Early Rock And Roll And Polka - History And Development Drummers Guide

Rockabilly has a swung feel and has a large tempo range of quarter note equals from one hundred and twenty to 240 beats per minute. The basis of Standard Rock and Roll drumming is simple. Though most Standard Rock patterns and variations are relatively straight forward, Rock grooves may become quite complex depending on the requirements of a specific song. The Standard Rock grooves can be applied to numerous styles within the Rock genre. These include Classic Rock, Pop Rock, New Wave, Top 40, Easy Listening and Soft Rock, Hard Rock, Alternative, Grunge, Latin Rock, Punk, and even Progressive Rock. Standard Rock tempos range from quarter note equals to 60 beats per minute (for slow ballads) up to two hundred beats per minute. However, most Standard Rock songs have tempos of quarter note equals from one hundred and ten to one hundred and twenty beats per minute.

Though the drumming patterns in the Blues and Surf are an accurate representation of Early Rock and Roll drumming, the grooves are the most practical to use when playing Early Rock and Roll. A drummer's main role is to lay down a solid feel to support the music. Standard tempos range from quarter note equals 60 beats per minute (for slow ballads) up to two hundred beats per minute. One of the first forms of Rock and Roll, Rockabilly emphasized a strong guitar and piano sound with a heavy back beat on the snare drum, similar to that of Jump Blues. Prominent creators of the Rockabilly sound were Bill Haley and the Comets, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley. Its popularity diminished by the resurgence through Dave Edmunds, The Stray Cats in the 1980s and, more recently, Brian Setzer (former Stray Cats guitarist) and the Reverend Horton Heat.

Polka originated in the early 1800s in what is now the Czech Republic. The term probably stems from the word "pulka", which refers to the short half steps integrated into the dance. Toward the middle of the 19th century, the musical style spread to other European countries, including France, Germany, Austria, and especially Poland. Primarily composed and felt in 2/4, the genre is an upbeat, celebratory music traditionally played on an accordion, concertina, and fiddle accompanied by a rhythm section. Currently the instrumentation often includes clarinet, trumpet, tuba and saxophone. As a result of its simplicity, the primary drum set rhythm for Polka has influenced the rhythmic approach in many other genres of music.

Contemporary artists such as Frankie Yankovic, Lawrence Welk, and the Texas-based Brave Combo are a testimony to Polka's enduring popularity. In addition, a large number of drum scores for show tunes contain the Polka rhythm (commonly referred to as a "Two Beat"). Perhaps as a result of its simplicity, the primary drum set rhythm for Polka has influenced the rhythmic approach in many other genres of music including Country, Rock and Roll, Gospel Metal and Punk; Polka drum patterns can be found in all of these genres. The tempos for Polka are usually very bright at quarter note equals from one hundred and ninety two to two hundred and eighty beats per minute (in 2/4 time). Early forms of Rock and Roll are typically dance music.

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