In our previous lesson, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Ilan Rubin taught us some hi-hat techniques from one of his favorite drummers, Stewart Copeland. Today, he's taking a look at another signature characteristic of The Police drummer's—quick, bell-heavy ride-playing.
"Once again, I'm not going to be teaching specific parts. This is more of a building block to improvise and do your own Copeland-esque thing," Rubin says, before breaking down a basic pattern. As he shows by playing the pattern in a slow tempo, it doesn't even sound like a Stewart Copeland part until you start to speed it up.
After showing how to add accents, Rubin combines a few techniques at a quick pace.
"As I showed you with the hi-hat stuff, let's take those two examples in themselves and start combining them," Rubin says. "The bass drum does not need to be consistent. Do whatever you want. As I said, they often lock together, meaning the bell and the bass drum. Very often he's going to be doing those accents and further emphasizing them with the bass drum."
Be sure to check out the full video above and be on the lookout for another lesson with Ilan soon.
- Drums: Q Drum Co. Galvanized Steel in 13", 16", and 24" shells.
- Cymbals: Zildjian Avedis
- Heads: Remo
- Hardware: DW
- Sticks: Vater