Intermediate · Advanced · 4 units · 42 etudes

Triplet and shuffle grooves

In a triplet feel every beat splits in three instead of two: '1 & a'. That's where the swaying feel of shuffle and half-time grooves comes from. The course opens with slow two-bar grooves that have a single backbeat on 3 of the second bar.

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Then the backbeat gets doubled by a triplet note, the kick plays three-step phrases that cross the bar line, and in the last unit the backbeat arrives one triplet early. The app measures triplet timing just as precisely as sixteenths.

What you'll learn

Who it's for

Drummers who are comfortable with straight sixteenths and want to learn swing, shuffle and half-time feel.

Practice screen: drum notation with notes coloured green, orange and red by timing

Units

Intermediate
01Half-time triplet grooves8 etudes

Slow, swaying two-bar grooves with a single backbeat on 3 of the second bar. The kick phrases cross the bar line. Don't hurry — the later the snare arrives, the heavier the groove sits.

  1. Etude 1
  2. Etude 2
  3. Etude 3
  4. Etude 4
  5. Etude 5
  6. Etude 6
  7. Etude 7
  8. Etude 8
Open in the app →
02Triplet double backbeat13 etudes

The backbeat on 3 gets doubled by a triplet note — on the last partial of the beat or as a quick two-note figure. The second note is an echo: not as loud, a touch softer.

  1. Etude 1
  2. Etude 2
  3. Etude 3
  4. Etude 4
  5. Etude 5
  6. Etude 6
  7. Etude 7
  8. Etude 8
  9. Etude 9
  10. Etude 10
  11. Etude 11
  12. Etude 12
  13. Etude 13
Open in the app →
Advanced
03Four kicks in a triplet feel13 etudes

Every beat splits in three: '1 & a'. Snare on every beat, hi-hat on quarters; the kick first plays three-step phrases, then hits every fourth step, laying a cycle of 4 over the 3. Count the kick and let the hands keep time.

  1. Etude 1
  2. Etude 2
  3. Etude 3
  4. Etude 4
  5. Etude 5
  6. Etude 6
  7. Etude 7
  8. Etude 8
  9. Etude 9
  10. Etude 10
  11. Etude 11
  12. Etude 12
  13. Etude 13
Open in the app →
04Triplet early backbeat8 etudes

The backbeat comes one triplet early, on the last partial of beat 2 — it seems to rest on the 'a'. Lean the kick phrases and ghost triplets around that early snare.

  1. Etude 1
  2. Etude 2
  3. Etude 3
  4. Etude 4
  5. Etude 5
  6. Etude 6
  7. Etude 7
  8. Etude 8
Open in the app →

How you practise

Every etude is real notation, like in a book. You play with a metronome, spoken counting and a tempo ladder; your e-kit or microphone listens to every stroke and colours the notes green, orange or red. In a tricky bar, wait mode pauses until you hit the right drum.

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15 minutes today. A little better tomorrow.

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Try it free for 14 days