One Sticking, Endless Ways to Play It
R L R R L R R L. That's the whole rhythmic idea.
Five rights and three lefts, and I hear it as 3 + 3 + 2: RLR, RLR, RL. Played as 16th notes it takes two beats to complete and is played twice to make one bar, so it phrases across the bar against the pulse instead of sitting neatly inside it. Because 5 and 3 share no common factor, the sticking has no shorter repeating unit. Start it from each of its 8 notes and you get 8 different rhythmic examples, swap the hands and you get 8 more. That's 16 stickings from one pattern, and we haven't touched the kit yet.
Now start making decisions. Which notes do you bring forward and which do you ghost? Where does each note land, snare, tom, hi-hat, ride? Every choice is something you can play, and the possibilities multiply faster than most players expect. I worked out the actual number, and it's much larger than I thought it would be.
Most of us, when we get comfortable with a sticking, go looking for the next one. I'd suggest the opposite. Stay with this one, play it from a different starting point each day, change the dynamics, change the sound sources, and listen to what changes. That's what depth looks like in practice, and now it's your turn.
Which rhythmic example feels least natural to you? Pay attention to that one. It's telling you something.
In the October newsletter, I break down the full count one layer at a time, show you eight of my notated variations and their left-lead mirrors, and lay out a way to narrow it into something you can practice. That issue goes to subscribers only, so if you're not on the list yet, sign up below.