Tips and Strategies For Constructing a Drum Solo
Writing something original is typically not something you can quantify with hard and fast rules or guidelines. However, having said that, in this article I’d like to offer up some tips and strategies you may find useful when it comes time for you to rock the crowd with a solo on your kit.
1) Keep something constant. It can be highly useful to keep a particular element constant throughout most or all of your drum solo. This could be a simple pounding quarter note beat on the kick drum or perhaps a repeating motif on the toms or the ride. Whatever it is, your “constant” will give the audience something to hang onto and help keep their interest throughout the solo as you gradually add to and embellish your beats and rhythms.
Tags: drum beat, drum solo, grooving, kick drum, motif, motifs, quarter note, rhythms, snare, timekeeping