How to INSTANTLY Make ANY Pair of HiHats Sound Better.

→ Conquer one-handed hihat 16ths at 80bpm in 5 simple steps. Download my FREE “Secret to Hihat 16ths” guide! the-non-glamorous-drummer.myk...
Any pair of hihats can instantly sound 10x better if you employ the right techniques. This discussion starts with making sure the stand is adjusted properly, but this has even more to do with how the drummer is striking the cymbals. We can take this a step further and say that the drummer’s MINDSET further determines the quality of sound and music coming from the hihats. Today we talk about how we can take our hihat playing to the “next level,” regardless of what cymbals we have or even what kind of stand we have. With the right approach, we can tremendously improve our hihat musicality. We can take a robotic, boring hihat sound and make it into something extremely expressive, full of feel and depth.
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[@sccdrum93]

Conquer one-handed hihat 16ths at 80bpm in 5 simple lessons! Download my FREE guide, “The Secret to Hihat 16ths." the-non-glamorous-drummer-llc.ck.page/b2413eee87

[@OneEyedDrummerTDHE]

What are those pads over your heads?!

[@isaacgael2523]

instablaster

[@Filmyak01]

link is dead, sadly.

[@NowOffTheClock]

​@@OneEyedDrummerTDHEAquarian Super-Pads

[@famitory]

hot tip: for a funky feel, have your heel going up and down in time while your toe keeps the hihats closed. the way the difference in pressure interacts with your stick dynamics very often sounds very nice.

[@srikirangs]

I do this all the time. The groove sounds very nice.. :)

[@ThReverend6661]

famitory i’ve noticed this

[@callanc3925]

Sometimes i have to consciously try to stop doing the foot dance in songs that the sound it makes doesnt fit haha

[@congerscott6064]

Just tried your method and it works excellent, thanks man, now i have another weapon in my arsenal 👍✌.

[@williambock1821]

Not to mention DRUMMERS aren’t just a time keeping device (#other band members!);-)

[@ballsrgrossnugly]

Don't you just love it when the bass player can't keep a beat to save his life? XD

[@jimfritz9503]

@@ballsrgrossnugly That s when the drummer needs to step up + create a dialog with the bassist. Show him/ her how to play in time/ in the pocket/ in the groove. Less is more. Service the song. Everybody wins if you re on the same team.

[@09-caokhanhduy89]

@@jimfritz9503 the thing is that will they listen to you lol

[@jimfritz9503]

@@09-caokhanhduy89 They will because the rest of the band is waiting to " gel" / to become a tight sounding unit. I be played with some Prima Donna's who have screwed up big time and then try to blame others. All they ve done is make Everybody look bad. Pride + Ego can be a bitch.

[@jimfritz9503]

I ve

[@buntychunx7837]

As a drummer in a Reggae band, the hats are probably the most important part of the one drop rhythms, using the whole stick can give a very different sound and i use it alot to highlight certain accents etc.

[@ninorandazzo844]

Yea I can’t figure that style out for the life of me, I don’t know if it’s just the sound of my kit or if I’m shit at dynamics

[@yemiplwn]

@@ninorandazzo844 for some years to me was like that, couldnt tell But i didn't got more drums, now just trying to play everything as if i didn't wanna wake up someone next to me Frustratingly faint, getting addicted becouse of the pretty sounds Slowly the hands begin to feel like 1 could practice stickings on glass and no worries I mean that's, I think more becouse of the decay on the hats than volume The consistently short/snappy sound i think is what gets me rolling in

[@butchcassidy3373]

I've been back playing a few years after a thirty year hiatus. Finally getting my feel back and videos like this help. Nuance is everything when drumming.

[@philipleckburg8443]

It's amazing how you crash control dynamics and build on a transition by letting the hi hat breathe and with pedal control and staccato you can actually create a fill with the hats alone. Underrated and overlooked in regards to expressing the music.

[@drewper73]

Watching this video reminded me that I started out with just a snare drum and a pair of hi-hats. The rest of my first drum set came a few months later. During those months when it was just a snare and the hi-hats, I felt that I learned a lot about the different sounds you can get from your hi-hats. Years later I was performing on a float in my city’s annual Christmas parade, and I only had enough room for a stool, a snare, and my hi-hats. The float was kind of small and there was about six musicians and their gear on there too. But I didn’t fret. For one, several years had passed since those days when all I had was my snare and my hi hats and my playing had improved a lot. Also, I drew from my experience with just the snare and the hi hats. When all you have is a snare and your hi hats, you learn to get creative really quickly. Thanks for sharing!!

[@dr.reviratempos2336]

Great, as always. I'm picking through all your videos in the coming weeks. Thanks for all the free guides, too!

[@danazonart]

Steve, you apologize too much - your points and methods are excellent. Please stop worrying about offending anyone - everything you do in teaching will offend somebody... "Becoming a better drummer", as you note, is the point. Thanks!

[@TheHouseofKushTV]

This was my thought watching this, way too many disclaimers and attempts to quash arguments that have only happened in his mind. Steve, stand by what you say and how you say it, it's offputting and distracting to have paragraphs pop up like full legal disclaimers on the last point made while you're making a new point. Let people have their own experiences, and embrace the fact that whenever you do something creative and garner respect and attention, you will inevitably get haters and trolls as well. Just do your thing, and relentlessly focus your message on the believers, they're the ones who will stick with you. Anyone who argues or talks trash won't be around in a week, they're not worth one shred of your time or attention.

[@sccdrum93]

Hey thanks for your comments, Dan and House of Kush. I think this was one of those topics that reaches the height of subjectivity in my mind. While I believe fully in expressiveness, I also believe fully in simplicity when it's necessary. I may have gotten carried away with the captions when I edited the video, since I wanted to add in more input from the alternate angle. But yes, you guys are absolutely right about apologizing less haha. I'm actually trying to use less captions anyways in future videos since it's confusing to read anyway :)

[@acuralee]

Steve is a humble gentleman. Lol but seriously your not going to be able to please everyone as some people are just trolls. Keep making your videos as I really enjoyed it.

[@marcfox433]

Totally agree. But if it makes you feel more comfortable putting out the video then so be it. Drumming/music is a sensitive area because it invokes passion and emotion. Sometimes getting a angry response is not necessarily a bad thing, it just means that people are getting emotionally involved with the video. Keep them coming dude. If I can learn even just one thing from a video it's a step forward for me and I class that as a good video.

[@markhynes1940]

Agreed. There are people out there who are offended by "becoming a better drummer" in itself!

[@DavidMScott-cs8pp]

I'm 83 so growing up with swing and jazz I was used to an open and closed hat on 2&4. When the Rock beat came along with closed hat and straight 1/8 notes I would still finish each 4th or in the case of 6/8 which purists call 12/8, with a a double. This "hitch" annoyed many guitarists or keyboards players but I found it added a little flair to the groove. On occasions, I fin😅sg the 4th or 6th with an open/close hat then revert back to all closed. When criticized I told a couple of bands to get a drum machine if straight 8ths or 16ths is what they want. So, seeing you add these variations makes me feel vindicated. I play twice a week once with a Classic Rock foursome and they like my variations. The other play is with a four piece Jazz combo and we mix in swing, slow ballads and BeBop snd they expect me to add in hat variations. Great video especially for drummers brought up in the Rock tradition. Some times those others in your band, guitarists in particular, have to learn their not the main feature 😆

[@RaulLopez-ph3zh]

Just bought a beginner kit, learning so much from your videos. Great job!

[@vicentecosta9764]

Simply THE BEST drums channel on KZbin! Thank you man, subscribed

[@MzKlara]

I like this video because it reminds me to keep my options open and not to get stuck playing the same old way. It's nice for any drummer to share his or her take on things. We all can learn from each other.

[@AiMaTay]

Really useful video, especially seeing the robotic beats vs expressive beats. That illustrated your point so well and opened my ears to the idea.

[@redrum567]

Good solid advice. Having been self taught for 25yrs, I am very appreciative of all the self-help videos. Always learning and confirming. And the previous hihat vid was/is a BIG help, thank you! Rock on, sir \m/

[@sccdrum93]

Thank you Sir! It's great to hear that these are helping you out 👍 I hope to keep bringing you guys solid content!

[@scohills]

Stephan, you're phrasing and groove is super on point man! Takes a special dude to be having that kind of contentment fun in the simple grooves. Bravo

[@laszlozoltan5021]

working on the e-hats - your articulate verbal explanations really help carry your lessons. far more informative and useful than hearing "uh....like this, and uh like that, see....?" (with those, I'm like uhhh, wtf ???). I guess nearly 100 000 other subscribers will agree. Cheers!

[@VITALSPARKMEDIA]

This is the BEST instructional video I have ever seen. Straight to the point, CLEAR, and super easy to follow. It’s hard for me to follow videos with LOTS of technical talk, and I think the drums are more about watching and listening anyway. Thank you for your awesome videos I’m learning A LOT!

[@drummermomcjs]

I really liked that last example in the video. That sounded really funky, and I can see how accenting can make it more interesting. Great tip, thank you for sharing this.

[@jayuihlein1664]

Superb points, Stephen. Been playing a long time (60's stuff) and you till taught me a few things. Thanks!

[@gastrein11]

no argument here, very well done with a crystal clear explanation ,your approach is so easy to understand and informative, keep them coming

[@shoppingamericanarecording5808]

I'm just reading Stephen's pdf guide. He's a generous dude for giving us this info. God bless you sir.

[@patrickriley195]

from one drummer to another, great video! Very good suggestions. Thanks!

[@TheKevWig]

Totally agree bud. Trying to make gigging not boring by doing things like this. My skill set is somewhat limited but this type of thing should keep things interesting. Cheers.

[@axisdeerhunting]

Great to get another drummer’s input on groves and beats to learn how to play them if not knowing or playing before. Never to late to learn new ways that expand the range of licks to add to beats played is always nice to see, learn & play. Thanks For The Video’s. They will definitely help more drummers to get better & play new beats on any part or all of the kit. I’ve played since I was 5 & I’m 59 now. Always a good day to learn something new. Thanks For Sharing. It definitely has helped me even at my age & number of years playing drums

[@laszlozoltan5021]

age is just a number pal- you remain the same person, but in a different place

[@23thkr]

Great tips. We all love those overlooked stuff that improves

[@MarkC5505]

Great tips! Thanks!

[@R_Ultraloud]

Great tips. Thanks man!

[@sheiji312]

Great video man! My friend (who teaches me how to get a proper feel of the drums) always tells me that I should be linear and I really don't know what the heck it means until I came up with your video with the purpose of improving our hi-hats in church but I learned even something BETTER. Simply amazing keep it up

[@ramblewalker]

Lawrence Angelo Cruz I’m not sure what you mean by linear, as I would interpret that as being from a source to a destination without any detours, that’s linear. With regards to improving the groove of your hi hat playing, I might suggest a few double stroke rolls/trills mixed into a low tempo groove which might fill out the gaps between your kick and snare hits and give your beats some colour. Also add accents to the double strokes to further increase the texture to your sound so as not to sound robotic. You’ll feel it man. It’ll come and you’ll make your audience cum in return haha! Peace.

[@S00PAMARIO]

This was a super useful video, thanks!

[@OrionGuitarStas]

Very good examples! Thank you)

[@Strellock]

Damn, I thought you meant taking a pair of cheap hats and turning them into like zildjian k's! Cool video though, I like the groove you play at about 4.55, the hat part reminds me of Charlie Watts.

[@sionlewis827]

Exactly what I thought

[@sccdrum93]

Thanks! Hey you might not make any pair sound like K's, but you CAN make any pair sound BETTER (key word better haha). Hey I saw this morning that you are a fellow Stephen Taylor fan! I noticed we both commented on his video about finger control. He posts a lot of great stuff.

[@Strellock]

Yeah, he's a cool old timer! And yeah, it's a small world, and it's full of Stephens apparently! :P I stalk all of them!

[@benjaminwaddill1625]

Strelock same

[@Strellock]

yeah, Stephen's quite the clickbaiter, ruthless, calculated, deadly! Beware!

[@surfing636]

Drumming is a art of building techniques & knowledge. I like your approach, simple additions lead to more complicated techniques. Good job!

[@prisonjoe5799]

Thank you for this. Very well done and presented.

[@motodrummer]

Great tips, thanks

[@dondebmclean4377]

Brilliant as always thank you

[@VikasGotla]

Love your videos, thanks for uploading

[@sccdrum93]

Thanks! Appreciate it 👍

[@edwalmsley7956]

Very informative- thanks man, very well done👍

[@leonardsmith2170]

Some really good ideas. Thank you, Stephen. I just subscribed.

[@gohuskies583]

Nice lesson Stephen! Really liked the last groove you played. Great feel.

[@Toastrodamus]

Great video! There are lot of things a drummer can do to improve hi hats. Dynamics, syncopation, using silence, etc. Most drummers don't see their potential to make drums more musical.

[@shanetiller9793]

Great feel man.

[@chadbillings8375]

Awsome! Will try to implement this!

[@monkeystix5019]

great tips mate

[@JMcNultyDrums]

Great video, informative and thought provoking. Thanks!

[@jpromano_]

Awesome video!

[@claudemartinez6589]

Useful info!

[@fransterhorst3694]

This definately is good info, i will keep this in mind for sure and agree this does make the sound of the groove loooots better.

[@johngreenhalgh5135]

Yes, nicely presented. Clear and a couple of good tips too. Tx

[@richier2762]

Very useful, Thanks.

[@dreddmann9292]

I just started picking up on drums since mid way through the pandemic, and I got to say your videos are helping out alot. Some of the basic simple explanations I've seen so far, and the fact that you call yourself the-non-glamorous-drummer and encouraging anybody can play just makes watching your videos much more enjoyable. I can't stand drummers that act like they got a stick up there ass when it comes to drumming. Musicians who act like snobs about music are real discouraging for those who want to learn. Every genre has snobby musicians. The Non Glamorous Drummer is definitely NOT one of those snobs.

[@johngavin1448]

Great video brother, preciate it. Keep killin it

[@sccdrum93]

Thanks, man! I'll do my best 👍

[@valandres9869]

like it!! good job ... will help

[@a.b.bedinghaus9642]

Great tips! I can't wait to try some of these out!

[@sccdrum93]

Awesome! I hope they help you out.

[@telioloraine7660]

I've been playing for 5 years and I like this

[@jefffisher4449]

something i have been working on, it helped, thanks

[@rodriguezelfeliz4623]

I AM A GUITARIST AND I ALWAYS END UP WATCHING DRUM VIDEOS

[@nilswegner2881]

Me too... But I'm learning drums right now because I want to learn as many instruments as possible

[@ballsrgrossnugly]

Why limit yourself? The more you know, the more you can record all by yourself!

[@ramblewalker]

That’s coz you want to reclaim all the groupies that the drummers steal from the guitarists, init brah?

[@jimfritz9503]

It can only help your overall understanding of a group s dynamics. Many players only care/ listen to their instrument or parts of a song. There s a lot more going on. Playing rhythmically on your guitar( drum parts) can t hurt. Hendrix did it quite often. Good Luck to you !

[@kawaiipanda4013]

Camilo Rodriguez maybe it’s a sign

[@iomstudio6978]

Excellent!!!!

[@zureyaodula5348]

Very great advice! Thank you.

[@sccdrum93]

👍 Thanks for watching!

[@WalkingPez]

Thanks Mr Clark,,,,,I always think of Carter Beauford when I think of using the hats with heightened expressions.......loved the B&W/Color spots, Very clever

[@EmmaSunertonBurl]

Just what I needed to see right now - thanks

[@ARMYStrongHOOAH17]

That snare tone though! Love it!

[@lrdrums98]

This was very helpful, thank you!

[@santiagobass7477]

Great tips man, thanks !

[@WilsonFazoke]

Thank you !

[@tonidupont-mora1572]

This was very helpful. Thank you

[@adriankilbourne2163]

thank you very much for this one. I will share this with my students!!!!

[@mediasavior]

Super helpful video. If someone had talked to me about this a long time ago, it would have been helpful, lol. This is one of the big things that sets "musical drummers" apart from timekeepers. I've been striving for this since I started drumming. Thanks!

[@sccdrum93]

Thanks! Yeah I find this to be just one of those subtleties I can always continue to improve in my playing. I'm with you there - if someone had specifically shown things like this to me years ago, it would have helped tremendously. Even though I took lessons through highschool and college, some things can get overlooked still.

[@The6580scot]

Cool stuff!

[@DGodsell]

Great videos, well put together, interesting, helpful, and not overdone topics. Love this channel. You deserve more subs

[@sccdrum93]

Thanks so much, Drew!

[@realtinobrien2140]

Thank you!! So helpful, I'm going to practice this today :) Subscribed

[@sylak2112]

Great Advices. I've been playing for 13 years now ( I started late at 26 however, so 13 years of adult life has a lot less practice time than 13 years of being a kids playing drums LOL, so still pretty amateur) Very helpful tip. I think about this video now when playing. I definitely will check out your adjustment video. My hi-hat is a cheap one that I don't like that much, but I did improved how it's sound with those tips, Thank! I will had that room acoustic also do a huge difference. I moved to a new house last years, Now I leave alone and Have a basement, Yeah I can play drums! But the accoustic suck for now. that doesn't help. I plan to make so improvement over the next couple of month.

[@tomstark5285]

As with most complicated things, it is the most simple things that need to be addressed. Thanks for the tips!

[@luckosteve12]

Thanks for the great content. Appreciate any help I can get. 😁

[@tallyjbud]

Great stuff

[@justinfarrar4019]

Cool illustration

[@tntroo7009]

Through the years I have been asked "Where's your other Kick Pedal" a gazillion times. This is precisely why. I also appreciate that people think I'm using a double kick. Thanks for sharing this. Good stuff!

[@ramblewalker]

TnT Roo That’s impressive man! Do you play heel up, toe down or heel down toe down? Just trying to figure out the part of your leg structure that’s able to accomplish such a feat. I envy the double kick sounding single kick dude.

[@JayHatchJr]

Good points... It reminds me of Carter Beaufords hihat approach..... using the hihat as a musical piece

[@sccdrum93]

Absolutely! He's a great example of this. Sometimes I wonder too if his "self-taught" approach to drumming has had something to do with his unique musical approaches. Either way, I do find his hihat work very expressive, inspiring, and very fun to listen to.

[@chrisallen7512]

Yea i feel both of you! I really like the HCS pack for being a starter set that came with my tama imperialstar kit...and the kit is starter too(poplar shells) but they sound so good for the price.. i updated heads and got iron cobra double bass pedals and a zildjian k 9”hybrid splash and im jammin in my basement!😎😂👍🏾

[@koolkatfelix9500]

I like the way you have padded your hi hat!! Fortunately I do most of you said! Cheers!

[@craigtechno]

For me a new drummer , this was inspirational. Sweet

[@josefrancisco6969]

Great video.

[@larrylehman8874]

I’m just learning really enjoyed your video thank you I will subscribe

[@victorsuarez2954]

Such an amazing helpful video, especially for me as a beginner...thanks

[@congerscott6064]

I like to watch the professional high hat players, i always pick up something new from them 👍✌.

[@92Jaghk]

This is AWESOME

[@danjuric622]

Great videos! Thanks.

[@RambunctiousVA]

I came here trying to improve my hi hat feel for Rosanna specifically, and whaddya know?! There’s a tip referencing it! Amazing!

[@gemstatetv7146]

Wow! I didn't know changing the dynamics on the hi-hat could make such a difference in the groove. This was very helpful.

[@sccdrum93]

The hihat can be a really powerful tool! That's why it's my favorite part of the drum set :) Glad this helped you out!

[@kennetheveritt7450]

Hi,Stephen so true it gives form by releasing in stages,not many beginners do this. Interesting will do some of these.

[@NothusDeusVagus]

A great series of videos. I like your style... I guess I could've used such an advice resource when I first started... Ohhhh sooo many years ago.. about 1976 I think.... Had to learn alot of what you're saying by way of my own trial and error... keep it up...

[@maxwellsouza8659]

Good job dude !!

[@tavopasquali]

Hey! I just bumped into your vid and I'm glad I did. Good points, mate! You have a new subscriber!

[@sccdrum93]

Thanks, man! Welcome to the channel!

[@tomgidley3521]

I think this is good advice for your practice routine,especially young beginning drummers. Thinking outside the box will definitely broaden your creative approach to your drum parts. As a professional drummer, be it studio session or touring , you have to serve the song . This is a perfect example of how you can change the feel of a song , the groove and the pocket drastically just by the slightest change in the way you play it ! I have to admit I thought you were talking about taking cheap hats and making them sound better!!!!

[@sccdrum93]

Couldn't agree more. I love subtle things like that! And yeah...I can see how the title may have implied a quick cymbal-re-lathing technique or something along those lines haha! But I do believe that how you play your hats has a huge impact on how they sound, and some quick changes really can instantly make them sound better. :)

[@lastcall9998]

Very, very, VERY! nice video indeed. This insight was awesome. And I liked a lot the sound of the kit, as if it was kind of electronic. Thanks.

[@sccdrum93]

Thanks so much! I do like the sound of the super pads. They naturally just sound like a very disco, funky, muffled kind of sound. Very much electronic, and no samples needed!

[@josefeliciano4073]

thanks for this

[@robertnettleship5467]

Nice video man. One good piece of advise I've gone by is 'whatever you do is going to piss someone off regardless, so there's no point caring' Very informative and helpful vids :)

[@alldog222]

This was really cool man I love to use the hi-hat 16ths,now I got a great video to work on to keep the timing.As far as the guy who said you need an electric set, just try one and try to get any sound control and beauty of good ole symbols.It feels and sounds like you are banging on plastic and rubber,which it just so happens you are,I did that and it sucked even on a hi end set. I know how hard it is to try and stay quiet and practice.

[@jamesflahertymusic]

Dude its so funny you mentioned Paul in the video, because right before that annotation, I was thinking "man, his hi hat work reminds me of Mabury's sample pack" Nice job!!

[@glennlangford5897]

That last groove was awesome

[@telioloraine7660]

Good feel for it