Beat 9D – Analysis
This is a beat that I transcribed from Mike Lowry, the drummer for the Baltimore, MD band Lake Trout. If you haven’t had the chance to hear them or see them, do it! They are making some of the newest, most original music out there.
1The first thing to notice about this beat is that the first DnB rudiment makes an appearance on beat four of the first measure.
The first two beats of both measures have the same rhythmic pattern; the first beat of each measure is exactly the same, and the second beat of each measure is made up of an eighth, and then two sixteenth notes.
At the third beat of the second measure, the 16th note rest really stands out; it is the only rhythmic pattern of its kind in the beat. It creates a skipping sensation that makes the beat wobble just before you land squarely on beat four.
Beat 9D – Application
One thing that Mike likes to do with this beat is take a strictly vertical approach. He will treat each quarter note’s worth of time as a separate piece, and switch around the order. Most broadly, he will play the second measure first, and the first measure second.
9r.
SLOW
FAST
Another way to vary this beat vertically is to start at a particular place within each measure. Here’s the beat when you start on the second quarter note, first measure, of the original beat (9q).
9s.
SLOW
FAST
Here’s the beat starting on the fourth quarter note of the first measure. It creates a cool half-time feel.
9t.
SLOW
FAST
Here’s the beat starting on the third beat of the second measure.
9u.
SLOW
FAST
Now, there are two ways to think about this application. First, you can either treat 9r-9u, as well as the original beat 9d, as completely separate beats. When you start at a different place within a beat, the accent pattern can be changed significantly. The second way to approach the application here is to play 9r- 9u in order, one after another. Or mix the order up. Or come up with your own places to start within the beat. See if you can play them, one after another, without losing your place or forgetting where the downbeat is.