Hey guys! I’m at the section 2 of Grooving & Improving and I realize that if I do not count the rythn I can keep the rhythm somewhat decently but if I count only the beats and the &, I struggle to keep the pace of my finger drumming whenever something happens during the e or a moments. If I count every elements of the beat 1e&a2 it’s better but it’s a bit fast for my brain sometimes.
Is it a common beginner issue?
Should I force myself to keep the beat correct while only counting 1&2… or is it better to focus first on doing it alright without counting or with counting everything and the rest will come along after some further practice?
Yes, very common.
Maybe you should skip ahead a little and check out the first lesson of Hit The Gym. I talk about this problem and I actually guide you through practicing getting better at it.
It’s tough, but also doable. And very important to get this thing fixed!
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As long we are talking about tips, I just figured out something that might be helpful a little bit later. In the “building fills” section the fills are made of a combination of accented and unaccented hits. I found it is easiest to start with just the accented hits, and when comfortable with that then add in the unaccented hits. Maybe not even all of them at once. Not only does it make learning the fill easier, but also you develop the intuitive “feel” of the fill. At least for me!
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Thanks a lot for your answer Robert!
I started hitting the gym and it’s tough but I can feel getting better with this issue already.
Do you recommend I continue the section 2 of Grooving & Improving alongside the gym without counting for now and come back for another round with a stable count once I’m better at it or should I spend more time on it to count straight away?
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Thanks for the tips! How do you recognize the accented from the unaccented hits?
Those would be the ones he says to play louder. Or if you look at his diagram, they are the hits in bold or larger fonrt. You see this all over the section about building fills. Go take a look!
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I think I’m not there yet in fact! 
I probably should have posted that tip somewhere else. But no matter. You’ll be up at this point soon and hopefully the tip was helpful. I feel the fills section is quite good. It takes you quite a bit closer acting like a real drummer with more improvisation.
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Hey Sylvain,
Yes I recommend just “playing” to get acquainted with some different drumming styles. Even if it sort of “sucks” groove wise. Just play and if you manage to play along without completely getting lost and having to start over you’re basically fine.
And then we will work on refining everything.
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