Hey, Tenor Drummer!
Welcome to my new series, Quick Quad Tip. Here, I will explore cool rudiments or voicings I come across, giving you just a little something enhance your playing.
First up is this sweep pattern by the 2016 Santa Clara Vanguard tenor line. It’s a smooth looking pattern that immediately caught my attention, so let’s check it out.
SCV’s Sweep Pattern
First, we’ll look at the sweep pattern SCV plays, and then we’ll do some variations.
We start with your right hand crossed over on Drum 2, sweeping outward to Drum 1. Meanwhile, your left hand begins over Drum 1 and slides down to Drum 3 (while the right hand plays).
After the right hand plays, our left hand sweeps outward from Drum 3 to Drum 1, this time with our right hand sliding over to Drum 2.
Move your arms from left to right together, as if your hands were attached with tape (or handcuffs). This is what gives the sweep pattern such a smooth look.
General Sweep Tips
Couple things to keep in mind. As always with sweeps, be sure to approach them with a downward motion. This will help you avoid hitting rims.
Also, we are crossed at the thumbs here, but sometimes you will see SCV cross at the wrists. I’ve always preferred the crossed-at-thumbs look, but feel free to try out both, as long as your right hand isn’t too high above your left. Work to keep it as low as possible.
When that’s feeling good, let’s look at some variations.
Sweep Pattern Variations
This pattern is the same as the first, only shifted to the left side of the drums. The right hand starts on Drum 4 (left over Drum 2). Follow the same guidelines as above, and you should be good to go.
Left Crossed Outward Sweep Patterns
Now, it’s time to flip our hands over and try it with the left crossed over.
We start on the left side of the drums with our left hand crossed over on Drum 1, right hand above Drum 2. Sweep outward with the left to Drum 2 while sliding your right hand to Drum 4.
Then, sweep back up with the right hand from Drum 4 to 2, with the left getting back to Drum 1.
Play slowly until you consistently avoid rims, then speed it up.
Shift over to the right side of the drums and give it a shot off of Drum 3.
Inward Sweep Patterns
Inward sweep patterns are always more awkward than outward sweeps, so these might take a little more time to get used to.
Just be sure to approach with a downward angle, moving your hand AFTER making contact with the drum, and you should be good.
Your crossed hand will also want to creep up with these sweep patterns, so focus on keeping it as low as possible.
Right Crossed Inward Sweeps
Left Crossed Inward Sweeps
Be Your Worst Critic
That’s going to do it for this lesson. As always, take this nice and slow while you build the muscle memory into your hands. Before you know it, you’ll be able to seamlessly incorporate these patterns into your playing.
Thanks for reading my post on SCV Sweep Patterns. Have fun with them!
Want to stay in touch? Fill out the form below and never miss a beat!