes. It looks really fun to do this exercise!

This may the best drum exercise I've ever seen on KZfaq.

Stephen! In a word..."Thanx!" What a wonderful approach to seriously consider. l love those "deep dives" you do that challenge me to stop and reconsider something that is always fresh, new and definitely Musical. Thank you again, Stephen! l'm listening...!!

Hope the neighbors'll enjoy this as much as I, because this is my new practice routine!

Also, I would like to add: Your set is unique and tuned so well!! The hats sound so crisp and clean! That snare has that, nice, "pop!"

This is the simplest hardest lesson I’ve done it in a while 😂 Specially when I go to the third and fourth voice great independence exercise at least for me thank you

Just started playing a few months ago and I figured this out literally yesterday. Glad to see I'm on the right track. I definitely need to get better with my limb independence

Dude, this may be my favorite exercise you've presented. Thanks!

Awesome exercise! Kudos! You are a great teacher. The steps are really easy to follow. Keep up the work 👏👏👏

I LOVE this one! What a groove. Started slow and picked it up. LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Thanks again!

This is an awesome exercise that can help me spice up some songs I play at church by making the verse, and or, chorus sound more interesting. Thanks Stephen!

Stephen a great lesson. You set this up simple at first then added complexity. Two voices I can get but even with the first groove moving to three voices is tough for me. But as you say the benefits are nice if you go deep with a more simple start. Who knew eighth notes could be so much fun. Cheers.

Very cool exercises, Stephen! A great find at the end of the year! Thank you!

Hey Stephen, I just want to thank you for making these videos for beginners like me. I’m 26 and started playing about 9-10 months ago. Feel like I’m making progress and I play everyday. You’ve been a massive help for me! Thank you. Have a great weekend.

Bravo, best warm up ever, and probably the most fun and original. Opens a box of infinite possibilities. Thank you !

Great exercise for warming up. Physically and rhythmically. Thanks Stephen for all the great lessons you share!🤘🏼

Played the drums in middle and high school. Stopped through college and early adulthood. Picking them back up. Your videos have been really great for brushing the dust off and getting reacquainted.

67 years old... Just bought my first set of drums... I wanted to learn something new. I stumbled onto this exercise... Drums for sale!!!!

Your approach to teaching is exceptional....showing that you can and will make mistakes makes your videos "real"...Awsome work!!

All of the three voice and five voice patterns were my favorites! Loved the lesson!

Simple and effective..thank u so much Stephen...i do it regularly in my practise⚡️😎

I would highly recommend that when you’re showing instructional videos such as this, instead of saying “right hand” you might want to say “lead hand” or dominate hand. Because although there are just a few of us south paws out there, I do see other instructional videos that say “use your lead or dominate hand” because there actually are quite a few of us that do set up our kits left handed. If I had one wish as a drummer, it would be learning on a right handed kit. But being a drummer for 45 years, I was self taught my first few years and never did switch to the majority. Also, seeing Phil Collins with Genesis in 1978 was kind of my stamp of approval as I saw his kit set up exactly like mine. I was blown away by his drumming skills and he’s been one of my favorite drummers since then. Anyway, just a little suggestion because I do watch your videos quite a bit! Thank you for sharing all your helpful instructional videos! Kevin

Helpful video! I have been experiencing with this type of groove and it's a blast!

What a great drill! Thanks for posting it.

Thanks Stephen! Fantastic simple idea to explore depth to make it fun and challenging 👍

Fantastic exercise! Developing ease of movement/limb independence between left/right hands and feet is a brilliant way to get all of your limbs in on being involved equally in your playing! Thank you for this! 😁👍

Thank you for this intriguing lesson. I’m going to woodshed this for a while, get it smooth. It will be a great addition to my repertoire. Thanks again, man. Solid.

Totally loving this Stephen! I think this one video has enlightened me more than any of late 🤘🤘🤘

Very excellent. I'm teaching myself and this exercise is my favorite so far. I love the sound.

This is so cool! I like to play with those things, but I usually switch left hand between snare, hi tom and open hi-hat (I play 4th notes with my left foot). I'm not sure I can explain it properly but I believe you know what I'm talking about, I sometimes switch backbeat between the snare and the tom. I also like to keep time with my right hand on the floor tom, and switch my left hand between snare, hi tom and hi-hat. In any case, even the simplest groove sounds fresh with these ideas.

Awesome man. I love the way you break it down to make it understandable

Love how the simple grove never actually goes beyond the bar but the voices resolve in ways that suggest exactly that.

I really appreciate, and enjoy your videos, mainly because of how you smile on the video lesson page 😊 Just shows how genuine you are as a person! You really enjoy what you do!👍That's why I subscribed in the beginning! You have some funny stuff in your videos too 🤣

Absolutely brilliant, that’ll keep me going for ages! Thanks man x

Great stuff! I’m gonna add this exercise to my workout. Thank you!

Wooow you are so skilled. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and talent with the world

Thank you So much for this drum video!!!!! Very cool!!! Loved the counting out loud!!!!

Ramping up from a simple beginner's beat to utter madness in under 15min! Nice job sir! (joke aside, excellent tutorial, kudos for the lighting as well)

Great exercise Stephen! Thanks a lot

Great job As Always Stephen especially when you add the up beat hihats YES this could go on Forever!

Fantastic concept you’re a great teacher Steven I’m going to use this thanks

New drummer here, I appreciate this! Will definitely be practicing this! Thanks!

Also seems to have subconsciously promoted ‘open handed’ drumming which makes some sense of my hitherto underexplored ‘one floor Tom each side’ configuration. Thanks Stephen. Whole load to be taken away from this whether consciously or not. An absolute banger of an exercise 👍

Most helpful lesson I've seen in awhile. Thank you!

Really creative ideas coming out of this concept, which seem so to lend itself to almost indefinite extension! I especially like the groove in @10:45 - sounds like you've got your own bass player going there, very melodic!

this is such a great video! thanks so much from someone who's returning back to drumming after a long break and a series of attempts to reconnect. legend!

I really love your videos. I’m new to real drumming (I air drummed my whole life lol). I am progressing fast with your ideas. Thank you! I’m 53 and wish I had played my whole life but it’s never too late😁

This unlocks EVERYTHING! Thanks alot!

So satisfying!!! Actually very peaceful! When I learn this, I know it will be my favorite go-to! Loved that you count out loud! Do you have the drum transcription?

Great stuff Stephen 👏 I love the 4 way coordination exercises. I feel like I excel in that area...(not so much just blazing away on a pad 😆) Danny Carey uses these types rhythms a lot. It sounds like some of those Tool songs started as coordination exercises...🥁🔥🤔

Just started drums, love this technique. Even if it’s hard it’s great practice and it sounds amazing 🙂

Thank you Taylor. I'm 33 with six kids and seven on the way. We bought a drum set for one of my boys. Never got into any instruments and between work and my children I've been jumping into the drums here and there. I've been watching some of your videos while my kids are sleeping and I've been learning a thing or two. With the time I have it's going to take me months if not years to progress but thank you

I really needed that. Thank you sir!

That looks huge fun. And I can see using some of those 3 and 5 patterns in a song for sure!

i already did this, but watched the entire excellent video anyhow. those floor toms are beautiful

Thanks for many videos teaching us and in the same moment funny. Thank you so much 🙏🏿

Very cool beats, thanks! I like your snare sound, too.

I've been doing some of the early stuff on my own, but I'm going to push to get to those later grooves! Sounds fun!

Awesome! Great video to watch and work with…Happy Holidays to you and the family enjoy! Rock the House!

Quick, fun and no bullshit. Great video my man. As a beginner I could watch this vid and mess around for hours. Love it. Subbed.

Gonna have to use this exercise, good sir!

It's a cool idea. I play open handed, specifically on hats so I'd be probably splitting snare duties when playing 8ths between both hands, similar to what you did on the Carter B styled beats before the end. Dig it!!

You are GREAT !!! 🥁🎼, Thanks you,🥂Im still studying following your lesson ,👍👍👍

One of your best videos so far!

Love it, thanks. Sort of reminds me of Steve Smith's groove on Don't Stop Believing.

This is my favorite kind of thing to do, except I also like to combine it with odd time signatures, and often a third rhythm; the more confusing the better! It's also an excellent way to develop a better understanding of subdivisions

I used to love/hate doing these drills as a kid but I really need to get back to doing them to keep sharp... super fun.

Thank you Stephen, I’m kinda stuck in a rut at the mo and these will be a great way out! 👏🇦🇺👋

very nice concept!

Also you are phrasing and eq-ing your playing on the fly. Sounds great

I did this with 8th notes.. Ride, cowbell and floortom.. The loop was very groovy! thanks for the tips!

good Exsplation think I can master it swince!

Absolutely a great routine for pretty much anyone. !

Great lesson. Many of the great complex polyrhythmic drummers utilize this technique with multiple identical cymbals to do the counting for them. For example, they might have 3 identical crashes set up and utilizing this method displayed in your video, they can unconsciously count complex double and even triple polyrhythms simply by following a pattern around the cymbals. The listener doesn't realize however because the cymbals are identical. Of course this requires a lot of extra cash to buy multiples of the same drum or cymbal. Electronic drums provide a cost-free way of experimenting with this technique. You can assign the same voice to multiple pads to try different patterns.

Wasn’t sure where you were going with the exercise until you created the groove. Definitely boew my mind. Exercises is one thing,but to create the melody and groove is so effective. Ot sure ican be that creative but Wow excellent Stephen 👌👍

Nice , Simple , & Broken Down so that anyone can try this as it was very well explained... I could be wrong but didn't ex Japan/Porcupine Tree/Rain Tree Crow & his ongoing work with JBK & that is the drummer " Steve Jansen " as i think he used similar moves when he played on the drums as he wasn't like any other drummer's I had heard of throughout his playing career & for me his & approach & style of playing made him stick out more than other drummer's as I like musician's that can put a different spin on what's been played by other drummers & Stewart Copeland was another who caught my ear because of his style & approach... Steve had a way of playing all over his toms & when you listen to what he played , especially with Japan , he grabbed your attention even if you were just a listener & i found that the way he (predominantly) moved around his kit & making use of all his toms & floor tom to me was amazing to listen to as i hadnt heard anyone approach & play the drums the way Steve Jansen did but thats just my opinion... I know Ginger Baker did this also but Cream & Japan were both ahead of their time & completely at the opposites of the spectrum as far as how you could describe their sound... For both bands to try & be completely unique & a one off & both bands laid such a heavy footprint on their approach to singing & playing their instruments to the point they were truly one off band's & you could try to emulate them but no one never sounded like those 2 amazing bands... Still to this day I can't put Japan into a specific genre & I like this because at times being labeled one way or another detracts the beauty of just listening to music without putting it into some recognised form & I never did this when I was younger & I still don't try to labele any new music I hear... RIP Mick Karn RIP Tony Thompson RIP Bernard Edwards RIP Lemmy RIP Jack Bruce RIP Ginger Baker And so many more that have sadly passed away but everyone of them all had a hand in influencing & shapping my love for all music styles & genres & they all helped me in shapping my love for all music which refer to as world music... In light of this still ongoing coronavirus & its variants stay safe and healthy wherever you are in this world... .....

I love this exercise.

What a fantastic exercise and groove/lick builder! Thank you! :) BTW, does anyone else hear Mick Fleetwood on the downbeat accent patterns and Steve Gadd on the upbeat ones? I love it!

Love the shirt bro and the simple lessons mind blowing

Thanks so much! Great!

That last Rhythm pattern at 13:50 Reminded me of the song 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon. Imagine Steve gadd using this type of rhythm over the area of the song where the lyrics go, "Hop on the bus, Gus You don't need to discuss much Just drop off the key, Lee And get yourself free",I can. The four-minute video, nicely done, thank you.

Great exercise. Thanks Stephen!

Thanks Stephen. This is terrific! I have taken your hand speeed and foot speed courses. If I lived near you...I would be your student

Another great lesson.

Those beats are amazing!👍

Love the t-shirt! Great stuff all around. You're a beautiful guy. Thanks from the heart!

awesome concept I'm gonna try this one today

this is inspiring, thank you

very good. thank you!

Great insight thanks!