free jam tracks - brought to you by nick cresswell

Off Beat Blues Drum Chart

You can download the jam track (with no drums) here: Off Beat Blues

You can also download the below drum chart here: Off Beat Blues Drum Chart

The drum beat to Off Beat Blues is exactly that: Off Beats and has lots of syncopation all the way through. The rhythm guitarist and bass player are following the drummer.

The hi-hats are playing 8th notes and the snare drum and bass drum are playing syncopated 16th notes.

For 8th notes you count: '1-an, 2-an, 3-an, 4-an'

With 16th notes you count: '1-e-an-a, 2-e-an-a, 3-e-an-a, 4-e-an-a'

The bass drum falls on the '1-a' of the 1st beat, the 'e-an' of the 2nd beat and the '3---a' of the 3rd beat.

The snare drum falls on the 'a' of the 1st beat, the 'e' of the 3rd beat and the '4' of the 4th beat.

There are some tight fills that are played on the 4th beat of the 4th, 6th, 10th, 11th and 12th bars. With the fills on the 4th and 6th play the beat using both hands on the snare beats. You also play the hi-hats with the bass drum on these beats. Then use one hand only on the snare fills that land on the 4th beat of the 10th, 11th and 12th bars will you maintain the hi-hats.

This is not an easy beat to learn, let alone play well. You need to really nail the syncopation and ensure that you timing is perfect. To learn the beat you should start off with the metronome on 60 bpm so you can work out the parts and hear yourself playing the off beat notes with precision.

Once you get the hang of the beat bring it up to speed and play along with the jam track. Remember that the guitarist and bass player are relying on you to keep time all the way through the tune.

Focus on the hi-hats in terms of playing consistent time. That's your anchor as they are playing at a medium and steady tempo while the bass drum and snare drum get busy.

When you are comfortable with playing the beat move the hi-hats to the ride cymbal (and the bell of the ride) and substitute the snare with toms on the fills. Also add some 16th note fills on the snare drum during the early bars. start on the 4th beat playing straight 16th notes and then vary the pattern playing with accent on the '4' then on the 'e', the 'an' and finally the 'a'. Incorporate the bass drum on these beats that the snare drum is resting on and play either the hi-hats or a crash cymbal with the bass drum.

Get busy and have fun.