Total Drummer

Here we are breaking down an awesome seven eight funk drum beat. It's so funky that it actually hurts. And what's more, this comes from a pretty crazy, and funky, seven eight drumless backing track that you can jam along with.

But what I will tell you is that the beat is pretty complex and the track is pretty fast. Therefore it's a great target to aim for but for now you may want to shut that from your mind and learn this the right way. And that means, focused, slow and breaking it down into manageable chunks. Using this method we can learn any beat no matter how hard it might seem when you her it at full speed.

So we're in seven eight time signature here which means there are seven eighth notes in a bar. That in itself is tricky if you are not used to it. And if that's the case then you shouldn't be starting with this beat. If you are new to seven eight time signature then grab this basic free drum lesson first.  It also helps you understand a good counting system to use in seven eight. Then you can come back to this beat when you are ready.

But if you are ready now then we should get going. This seven eight funk beat involves a slightly more complex bass drum pattern, funky ghost notes on the snare and a dotted eighth note feel at the end to negotiate the fact that there are only seven beats in the bar. But why read about it on a webpage when you can watch a video of it and learn it immediately.

First I should mention that if you want to try playing with a seven eight drumless backing track then click across to this fun track called Topiary Seven. It comes with a written chart to help you learn the structure and it includes some drum solo sections. It's challenging but great fun!

In this lesson you get the full video breakdown and sheet music.