Bossa Nova (Hi-hat) - Drum Groove

This is the standard Bossa Nova drum pattern. It's presented using the clock or rhythm wheel method to facilitate the understanding of what is played by each limb. This is also very useful in understanding what different grooves have in common or not.

I designed the Groove series to be a complementary approach to traditional musical notation. It presents some advantages in understanding the structure of repetitive rhythms. The geometric shape of the rhythm is immediately visible and its properties are easily recognized.

My goal with this series was to create a learning tool where the musician can spend more time practicing the rhythm and less time trying to figure out what to play.

To create this video series, I'm using After Effects for all the animations and Ableton Live to record, sequence, and process the drum sounds.

Drum Grooves Collection:
   • Drum Grooves  

If you want to learn more about the usefulness of this representation, there's a great book by Godfried T. Toussaint called "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm".