FUNK IT UP By Darrell Grey
	The foundation of rock drumming is the snare back beat on two and four and the bass drum beat on one and three (boom bap boom bap), add some eighth notes on the high hat and you have a basic beat that will support most rock tunes. But this gets boring pretty fast for the drummer and the rest of the band. I learned this as a beginning drummer. When I listened to bands like Led Zeppelin I noticed a much more complex and interesting approach to Rock drumming. They were using more syncopated jazz funk rhythms within the groove. I wanted to learn this style but I didn't want to study jazz or soul music. My drum teacher at the time recommended a book called A Funky Primer by Charles Dowd. It's a very straight forward book with clearly written exercises for the snare, bass and high hat. These exercises will help you Master the independence between your hands and feet and, at the same time, learn some great funky grooves that will spice up your playing and your bands sound. The author Charles Dowd is highly educated in the art of drumming, graduating from Julliard, he now resides in the Northwest and teaches at the University of Oregon.
	*You can get A Funky Primer at Seattle Drum Shop on Aurora.