Lesson 1, Exercise 1

We’re going to be playing crotchets, or quarter notes on the drums.
Crotchets have an note value of 1 beat, or ¼ of a bar in 4/4 time.
Drummers usually refer to crotchets as ¼ notes.
Quarter notes are counted like this: 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4. It’s important to be able to count the notes as you play them.
I will play and explain each exercise for you, showing you how to tackle it. At the end of the exercise, I will play the pattern through with a repeat, at both a slow and faster tempo. I’ll give you a count in so that you can play along.
Remember to learn each exercise slowly before trying to play it at speed.
The chances are that if you can’t play it properly slowly, you can’t play it quickly!