Ginger Baker´s Double Stroke Triplets Exercise

"The Train", from "Ginger Baker´s Drum Book".
My very first drumbook, it´s been my "drummers bible" for years. Just 80 pages, but it is all in there what a rock drummer needs. I bought it in 1980 and practised Ginger´s exercises just for practising. Those days I had no idea what they might be good for. Strange enough Ginger wrote exercises that are more "rudimental" rather than "Rock"..!!!
Now I digged this one out again, and tried to figure out if it really does make a train beat, by trying to visualise the written exercise using some randomly stolen train video from youtube... I do think it works, thanx Mr. Baker. "a vid means more than thousand words"..When Ginger wrote this book, there was no option to visualize or listening to the "Train Idea". It was just a few dots on a piece of paper, an I did not understand those dots..getting older and wiser, I noticed that the secrets of drumming can be written down in just one unspectacular line, like G.B. did.
I played it on a cheap kid´s snare with rods, trying to create some kind of metallic rattling sound.
Buy this book, if it is still available!
This is to highlight that Ginger`s drumming is more than just his legendary dramatical impressive tom/doublebass rolls.
It is a good double stroke exercise especially for the left hand, as it is triplets played with double strokes, and the accents mostly fall on a second (4th) stroke. Press stop in the intro to check the basic sticking, which is very important. It does not sound like a train if it is played with hand to hand triplets.

Quote GB:
"This exercise is the creation of Phil Seamen.
He was travelling to see his parents by train, and being alone in the carriage decided to do some practise. He found himself playing along with the wheels of the train. This is what evolved.
The train then crossed a busy set of points (=12 bars of variations).
Phil always carried a pair of sticks with him and would practise at every opportunity. Even ten minutes helps".

Category:

Music

Tags:

• drum
• rudiments
• cream
• double
• stroke
• snare
• tutorial
• lesson
• steam
• engine
• train
• beat
• sound

[madchops82]

so do these rolls end on the 2nd stroke of a double stroke?

[rootheart]

yes

[Sean12182324]

Hi, very nice! Do you have any idea where I can get this book? I can't find it on the internet, I really want it!

[rootheart]

I don´t think it is still available. Kofi, Ginger´s son, wrote that even he doesn´t have a copy. I thought about asking him about permission to pdf the book and share it with fellow drummers, I´m not sure, but I guess I´d have to ask the publishing company, Ludwig

[rondolce]

It's an exercise, dumbass

[greenfruitface]

Yes it is very basic. So what? In his instructional DVD, he points out that Phil Seaman came up with this exercise as a way to make practicing these rudiments interesting, and that's all.

[TheRugester]

daaaamn. dude rocks. It's Ginjah Bakah. Awesome triplets mixed with quarter notes. The man is a genius.

[smithbonz]

I get sick of idiot so-called musicians who judge every thing musical on sophistication. I'd must rather listen to a soulful, sexy, or eerie Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton guitar solo than a stupid-ass shredder whose goal is to play nine thousand notes per bar and make no musical sense. Guys like Baker invented the whole art of hard rock drumming. Technique matters but its more what you do with technique to express your feelings and inspire others that matters. And yes it's an exercise dumbass!

[danwiththehat]

ya, thats like, brutally basic

[metalmike83]

uhhh, he's not a genius....this is as basic as you can get.

[mah38900]

Ginger Baker is a wierd guy, and a genius.