Lesson 4 // Grids & Counting
**More extensive GRID music can be found in the music tab of our website**
In rudimental percussion, the ability to play GRIDS is crucial. You can, to some extent, determine your own level and ability as a player in relation to what grids you know. Of course, it is not always this black and white - but it is definitely a great place to start when trying to figure out where you fit in the grand scheme of things.
Grids are so crucial because they can enhance you as a player in A LOT of different ways whereas most exercises tend to focus on one specific thing in rudimental drumming.
1) They increase your Vocabulary
2) They increase your Sense of Timing
3) They increase CHOPS
4) They increase Rhythmic Accuracy
Listed below are the two basic grid patterns from which everything else evolves:
16th Note Grid //
&
Triplet Grid //
Before we delve into the complexities of each grid, it's important to be on a similar page in terms of counting. This is how Gridding can increase your Sense of Timing. We'll start simple. For the majority of people, 16th notes are counted as:
1 - ee - and - uh
There are other ways to count, but the above method is the tried and true version. I'd recommend using this counting method as most World Class Ensembles (in DCI or WGI) stick with this method of counting. So whenever you see a string of 16th notes, your brain should IMMEDIATELY start thinking of them as:
1-ee-and-uh 2-ee-and-uh 3-ee-and-uh 4-ee-and-uh (and so on)
For triplets, counting varies from ensemble to ensemble. Personally, I like to keep track of the downbeats in each measure while I'm counting. So, when I count triplets, I say:
1-puh-let
With this method, I am able to focus on the down beats so that I don't get lost in a bunch of triplets (which can happen REALLY easily). So now, whenever you see a string of triplets, your brain should start thinking of them as:
1-puh-let 2-puh-let 3-puh-let
Now that we have the counting established, we can look at the patterns established by each grid. In both versions, we see that the pattern is very similar and moves across the partials of the rhythms we are playing.
Hold up. What's a partial? Simple. A partial is just one part of a BEAT. We'll break it down for you, nice and easy. Listed below are 4 beats // (1 beat is contained within a set of brackets).
[ 1-ee-and-uh ] [ 2-ee-and-uh ] [ 3-ee-and-uh ] [ 4-ee-and-uh ]
As you can see, each BEAT has FOUR partials which are:
1
ee
and
uh
So when you're gridding, all you are doing is accenting these partials ONE BY ONE starting from the first partial.
**Remember: Everything we said about 16th note partials and beats applies to triplets. The ONLY difference is that triplets consist of 3 partials rather than 4. The same thing should be applied to grids consisting of larger rhythmic figures such as Fivelets and Sixtuplets (but don't worry about that for now).
Once you've mastered counting these rhythms and knowing where the accents go and how to play them in regards to each partial, then you can start to look at the OVERALL pattern (or form) of the grid. There are a couple of ways to look at and understand the form. One is like this:
(16th notes)
AAAA BBBB CCCC DDDD
AABB CCDD AABB CCDD
ABCD ABCD ABCD ABCD
or
(triplets)
AAAA BBBB CCCC
AABBCC AABBCC
ABC ABC ABC ABC
This version really makes it easy to understand the different patterns and beats that are being played. Ultimately, any of these letters can stand for ANY partial being accented. Of course, for this lesson, we are just accenting the partials down the line --> 1 then EE then AND then UH.
A simpler way to spell out this form is just to call it a
4-2-1 Grid
This is the unofficial name of the grid
You start by accenting EACH partial four times
Then you accent EACH partial twice
Lastly, you accent EACH partial one time only
// As you can imagine, the possibilities are seemingly endless for what you can do with a Grid
As mentioned earlier, grids are great for a number of reasons:
1) They increase your Vocabulary
2) They increase your Sense of Timing
3) They increase Chops & Sound Quality
4) They increase Rhythmic Accuracy
// If you can become a MASTER of grids - that is, being able to grid just about anything, then you will find that most music you see out there will come to you A LOT quicker. Not only will you be able to read and play music better, but it will SOUND better and it will be IN TIME.
Thanks for tuning in!
End Snare Percussion
