Beginner Curriculum · Stage 5 · ~3–4 weeks
First Grooves
Everything comes together. The universal pedagogy: hi-hat first → add kick → add snare → lock the groove → vary it.
5.1 · Your First Rock Beat
Play the basic rock beat — the gateway to hundreds of songs. Build one limb at a time.
Drill: Hi-hat eighths first → add kick on 1 & 3 → add snare on 2 & 4 → lock it.
Notation: Hi-hat 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & · Kick 1, 3 · Snare 2, 4. · Tempo: 80→100 BPM
✓ Advance when: 2 minutes continuous at 90–100 BPM, locked pocket, even hi-hat, zero timing drift.
Open the interactive lesson →Book: Tommy Igoe — Groove Essentials
5.2 · The Money Beat
Play the basic rock beat with deep pocket and feel — the most-recorded groove in pop/rock.
Drill: Same pattern, now focused on the “boom and whack” feel: the kick pushes, the snare holds back.
Notation: Hi-hat 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & · Kick 1, 3 · Snare 2, 4. · Tempo: 100 BPM
✓ Advance when: 3 minutes continuous at 100 BPM with solid feel, ready to apply to songs.
Open this beat in the machine →Book: Tommy Igoe — Groove Essentials
5.3 · Half-Time Rock
Open the groove up by moving the snare to beat 3 only.
Drill: Same hi-hat and kick, snare now on beat 3 only — a wide, heavy feel.
Notation: Hi-hat 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & · Kick 1, 3 · Snare 3. · Tempo: 80→90 BPM
✓ Advance when: 90 sec unbroken at 80–90 BPM with the snare precisely on 3 and a clear half-time feel.
Open this beat in the machine →5.4 · Boom-Bap (Reading-Applied)
Apply your Stage-2 reading to a real groove with a quarter-note pulse feel.
Drill: Read the hi-hat eighths + kick/snare straight off the page, then push the tempo.
Notation: Hi-hat 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & · Kick 1, 3 · Snare 2, 4. · Tempo: 90→120 BPM
✓ Advance when: 8 consecutive measures at 120 BPM without losing the hi-hat pulse.
Open this beat in the machine →5.5 · Four-on-the-Floor
Drive the bass drum on all four beats while the hands keep the groove — your first foot ostinato.
Drill: Keep the hands steady, kick on every beat.
Notation: Hi-hat 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & · Kick 1, 2, 3, 4 · Snare 2, 4. · Tempo: 100→124 BPM
✓ Advance when: 60 sec at 120 BPM with even kicks on every beat and no limb collision.
Open this beat in the machine →5.6 · Adding Ghost Notes
Layer barely-audible snare notes between the backbeats — the key skill that separates beginner from intermediate.
Drill: Stick ~2" above the head for ghosts (your Stage-1 tap stroke); accents pop on 2 & 4.
Notation: Hi-hat eighths · Kick 1, 3 · Snare accented 2, 4 + ghost taps between. · Tempo: 80→90 BPM
✓ Advance when: 8 bars at 90 BPM where the ghost notes are felt-not-heard and the accents clearly pop.
Open the interactive lesson →Book: David Garibaldi — Future Sounds
5.7 · Style Starter: Reggae & Ballad
Break out of straight rock with a syncopated feel and a slow control feel.
Drill: Reggae one-drop: kick + snare land together on beat 3. Then a slow ballad for control at low tempo.
Notation: Reggae one-drop — Hi-hat eighths · Kick 3 · Snare 3 (the “drop”). · Tempo: 72–76 BPM
✓ Advance when: 16 bars of one-drop at 72 BPM with kick/snare locked on 3; 16 bars of a slow ballad at 80 BPM with even, quiet dynamics.
Open this beat in the machine →