Sound source 4

There are some cousins sounds on the drums, some sound sources that are exactly from the same family. Of course, the 2 crashes hanging from their stand on a regular drum set, would be a good example. But the toms, whether you have 2, 3, 4 or more, are also close cousins of each other. These are obvious pairing that do not require specific technique to hear.

But there are a few less obvious one. Like a close hi hat and a snare drum. Let’s take a Paradiddle with the right hand on the hi hat and the left hand on the snare. Now let’s suppose we are playing the pattern as 16th notes, and let’s pop that 2 and 4 on the snare as an accent. And, as we keep going, let’s make the hi hat and soft snare stroke sound exactly the same. It is not easy. But the reward is huge because you have just entered into the kingdom of ghosts notes. If you are even more advanced, you can sometimes substitute a soft snare or hi hat with a left foot closing hi hat. Steve Gadd illustrate that technique masterfully in “50 ways to leave your lover”.  I’ll attach a video to that effect.

You can also match a snare hit with a brush with a hi hat closed with the left foot. You can also pair a rim shot snare/skin on a wireless snare drum with a click (or cross-stick) on the same snare drum.

Less obvious is the shoulder of the stick played on the edge of the cymbal, at a 90 degree angle. That goes wonderfully with the bell of a ride cymbal, for example. Or the ride cymbal played pushing the stick into the metal, preventing it from ringing, and matching that to the sound of a hi hat.