What DrumHeads Are Saying About TigerBill and TigerBill's DrumBeat Website...

Click for Another Quote


 

Best Products at the
Lowest Prices
Lowest prices on Tiger Tested drum products

Lowest Prices on Drum Sets, Cymbals and Percussion at Amazon.com

TigerBill's Unique
Drum Lessons
Play Better With Less Effort - Learn TigerBill's Tension Free Drumming Concepts

Advertise With Us
Contact Us
Link to Us
Newsletter
News & Press Room
Order Info
Permissions & Reprints
Privacy Policy
Products
Register for Free
Welcome


Auctions
Books for Fun
Books for Education
Business
Buying Drum Gear
Chops Challenge
Clinics & Events
Concerts & Tours
Contests
Discount Drum Shop 1
Discount Drum Shop 2
Drum TV Show
Drum n Bass
Drum Skills Evaluation
Fame & Fortune
Famous Drummers
Forums
Fun With Drums TV Show
Gear & Accessories
Gladstone Technique
Healthy Drumming
Hip-Hop / Rap
History & Culture
How To Guides
Interviews
Laugh It Up
Lessons for Free
Loops & Samples
Magazines
Member Links
Merchandise
MIDI Files
Moeller Technique
MP3
Newsgroups
Radio
Record Your Own
Reviews
Schools
Sit-in & Play
Software
Sponsors
Store
Tabs
Tension Free Drumming™
Ticket Sales
TigerBill and Friends
TigerBill's Bio
TigerBill's Gear Picks
TigerBill's Clinics & Events
TigerBill's Drum Shop
TigerBill's Lessons
TigerBill's Place
Tips and Tricks
Videos
Vintage Gear
WFD

Polka Fun

Polkas can be fun to play... with a little creativity.

Any dance rhythm, no matter how basic the pattern, can be cool with a little touch of creativity. Take the Polka, for example. The basic pattern is rather uninspiring:

But, with some creativity, you can turn the above in this:

The modified version uses single stroke alternating hand to hand sticking on the snare drum to give the Polka a fuller sound. Take that a step further by adding a splash of chops, and you transform the Polka into the following:

The advanced version has you playing the accented snare drum part with the left stick only (providing you have the chops), which lets you add the right stick ride cymbal on the downbeat to go along with the bass drum. Playing the Advanced Polka might be too much for the entire song but it adds just the right amount of excitement when used on the choruses. For example, in the Polka "Roll Out The Barrel," the part where they sing "roll out the barrel" is the chorus.

Get Creative
Practice creating your own variations on the Polka.You can start by taking my examples and changing the ride cymbal part or varying the bass drum a bit. Although there lots of variations that can make the Polka a "fun" rhythm to play, try not to lose sight of the fact that the basic down- and upbeat of the Polka rhythm must remain solid, regardless of what you add on top. If you lose the basic pattern, you're no longer playing a Polka!

With a little creativity, you can transform any tired old dance rhythm into a beat that's not only fun to play but that really cooks! Try it. You'll be surprised at what cool patterns you can come up with, not to mention all the fun you'll have along the way.

Have fun and stay loose.

 

Become a Free Member of the largest, most Comprehensive Drum Site on the Web

Learn TigerBill's Innovative Tension Free Drumming and take your chops to the next level

Get TigerBill's Free Info-Packed Newsletter, Monthly Chances to Win Valuable Drum Stuff

& Much More...

Click Here to Register as a Free Site Member

Copyright © 1998-2013 by TigerMix.com, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Unauthorized reproduction without permission is prohibited except as noted.

< Back to Top >

Free Site Membership!
Click Here for FREE Site Registration and become a member of the largest drum and percussion family on the Web!

* S I D E B A R *

Links Related
to this Article

Related Links on Site

.
Disco Sounds Good, With A Little Creativity!

Related Links on Web

.
Buy Your Drum Gear at the Lowest Prices on the Web