Hi-hat barking is a type of open hi-hat technique where the open sound has a very short duration. Hi-hat barks are usually played as 16th notes, 16th note triplets or 32nd notes and are great for playing accents and shots with a band, as well as for ending songs. Hi-hat barking can be found in many different styles of music, but it’s in funk that it shines the most. In this free drum lesson Jared Falk teaches five drum beats that make use of this technique in very creative ways.
Before going through this free drum lesson, we highly encourage you to check the mini-series on opening-closing the hi-hat. As you progress through the various exercises you’ll move from playing the open hi-hat as 8th notes to playing 16th note hi-hat barks. Watch “Beginner Opening-Closing Hi-Hat” first, as it will get you used to opening and closing the hi-hat within your drum beats. If you’re already comfortable with it, move to “Intermediate Opening-Closing Hi-Hat” to start incorporating hi-hat barks into your playing. Mastering those free drum lessons first will have you going through this one with greater ease.
Much like the lesson on “Advanced Opening-Closing Hi-Hat,” the exercises from this one can be used at the end of a 4-bar sequence as embellishments to the main groove or even as subtle drum fills. Thus, practice going to and coming from these patterns by combining them with other drum beats you already know.