Chapter 6 of 13 · All chapters

Part 1 · Rhythm basics

  1. 01The beat and tempo
  2. 02Bars, beats and 16 steps
  3. 03Kick, snare and hi-hat

Part 2 · Your hands on the pads

  1. 04The 16-pad layout
  2. 05Which fingers play what
  3. 06Tap, don't press

Part 3 · Grooves

  1. 07The basic beat
  2. 0816th hats and finger rolls
  3. 09Syncopation
  4. 10Fills

Part 4 · Feel and style

  1. 11Accents and ghost notes
  2. 12Swing
  3. 13Beats in different styles

Learn · Part 2: Your hands on the pads · Chapter 6

Tap, don't press

The most common beginner problem isn't rhythm, it's tension. Fingers that press down hard get tired, slow and uneven. The fix is a light, bouncing stroke.

Strike and bounce

Think of the pad as hot. Strike it with the fingertip and let the finger spring straight back up. The movement comes from the knuckle, not the wrist or arm. A pad triggers the moment you touch it, so pressing harder or longer adds nothing but tension.

  • Keep your fingers curved and hovering just above the pads.
  • Relax your shoulders, wrists and thumbs. If your forearm feels tight, slow down.
  • Use the pad of your fingertip, not the nail.

Measure your evenness: one finger

Play 8th notes on the hat with one finger. The result tells you how even your hits are: the smaller the ± number, the steadier you are.

90 BPM

Press Start, listen to four clicks, then play along.

Two hits per click, one finger. Aim for a spread under ±20 ms.

Alternate two fingers

Now play 16th notes, four per click, and alternate index and middle finger on the two hat pads: index on C, middle on D. Sharing the work is how finger drummers play fast parts evenly. Start at 70 BPM and only go faster once the spread stays small.

70 BPM

Press Start, listen to four clicks, then play along.

Four hits per click, alternating fingers: C, D, C, D.

Velocity: soft and hard hits

On a pad controller, how hard you hit changes the volume and tone. That's velocity. Touchscreens and computer keyboards don't sense it, so every hit here sounds the same. You'll use velocity in the chapter on accents and ghost notes. If you have a controller, connect it and this whole course responds to your touch.