443 – [Daniel Glass Show]: The Importance of Beat One

Inspired by a Bernard Purdie clinic in the 1990s, Daniel uses this episode to explore Beat One, an integral part of every musical situation that we often take for granted …. at our peril.

What’s covered in this session:

• Daniel recounts a Bernard Purdie clinic that focused on “Beat One,” and why it got him thinking differently about the drums.
• Why the numbers two and four make sense in our understanding of much of the world’s music.
• In his book “Drum Wisdom,” Bob Moses describes beats 1 & 3 as “resolution points”
• How a deeper awareness of Beat One is essential in every aspect of Rock and Pop drumming.
• Why having a deeper understanding of Beat One is key to playing better grooves fills, ending phrases, beginning new ones.
• Why this awareness of Beat One remains key even in musical styles that don’t depend so heavily on it, such as Jazz and Latin (in essence, you still need to have “the one” internalized even if your goal is to NOT play it).
• Daniel discusses his own rocky relationship with Beat One, and how after years of frustration he finally developed a system to overcome those deficiencies.

Resources/Links/People Mentioned:

• In his clinics, Bernard Purdie often reminds his audiences to, “Remember where the one is“.
• Check out a digital of Drum Wisdom by Bob Moses.
• Learn more about how Beat One ties into “transitional” concepts like fills and count-offs in DGS 426: Playing Better Fills.