The 5/4 odd-time time signature drum beats you’ll find on DrumLessons.com are featured on the rock drumming section. This doesn’t mean that 5/4 can only be used with rock music. To show you exactly this, Dave Atkinson came up with jazz and double bass 5/4 drum beats for this lesson. He also takes this opportunity to show you a cool way of using drum rudiments for coming up with cool 5/4 drum beats.
Intermediate and advanced free drum lessons alike are sure to garner more interest from students than beginner free drum lessons. That’s actually quite natural since that’s where the coolest sounding patterns are found. However, to have a good grasp of any concept, you have to run through the basics first. Doing so will ensure you learn about the most important aspects and how to go around some of the main issues you’ll face. No matter how cool these intermediate drum beats may be, go through the free drum lessons “How To Count 5/4 Odd-Time” and “Beginner 5/4 Drum Beats” before delving into this free drum lesson.
The sticking pattern of exercise #1 combines the double paradiddle with the single paradiddle. This is a great example of how to mix and match different drum rudiments for coming up with original material of your own. We encourage you to try different combinations between the double paradiddle and the single paradiddle, or between different drum rudiments like the triple paradiddle and the single paradiddle-diddle. You can also take the double bass pattern from exercise #2 and use it with the sticking pattern from exercise #1. The possibilities are quite endless!
To help you understand how to mix and match the different drum rudiments for coming up with original 5/4 drum beats, you have to have a good grasp of drum theory – especially of note values. Go check out the free drum lessons “How To Count Quarter Notes” and “How To Count 16th Notes” to get started. These are the note values Dave talks about when explaining drum beat #1 to you. If you’re more interested in triplet-based note values, start by watching the free drum lesson “How To Count 8th Note Triplets“.
If you’d rather keep working on 5/4 drum beats, check the free drum lessons “Advanced 5/4 Drum Beats” and “Heavy-Metal Odd-Time Drum Beats.” If you’d like to learn 5/4 drum fills to go along with these 5/4 drum beats, move on to the free drum lesson “Intermediate 5/4 Drum Fills“.