How To Play Tony Allen's First Pattern of Afrobeat on Drums | Afrobeat Drumming | Fela Kuti

[@Spoonbill_88]

This was very helpful. There loads of applications for these phrasings. Cheers from sunny Bedfordshire. 👍🏼

[@Joethedrummer]

@@Spoonbill_88 thanks. I'm glad you liked it. Let me know how you use this stuff, sounds interesting 😁. From sunny London

[@sallyhubert9027]

Thanks you for such a clear and concise explanation, very helpful.

[@Joethedrummer]

@@sallyhubert9027 thanks. I'm glad you found it useful

[@CheapDrumsGuy]

Trying this with initially the hi hat and bass drum is fun and interesting but, adding the snare to the mix proved a bit challenging for me to say the least! Perserverance! You have a tendency to teach outside of the normal lesson plan of most drum teachers which I appreciate. Neat lesson Joe, adds a bit more spice.

[@Joethedrummer]

Hi Todd, I'm glad you found this interesting. Here's the key to getting this at any level of ability - if you follow the process where you just add one snare note at a time, you will get it together. Play the hihat and bass so you're relaxed and easy with it and then just add the first snare and forget about the rest, play that until you feel really at ease with it. Maybe that's enough for one practice. Add the next snare note or couple of notes next time. In the video I blitz through the process obviously so as not to bore the viewers (too much haha). But if you pateintly take as long as it takes to get real comfortable with each snare note you add, you will get it quicker than if you try to get the lot in one go. I hope that makes sense 😀

[@toddorchard2635]

Impeccable feel. Lovely playing.

[@Joethedrummer]

Thanks for that, I am very flattered 😁

[@rayboreham2648]

Back to real drums, Joe. Excellent! And another top lesson to boot. Love the Afrobeat sound. Keep 'em coming!

[@Joethedrummer]

Thanks Ray 😁 I'll keep it real!

[@karlx-1]

LOVE Tony Allen!! (RIP kind man).

[@Joethedrummer]

He's the greatest 😁

[@beatsme20]

Dude, you make it look so easy! That's a great tutorial on afrobeat #1. I wish It was available when I started practicing this beat a few years back :) It took me more than 2 years to come even close to what you are doing in the video. the sensible sticking. the downbeat on the hihat with the foot plus triplets on the hihat with the stick + the afro-cuban pattern on the snare... for me it was really hard to even get the idea of the groove after I've been practicing it for more than 1 year. It didn't make no sense at all. It was kind of impossible to groove... but I didn't gave up :) I think meanwhile I am coming closer bit by bit. I'll keep on going. That's a tough one :)

[@Joethedrummer]

Thanks. Needless to say I have spent a bit of time working on it and I feel I have a ways to go before I sound convincingly Afrobeat. I had considerable help in the form of the videos in which the great man himself demonstrated the grooves plus there's an hour long masterclass in which he explains his approach in detail that's on KZbin. On top of that I've had the privilege of seeing Tony Allen in person at least three times and I had a good look. Keep going. It's a very challenging style, I find, but you'll get there if you persevere 😁

[@beatsme20]

Thanks for the hint. I watched a masterclass on YT but I couldn't figure out the hihat pattern.. I will persevere for sure :) the beat is in 4/4 but it is so different to what I am used to play in 4/4 when it comes to rock music. When you saw him play live you must have felt his unique rhythm.

[@p1rcus]

Hallo! Great lessons! What is your snare drum?

[@Joethedrummer]

Thank you. Probably a Supra or an Acrolite. Can't remember TBH.

[@LA-cy1zj]

are you using the foot pedal on the hat on the 'and' of each quarter note? You said you're playing it on the 2 and 4 at 2:28 but everything else in the video tells me its on the 'and'?

[@Joethedrummer]

Yes! You are exactly right. It's on the &'s and not the 2 + 4. I must have had a brain f4rt when I typed that in. Did you see the PDF linked in the video description? It should help to clarify. Thanks 😀

[@LA-cy1zj]

thanks for clarifying @@Joethedrummer

[@LA-cy1zj]

really great content by the way and you have approached your learning and your sharing with respect and that is appreciated also

[@Joethedrummer]

@@LA-cy1zj thanks, I appreciate that. Let me know how you get on and if there are any topics of interest you'd like to suggest 😁

[@earthjustice01]

I've been working on this first pattern for a bit less than a week. It took me a few days to shake off the feeling that I should be playing a heavy back beat on the snare.. In fact this groove is not really a rock beat at all. I guess that's why they call it "afrobeat". The thing is, I can't help hearing this pattern flip so that I hear it beginning with the snare notes, when it should begin with the the sixteenth note double on the kick drum. No matter what I do, that sense of the "1" goes to the snare notes! Obviously I need to listen more to the music.

[@Joethedrummer]

Hi, thanks for your comment. It can be frustrating if your brain has locked into hearing a patterns some way you don't want ot hear it. I guess it might just work itself out if you keep at it. Some things you can try - Listen to Fela's I No Get Eye For Back that has this groove; Say One or make any sort of sound on the one of the groove, Boom or Uhhhh! or what you like; play to a metronome with an accent on the one; let it be and learn how to play the second beat which is snare first and be content with that for now 😁- kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHrUg3looqd1ibssi=5NuchfYq17g1s5Li I've been trying to play with the same energetic lightness Tony Allen conveys and it's very challenging for a rock drummer. Sometimes I think I'm going really softly and then realise I'm laying in too heavy. These things are sent to try us 🙏

[@michaelfore1734]

Sounds influenced by Max Roach on St Thomas w/ snares on…my .04 cents ❤

[@Joethedrummer]

Oooh, well spotted. I think that's a very plausible theory. Allen consciously brought his jazz influences into his funky grooves, I believe. He made a tribute record (or EP?) to Art Blakey who was his biggest influence. I was fortunate to see him perform it in London some years back.

[@SoundScientist1]

You working too hard chap. Tony used exteme efficiency of movement & caressed the Afrobeat polyrhythms out of the drum kit.

[@Joethedrummer]

I agree. Particularly when I'm making videos I seem to work too hard 😂

[@inas001]

Cool!! thank you!! Lifelong learning is the real important sense of live!! I will practice this too. Hopefully i can coordinate it in my brain 😇

[@Joethedrummer]

Thank you. I agree, it's great to always keep learning. I'm glad you liked this, let me know how you get on. Remember slow and steady wins the race 😁