Rock Drumming System
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Learn How To Play The Money Drum Beat

For all of you out there who are unaware of the money beat, this article is for you. Most have more than likely heard this beat before, but why is it called the money beat? For one simple reason - So many songs are based around this beat. In addition, this is one of the easiest drum beats to learn! In fact, to most drum instructors, this is one of the first drum beats they teach their students. It is those two reasons why we call this the money beat. Have you ever listened to Billy Jean, ACDC, KISS, or Hoobastank? Are any of you country fans?The list goes on and on. If you have heard any of these songs, chances are you are familiar with this groove.

I guarantee if you can count to 4, you can play this groove. In fact, any non-drummer can sit behind a drum set, and play this beat. It consists of eighth notes and quarter notes. You may have read an article on how to play drums the easy way; this is a very similar beat. We will add some spice to this though, giving it more groove. Groove is what really makes this beat popular. You see, this beat is the base of pretty much all rock, pop, country, and other genres. Once you have this beat down, you can start adding stuff in, such as fills and accents, to really spice things up.

So let’s get into it! To get this beat going start with one part at a time. This way you can part your mind, and feel the groove a lot better. With you hi hat, play constant eight notes. We will add in some accents in the future, but for now, just play eight notes. Rememember to count out loud when you are playing, it will help you out a lot! Here is what it looks like::

Drum Notation

Now that you have got this, try to not think about it. When people first learn to play the drums they usually think too much. This is where they start to make mistakes, they overthink. Your hi hat hand will not change this motion, so try to forget about it. Now it's time to concentrate on your other hand. With this hand, you will be playing quarter notes on the snare. These snare hits will be on the 2 and 4 count. Add this over top of your hi hat:

Drum Notation

Good! Now let’s finish it off with the bass drum. This too will be playing quarter notes, however, not on the 2 and four. Most beginners will have trouble with this, they will end up playing their snare and bass drum at the same time. Take your time and it will come to you. Play the bass on the 1 and 3 counts. Here is what it looks like:

Drum Notation

That’s it! The money beat. This is the starting point to most rock beats, making it a good beat to learn. Practice this beat with some common songs, the most well-known is Micheal Jackson's "Billy Jean". Once you have this, try to spice things up with some accents. This can really change the beat and add a lot more groove.

Drum Notation

Now that you have a bit of a grasp on this beat, we can move onto some fills to change things up a bit. 

By: Dave Atkinson

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