Just a question but what do you guys use your ghost notes in? I've been trying to play those fancy funk beats with lots of ghost notes in them but I can't really get them out clear enough. Ghost note is just lightly tapping the snare.. but it sounds much easier than it actually is!

It's all about practice man.. Knowing your rudiments certainly help with the stick control.. when practicing try to exaggerate the ghost notes.. play them extra soft but make them crisp at the same time, does that make sense? Also, play things slow at first and work your way up. thatll help you concentrate on your form and technique better rather than trying to play a busy funk beat fast right off the bat.. it takes time patience and a lot of practice

[xxvenom13xx]

Try practicing your "ghost notes" at VicFirth.com(:

That's what I do in preparation for marching band. Practice flams and drags; when you get more advanced you can practice hybrids that combine ghost notes with single strokes and such.

Go to the Education Resource Center on there, then go to Snare Rudiments.

Have fun(:

[blevinspercussion]

Good suggestions so far.

One thing a lot of drummers overlook is dynamic contrast. Make sure that your ghost notes are as low as possible and your accented notes are quite loud. The ghost notes should sound almost like a hi-hat. If they are coming out kind of "muddy" or if they lack definition, it may be because of your gear. The type of playing that I do typically requires a lot of ghost notes, so my main snare is a Pearl piccolo that I keep cranked pretty high. If you use a deep snare or a relatively loose head (or both), then your ghost notes won't come out like they're supposed to.

Also...

Listen, listen, listen. Anything with David Garibaldi (primarily Tower of Power), Rick Latham, Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown) and John "Jabo" Starks (also James Brown). If you need some good exercises, check out "Future Sounds" and "The Funky Beat" by: David Garibaldi and "Advanced Funk Studies" by: Rick Latham.

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