Stage 2The Backbeat
Two and three voices, including the first pads that have to fire as one sound. Fingers stay where they are — every difficulty here is coordination, not travel.
Tradingtwo voices, never together
-
Kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4 — the shape under most songs you know.
Could not read stage-02-backbeat/backbeat-plain.mid
Practice →60 BPM -
The same trade at 8th speed: kick on the numbers, snare on the "and"s.
Could not read stage-02-backbeat/kick-snare-8ths.mid
Practice →60 BPM -
Kick, snare and hat rotating through the 8ths — three voices, never two at once.
Could not read stage-02-backbeat/trading-three-voices.mid
Practice →60 BPM
Stackingvoices as one sound
-
Two pads at once: hats on all four beats, kick on 1 and 3.
Could not read stage-02-backbeat/kick-hats-unison.mid
Practice →60 BPM -
Hat on all four, kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4 — something stacks on every beat.
Could not read stage-02-backbeat/rock-beat-quarter-hats.mid
Practice →60 BPM -
Kick and hat on all four beats, snare on 2 and 4 — three pads together, twice a bar.
Could not read stage-02-backbeat/stack-every-beat.mid
Practice →60 BPM
The rock beatthe groove
-
The basic rock beat: 8th hats, kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4.
Could not read stage-02-backbeat/rock-beat-8th-hats.mid
Practice →60 BPM -
Four-on-the-floor: kick on all four beats, snare on 2 and 4, closed hats on every 8th.
Could not read stage-02-backbeat/four-on-the-floor.mid
Practice →60 BPM -
Four-on-the-floor with the off-beats opened up: closed hat on the beats, open hat on every "and".
Could not read stage-02-backbeat/disco-open-hats.mid
Practice →60 BPM
Checkpointa bar of each — switching between patterns is what makes them stick
-
One bar each: the bare backbeat, the quarter-hat groove, four on the floor, and disco open hats.
Could not read stage-02-backbeat/checkpoint-2.mid
Practice →60 BPM