In one of the previous posts, we did learn that the snare drum can be played in different ways. The tip of the stick striking the snare drum head and the shoulder of the stick striking the rim and the snare drum head together. Ever heard of the cross-stick? Let’s dig in!

Playing the Snare Drum

The snare drum is by far the most explosive part of the drums. In a live performance, if your snare drum doesn’t cut through the mix, the audience wouldn’t be able to relate to the tempo of your playing.

Today, we learn the cross-stick technique to play the snare drum. Mostly used in the blues genre, the cross-stick can add the flavour you need to make your drums sound bar-none-awesome!

How to Play the Cross-Stick?

First, place your wrist down on the head of the snare drum. Once you feel comfortable with your posture and with your wrist somewhere near the middle of the snare drum, place the stick under your palm and support it using your little finger, otherwise called as the “Pinkie”. Grip the front of the stick using your thumb and your index finger. This is the cross-stick technique.

There are several important things that you have to notice before you start playing using the cross-stick technique. You don’t want too much of the stick outside the rim or too much of it within the snare drum head. The point where the stick hits the rim of the snare drum should be approximately where the taper ends for a solid wooden sound.

Using Cross Stick to Play Quarter Notes

Who remembers the classic two-time beat and the Waltz beat? If you haven’t practised them, please go back to the blog post on quarter note grooves, learn them and come back to this post.

Now, when we play the classic two-time beat, the kick drum and the hi-hat go on count 1 while the hi-hat and the snare drum go on count 2. In this case, replace the usual snare drum hit with the cross-stick and see how it sounds.

Please remember not to move the position of the stick when you are playing the cross-stick. If you move from the sweet spot on the rim of the snare drum, it could destroy the feel of the groove. Similarly, try playing the standard eighth note groove using the cross-stick technique.

Once you feel comfortable, you can try improvising with the kick drum pattern while playing with the cross-stick on counts 2 and 4. Give it your best shot. See how it feels when you try to increase the tempo.

Using Cross Stick to Play 6/8 and 12/8 Grooves

Playing the drums is all about pushing yourself to improvise and create new sounds. Next, we move on to something more challenging. The 6/8 (6 notes in a bar) time signature and the 12/8 (12 notes in a bar) time feel are traditionally used in R&B, blues, soul and gospel genres.

Remember to count as you play. For the 6/8 time feel, count along from 1 to 6 and for every count, play the hi-hat with your right hand, play the kick drum on 1 and the cross-stick on 4. Get comfortable with this groove at a lower tempo before trying to increase the speed.

Next is the 12/8 time signature. Here, we divide the groove into two bars just so you don’t find it difficult to count. For the first part, you play the same 6/8 groove (hi-hat on all 6 counts, kick drum on 1 and cross-stick on 4).

Now, for the rest of the bar for the 12/8 groove, you play the kick drum again on count 6 of the last bar and transition to playing the bass drum on count 1 of the next bar. Remember, repetitions can help you lock in to the groove and strengthen your muscle memory.

Whenever you play tricky time signatures like 6/8 and 12/8, remember not to sit uptight but relax your body and breathe. Let your emotions feel the groove and never forget to have fun while you’re at it.

For the next lesson, we delve into the art of playing the ride cymbal. Stay tuned!