1. How to play A 4/4 signature on the drums

2. 1
Your tools
Buy a simple drum kit that at least includes a hi hat, snare, and bass drum.
If you can’t buy a drum kit, find a church and use theirs. That’s what I did.

3. 2
Your tools
Find some drum sticks. Go buy some.

4. Positioning 3 Sit behind the drum kit on an adjustable stool.
Adjust the seat and distances from the kit to what makes you comfortable.

5. positioning 4 Place your right foot on the bass drum kick pedal
Place your left foot on the hi-hat kick pedal

6. 5
positioning
Grab your drum sticks and hold them in your hand as if you were about to chop vegetables
Position your drums sticks similar to the demonstration; where your right hand drum stick is over the hi hat and the left drum stick is over the snare drum.
How close or far your wrist can depend on how the drum kit is adjusted.

7. Playing 6 Begin to hit the hi hat in a 4/4 beat
To start, hit the hi hat with your right hand in a rhythmic, metronome pattern. See how the notes in the picture are spaced out equally? Let your rhythm guide you while you do that.

8. 7
playing
After you got the beat down for the hi hat, its now time to incorporate the snare drum.
Hit the snare drum as you hit the hi hat on the FOURTH hit
It should sound like :
*hi hat* *hi hat* *hi hat* *hi hat + snare*

9. Your tools 8 You should be relaxed while hitting the instruments.
Keep your wrist loose. Your wrist should almost hit the hi hat and snare in a tight “whipping” action. Your elbows should barley be doing anything.
The looseness you should have should be similar to the looseness you would having rolling dice in your hand

10. 9
Your tools
To incorporate the bass kick the bass drum, which you will hit two hi hat hits away from the snare
So:
*hi hat* *hi hat* *hi hat* *hi hat + snare*
Is now:
*hi hat* *hi hat +bass* *hi hat* *hi hat + snare*
With some practice this will become fluid. Do not be afraid to hit the instruments.

11. playing For an idea of how it should sound, listen to
“Faithless, the Wonder Boy” by Radiohead. pay attention to how the snare and hi hat go together.
Pay attention to how the snare and hi hat go together. However you DON’T have to play at that tempo.

12. Troubleshoot If the drums don’t sound loud enough, hit them harder
If you find It tricky to play the bass drum with the hi hat and snare, practice hitting the bass by itself until you can incorporate it.
If it takes you a month to learn this, you have no rhythm. I suggest finding another instrument to play.

13. 3
Audience
I designed an instructional slide show presentation to teach people how to play a 4/4 signature on a drum kit. I basically made this for people who aren’t accustomed to playing the drums. However if I had to pick an audience I would pick my Technical Writing class. They know what the drums are, and they are young enough to hit the drums kit hard enough, but however they probably can’t grasp how to make it sound the way it should. My slide show should break it down.