We all want to play faster, right? Or if not faster, at least better?

This workout is only for drummers who want to build speed, accuracy, and endurance. If that’s not you, well…that’s okay.

But if you’re trying to reach the next level of drum-ness, ZackGrooves‘ paradiddle chops workout will help build fluidity around the kit.

If you don’t know what a paradiddle is, the sticking is RLRR LRLL – and it’s one of the most important rudiments every drummer should learn.

Whether you’re playing it on the snare drum or moving it around the kit in a fill or groove, paradiddles have a billion applications.

Zack will get you adding paradiddles into a drum beat and set you up with a foundation to groove better, build chops…whatever your goal is.

If you can play single strokes and double strokes and have a good grasp of drum independence, you’ll enjoy this workout. And it takes less than 10 minutes to play through it!

Here’s the sheet music to help you groove with Zack. Keep in mind that he leads the final paradiddle with his left hand on the snare.

This is a great workout for an intermediate drummer (or an experienced beginner). Just slow the video down if you need to lock in the groove or read the sheet music first.

If you feel like showing off, go ahead and speed up playback!

This is only a small sample from Zack’s new workout-based Drumeo course, 30-Day Chops. Like following a fitness instructor, you’ll play along for 10 minutes a day – every day for a month – adding a few notes at a time.

After 30 days, you’ll be able to play tasty linear grooves and fills with the best of them!

Chops aren’t as hard as they look. When you sign up for 30-Day Chops, you’ll also get lifetime access to the program – so you can come back and go through the workouts anytime.

Join 6500+ drummers who have already signed up for the challenge!

Save My Seat

ZackGrooves is a YouTuber, jazz drummer and chops master.

He’d never call himself a rock or metal player.

And that’s exactly why we dared him to play “Doomsday” by modern metal/rock band, Architects.

Zack has never heard the song, let alone the band. We gave him the drumless track and asked him to come up with a drum part.

He said it’s like nothing he’s ever played. But his interpretation is refreshing, and even gets surprisingly close to Dan Searle’s original parts at times. From syncopated grooves to ghost notes and cool linear patterns, Zack made the tune his own.

How do you think he did? Here’s the original:

To learn the original song, get the full transcription and drumless track for “Doomsday” inside Drumeo. Click here for a free 7-day trial!

Want to know how to spice up your drum chops? This is the lesson for you!

(If not, check out our tutorial on drum chops for beginners.)

According to jazz drummer, drum teacher and YouTuber ZackGrooves (real name Zack Graybeal), your left foot is more than just a timekeeper – it’s a third hand!

It’s time to learn some hi-hat science in this lesson on how you can expand your grooves with that oft-neglected limb.

You’ll also learn Zack’s tastiest pocket chop, his top 5 drum albums, and why piano players and saxophonists were some of his biggest early musical influences.

Why should you love ZackGrooves?

Growing up as a marching drummer in high school, “I love me some rudiments”. Between paradiddles, paradiddle-diddles, flams and double strokes, Zack made sure his hands were well-trained.

At the same time, legendary jazz drummer Elvin Jones is one of his biggest inspirations. Everyone approaches the drums differently, and Zack has combined his love of jazz and marching rudiments into a career built on grooves and chops vocabulary. He now teaches drum lessons and hopes to make waves with his band, Everything Yes.

As if that wasn’t enough, ZackGrooves isn’t just a killer drummer – he’s an entertainer as well, with over 350k subscribers on YouTube.

How to add the hi-hat foot into your chops

Many beginner-to-intermediate drummers (especially those who play rock, pop, and more straightforward music) forget about the hi-hat foot, especially when it comes to playing it anywhere but on the quarter note.

ZackGrooves started replacing notes here and there in chops, fills and grooves with his left foot, and soon realized this system opened up way more creative combinations.

For example, try replacing a note on the kick drum with your hi-hat foot. See how it sounds!

“Stop caring what anybody thinks. You will progress the fastest.”

ZackGrooves

Exercises

Try these exercises that incorporate the hi-hat foot into these grooves and patterns. Feel free to follow along with the video at the top of this page:

Exercise 1 (9:27)

Exercise 2 (10:55)

Exercise 3 (11:33)

Exercise 4 (22:00)

Exercise 5 (22:38)

Exercise 6 (24:31)

Exercise 7 (25:29)

Lesson Outline

0:00 – SONG: “Time Machine” by Everything Yes
4:08 – Intro
5:51 – What are drum chops?
7:50 – Adding hi-hat foot to straight 16th note patterns (Exercises 1-3)
14:34 – SONG: “Arrival” by Everything Yes
21:50 – Adding hi-hat foot to 16th note triplet patterns (Exercises 4-7)
26:30 – ZackGrooves’ favorite chops
29:00 – Hand-foot/linear combination tips
33:20 – Tips for getting into the left-foot substitutions
34:55 – What happened when Zack bought a cymbal on Wish (and other stories)
41:15 – Final words
42:50 – SONG: “Outro” by Everything Yes

Follow Zack:
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