Linear drumming is a
drum kit playing style in which no
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
,
cymbal
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...
, or other
drum component hits simultaneously. Unlike other forms of
time keeping and
fills, there is no layering of parts. For example, if playing a cymbal, no other drum set voice, such as a
snare or
bass drum
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...
, would be hit at the same time. Various cymbal
ostinatos and other
stickings can be used, but are not required. Linear drumming does not refer to any specific function of playing; rather, it applies to
grooves
Groove or Grooves may refer to:
Music
* Groove (music)
* Groove (drumming)
* The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s
* The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station
* Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station
* ...
,
rhythms, and embellishments designed to create
musical phrases
In music theory, a phrase ( gr, φράση) is a unit of musical meter that has a complete musical sense of its own, built from figures, motifs, and cells, and combining to form melodies, periods and larger sections.
Terms such as ''sen ...
. The drum kit voices can be combined in any order.
One common fill application uses the combination of
double stroke rudiments and
single stroke rudiments between the hands and feet in a succession of
sixteenth notes
Figure 1. A 16th note with stem facing up, a 16th note with stem facing down, and a 16th rest.
Figure 2. Four 16th notes beamed together.
In music, a 1/16, sixteenth note (American) or semiquaver (British) is a note played for half the dura ...
or
triplets.
Linear
drum beats
A drum beat or drum pattern is a rhythmic pattern, or repeated rhythm establishing the meter and groove through the pulse and subdivision, played on drum kits and other percussion instruments. As such a "beat" consists of multiple drum strokes ...
have appeared in various formats, ranging from
shuffle feels,
4/4 feels,
double-time feels,
half-time feels,
swing
Swing or swinging may refer to:
Apparatus
* Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth
* Pendulum, an object that swings
* Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus
* Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse
* Swing rid ...
, and
odd time meters. The playing style has steadily gained popularity amongst professional artists worldwide. It has been applied by
drummers such as
Jeff Porcaro (“Rosanna”),
David Garibaldi (“What is Hip”, “Down to the Nightclub”, “Soul Vaccination”, and “Oakland Stroke”), and
Steve Gadd (“
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the second single from his fourth studio album, ''Still Crazy After All These Years'' (1975), released on Columbia Records. Backing vocals on the single ...
”).
Steve Gadd has been associated with a signature drum
lick
Lick may refer to:
* Licking, the action of passing the tongue over a surface
Places
* Lick (crater), a crater on the Moon named after James Lick
* 1951 Lick, an asteroid named after James Lick
* Lick Township, Jackson County, Ohio, United State ...
that uses linear playing methods to create a
thirty-second note half-time feel.
[{{cite web, last1=Ribchester, first1=Alex, title=Steve Gadd Linear 32nd Note Drum Lick, url=http://www.onlinedrummer.com/lesson-sheet/steve-gadd-linear-32nd-note-drum-lick-pdf/, website=Online Drummer, accessdate=9 April 2018] Electronic and
hip hop artists have also applied the linear time keeping concept using
drum machines (ex.
Mac Miller’s “I’m Not Real”).
References
Drumming