How To Count Rhythms On The Drums: "1 e + a" etc - GRADE 1 AND 2 LEVEL

One of the things I get asked the most - how do you count on the drums?/what is a drummer on about when they say “1 e + a”? etc.
This video attempts to answer the questions I get most often from drummers from beginners up to the Grade 2 level.
Transcription of each of these note values with counts written in and suggested stickings is here: drive.google.com/file/d/18iR_...
Crucial point, and a common misconception I see - the counting system works alongside “feeling it”, and enhances your ability to feel rhythm. It's not an alternative to “feeling”, it compliments it. You still hear and feel rhythms and don’t have to choose between a musical head and a musical heart.
Sometimes people will say “I prefer to just hear it”, and that can work great, up to a certain level of complexity. What this system does is provide you with a set of skills for truly understanding rhythm, which will often be your "candle in the dark" when trying to decipher and learn complicated things further down the line.
Part 2 (Grade 3 level) is here: • How To Count Rhythms O...
Thanks for watching and hope this is useful :)
Mike
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Mike :)

[@khd17]

Best drum teacher, hands down on KZbin! Thanks Mike!

[@loefane9508]

This guy is so underrated he should have more views.👍🏽

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Thanks Lucien, much appreciated and thanks for watching. I do have over 3 million views to be fair! Ha

[@stereofidelic67]

who needs Drumeo? lol

[@whitecellarfan]

I'm in a beginner piano class. Confused with rythm counting and found your clip very useful. Clear and concise. Thank you.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Great, cheers for watching and glad it was useful for you👊🏻

[@gus19830]

This lesson is just what my grandson needed…..thanks Mike

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Cheers! glad if helpful :)

[@nsmcourt4868]

Great video senior. I think this should be the starting point for every drummer..... Counting!!!!

[@jedd82]

Just amazing how well, you explain things.

[@ex0148]

Honestly its the last thing any new drummer guide, site or program talks about. And you made something that baffled my brain easy to understand!

[@NanLander7854]

Mike, this is making great sense. Thanks so much for the in-depth explanations and your awesome 😎 demonstrations. I like the memory items such as cappuccino and 1 triplet. I could see and hear you perfectly. Your tips all throughout are wonderful. Enjoy all the questions and answers. Thanks so much for the shout out! ❤️ Ludwig Gal 🥁

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Ah cool! So glad you found it helpful! Today's one is time signatures, you might enjoy that too!: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYiZg2qKZtljZtE Cheers :)

[@NanLander7854]

❤️

[@sucukadambenim]

No one mentioned this you saved my life

[@AlanReeve287]

Great stuff Mike. I know the counts and how to count, I just don't do it enough and I know I should. Good advice about sticking which is something I struggle with, my lead hand does tend to change especially when trying faster tempo stuff.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Cheers Alan! It's only a problem if it's throwing you off your flow, and my suggested stickings here are for people who want some guidance. If it's working for you and things are sounding good, then cool. Likewise counting, in the real world of being a musician it's only something we use when needing to work stuff out. Again if you're playing the part is correctly, then cool. In the first few grades in particular it is probably a good idea to spend some time counting out even things you can already play, so as to ensure your knowledge is really established. In the sessions I do with drummers taking Grade 5 and above and even post-Grade 8, we'll regularly throw in Grade 1 and 2 level songs as a "quick study", to ensure those skills are solid. And there have been times where "Grade 7/8 drummers" have been unable to play even the basic rhythms in Grade 1 songs, which is obviously a sign that learning hasn't taken place, and not a good look! So wholeheartedly recommend taking your time with this and learning it thoroughly. And go back to basics regularly. Haste is the enemy!

[@benlambregts4214]

So clear! This made my day. Finally understand it all now. Thanks Mike.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Nice one! Play-along for you here too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qF7VXnuOiNugoNU

[@loisgreen7773]

You are AMAZING! Like the prefect top ups to my normal in person lessons. You are a great teacher!!!!

[@gmcculloch2129]

Well explained, thank you

[@janedr6400]

Brilliant video Mike; thank you. I'm just touching on Grade 2 but have come back to give myself a reminder of the basics.

[@rhoschapp]

Not just for beginners but a great refresher. Thanks for the awesome explanation as always 👍

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Yes so true! Cheers Rhos!

[@johnny2shoes90]

Thank you for this video it helps so so much! ❤🥁

[@paulmarsh3809]

I just had the 2 sixteenth fallowed by 1 eighth note and the eighth note fallowed by 2 sixteenth notes in my lesson last night. I thought I understood it at the time but today trying to play it I was lost. So I searched KZbin to see if someone could explain it to me again. And I have to say you explained in very simple terms. Makes perfect sense to me now. Thank you so much.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Great, thanks for watching!

[@davegill7614]

I found theory the most important part of piano Mike...doing grade 5 theory made understanding drumming so much easier for me

[@toondamusic1140]

Amazing explanation going into detail ... apreciate it a lot

[@charannalamasa]

Cleared my huge confusion, thanks Mike

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Great! Glad it did, cheers!

[@lizbluesky8671]

Excellent instruction. Ty.

[@BiancaGelli]

Omg thank you SO much! super well explained. It helped me finally understand my zills counting.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Cool Bianca, so glad it was helpful and thanks for watching 👊🏻

[@silotv6492]

Earned a sub this was fantastic

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Cheers man!

[@rmmixd]

Awesome video! This really made sense for me. Thanks!!

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Cheers Rick!

[@laciak1]

Hey Mike, great lesson! Thank you so much! You have made it so easy to understand, I love your suggestion to use 'tea, cof-fee, cap-pu-ci-no....' to 'replace' counting! hehe

[@neon_one]

Every drummer should get into the drums from Korn's first 2 albums Life is peachy and the 1994 untitled one. That early drummer David Silveria is rhythmically gifted. The other albums have some great drums too, but you can tell he started writing much easier songs to play

[@gushutchinson8758]

You've got a very engaging teaching style.. A bit too skint currently to join up, buy an electronic kit you recommend, maybe a coffee sometimes.. You really deserve enough dough to devote your time to teaching us. You have a great way of teaching the practical skills and your philosophy is bang on.. Thirdly you try and remember great music has heart and feel and passion.. Is it the triplet of body, mind and spirit? Are they equal thirds of a person when they're a full blown musician? I'm guessing the body can never be ignored? We have to teach with our brains to give our bodies the muscle memory, by taking beats apart and playing hands and feet in the precise order almost annoyingly slowly., philosophy is the mind and feel and passion is the spirit and they take care of themselves? As the body learns the mind and spirit simply follow?.. Something like that is what you mean? Am I getting warm?

[@FakeMelon]

Started drums recently and this video was a great recap for me! thanks :)

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Cheers for watching!

[@TheGodseye76]

Thanks buddy! Nice video.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Cheers Victor 👊🏻

[@philipcook7188]

Great explanation as always

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Cheers Philip!

[@paulashby418]

Great explanation, was wondering how Crotchets and Quavers fitted into sound I now know, great stuff Mike.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Cheers Paul!

[@TheDibs4]

Subscribed

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

One of the things I get asked the most - how do you count on the drums?/what is a drummer on about when they say “1 e + a”? etc. This video attempts to answer the questions I get most often from drummers from beginners up to the Grade 2 level. Transcription of each of these note values with counts written in and suggested stickings is here: drive.google.com/file/d/18iR_5yJG_YOuKku3rKBwYfiLRrQaoF56/view?usp=sharing Crucial point, and a common misconception I see - the counting system works alongside “feeling it”, and enhances your ability to feel rhythm. It's not an alternative to “feeling”, it compliments it. You still hear and feel rhythms and don’t have to choose between a musical head and a musical heart. Sometimes people will say “I prefer to just hear it”, and that can work great, up to a certain level of complexity. What this system does is provide you with a set of skills for truly understanding rhythm, which will often be your "candle in the dark" when trying to decipher and learn complicated things further down the line. Thanks for watching and hope this is useful :) Part 2 (Grade 3 level) is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gISWm2eem6ugbLM Mike If you’ve enjoyed this channel and found it useful, please support it and help it grow at www.buymeacoffee.com/mikebarnesdrums

[@captainscarlet6758]

Thanks Mike i found this very useful, even though i dont play the drums. Its something im thinking about taking up. Although being 54, i think i may be a little too old. Keep em coming. Thanks for posting.

[@Pinza7]

Not too old, I'm learning at 56. Keep on bashing.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

@@Pinza7 What Neil said 👊🏻

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

You're 30 years younger than one of my students was when he first started. Get on with it! Have fun and thanks for watching man :)

[@rmmixd]

I’m learning at 50! If it’s something you’re interested in, you’re never too old. :-)

[@TheDibs4]

Vvv good

[@doghousedave36]

Very well explained, now to go and buy a cajon

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Cheers, and thanks for watching. I'm literally sitting on a cajon in this video!

[@davidsimmons1321]

Great job! can you explain how to count ( I will remember) by Toto, how to count the song out were to understand how to count out that song is it 1e&a2e ect this has been my number one problem how and were to fugue out how to take a real song and be able to count it out thank you

[@locotelocot]

Shite, CAnelo, I never really liked your boxing style, but I didn't know you was a kick ass drummer, shite Canelo, Thanks! TC

[@warburtonpaul]

Nice one Mike. Wondered whether you could put together a piece about counting bars? Like when and where to come back in on fills and coming back in after a silent bit? Am never quite sure where the crash goes in the middle section of the classic Doobie Brothers: What A Fool Believes

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Hi Paul, sure. Short version: count "1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 3, 4 etc" Great tune! if you mean the "As he rises to her apology" drop-down bit, the crash come in (with the snare) on beat 4 of the third drop down bar.

[@warburtonpaul]

@@MikeBarnesDrums yeah, it's actually the line: 'anyone else would surely know', Mike. My confusion lies whether the crash is on 'surely' or 'know'. I think it's 'know' (fourth beat, as you suggest) which is kind of ironic! In general, counting the groove is straight forward, but the fill is normally up tempo, and that sudden (and hoped for) seamless transition back and forth is hard work. Thanks as ever

[@Barefoot67]

thanks for the lesson. where does one go online to learn everything about this, like how to count tied notes, groups of 5, nested tuplets etc?

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Music theory playlist here: kzbin.info/aero/PLcfoni8UPb9rbwxV3n8J2Nhcs6q4be2H2 Also Adam Neely's video on nested tuplets is great! Cheers :)

[@Barefoot67]

@@MikeBarnesDrums cool, thanks a lot!

[@kc-vf4lp]

Thank you Mike great lesson. Just one question, how would I count back into a grove if I'm playing triplets? Hope this question makes sense.

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

Hi k c, thanks for watching. Not quite following the question - but if the fill was 8th note triplets into a straight 8's groove it'd be (fill) 1-trip-let, 2-trip-let, 3-trip-let, 4-trip-let followed by (groove) 1 +, 2 +, 3 +, 4 +. Cheers!

[@kc-vf4lp]

@@MikeBarnesDrums sorry i wasn't sure how to ask the question but you did manage to answer it. Thank you.

[@t.o8988]

i wish you were taking up free lessons online i could learn alot more from you im a beginner

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

These are free lessons!! Cheers for watching man :)

[@gushutchinson8758]

I know time IS divided into 1,4s 8s and 16s..but I'm curious as to why? I think a waltz 12 3 is also divided into 1e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 1 etc

[@jusaguy20]

This may be too much of a meta question, but why does it stop at 4 beats per bar?

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

It doesn't have to stop at 4 beats per bar. There can be any number of beats in a bar, I'm using 4 as the example here as it's the number we see most often in western-world contemporary music.

[@GeTLaWsTKIIID]

I feel like the music kinda talks back you can hear all the little things, even with left and right hit you can here kinda like a left right accent idk maybe I’m listening too much lol

[@lumchumbal.thonger2934]

Play don't talk to much sorry I was impatient 😂

[@MikeBarnesDrums]

😂