Umdaga, part 1

This is a very simple pattern I use a lot- I'd go so far as to say it's one of the basic DNA instructions of my playing: right/left/bass. I didn't exactly make it up, but as far as I know it has no name, so I gave it one that fits with the way I conceive it. I pronounce it oom-DA-ga. I don't know why I named it inverted from the way I think it; it sings better, I guess, and maybe it encourages something other than the usual rock & roll "floogada-floogada-floogada" thing. When you say it over and over it's got the little diphthong from the ga to the um, so I say the 'oo' in the um a little under my voice: m-daga-m-daga-m-daga-m.

So what I've done here is write up some four measure solo phrases that are neither easy nor hard, using that pattern over a variety of quarter/8th note rhythms. There are one or two deviations from the pattern because that's the way I heard the phrase, and to keep you on your toes.

Play these with both swing and straight 8th interpretation; tempo can range anywhere from quarter note = 72 to half note = 150+. Recommended stickings for the hand parts are RL RL, LR LR, single-handed, hands together, improvised. You can and should move your hands around the drums, and add accents and embellishments. You can play the hihat on 2 and 4, or play some other ostinato, or you can substitute the hihat for the bass drum, or play both feet together.

Get the pdf.