Anatomy of a Groove

Let's say you are in a studio session and the recording artist is showing you the bass part to a new song. You've never heard it before and there seems to be a dozen different drum set grooves that would work with it. The first thing you should do is ask the artist what he/she hears.
They will most likely tell you to play what you feel since this is the reason you were hired in the
first place. The way I approach this situation is as follows:
a). Always start with the most basic pattern first. Simplify the groove so it locks with the bass part.
b). Make sure you are working on the groove at the tempo at which it will be recorded. I cannot stress this enough. Technically the pattern will feel different to you at various tempos and will likely gravitate towards its original tempo. Use a click track if necessary.
c). Make sure you check out what the other musicians will be playing (especially in an overdub situation) and make sure the groove is not too busy.
d). You may also want to experiment with different snare drums and overall drum sounds and make sure they fit the song. Pay careful attention to tuning the kit.
Once you do a take of the song go into the control room and listen very critically. This can be difficult to do but remember that you will have to live with the recording forever.
Ask yourself the following questions: Does the tune feel good? Is the time consistent
from beginning to end? Is your sound consistent? If the answer is yes and the producer/artist is happy your job is done. If not get back to work.
Here is a bass line followed by five possible drum grooves (from sparse to busy) that could work with it. Again, pay careful attention to how the bass line and the snare/bass drum line up.



The equipment I am using for this video consists of:
Doc Sweeney Stave Drums in African Olivewood
20"x 16" Bass Drum
Toms: 8"x 8", 10"x 8", 14"x 14 flloor tom"
14"x 6.5" Snare Drum
Cymbals are:
Sabian Jack DeJohnette 20" Ride
Wuhan 20" Lion Cymbal
Paiste Traditional 16" and 17" thin crashes
Sabian HH 13" Regular Hi-Hats
Sabian 12" AA Mini Hats
Heads on toms are Remo Pinstripes on toms
Bass drum is an Aquarian Power stroke 1 head.
Snare is a Aquarian coated head
Microphones are a AKG C24 stereo overhead and an Shure Beta 52 on the Bass drum