The upbeat reveals everything – how to build a march on snare drum
When Kjell Samkopf set out to create his own trommeskole (drum method book), he did something most other textbooks had forgotten: he began with the upbeat. To get there, he had leafed through hundreds of band scores, searching for the patterns that actually recur in the music. Here is the lesson he shares.
The first point is that technique is about more than hitting the right spot. Samkopf is concerned that you should draw out the full tonal potential of whatever you strike, while playing in a way that is physically sensible for the body. The reason is practical: at 25 you are at your physical peak and can withstand a lot of bad habits, but that same technique has to carry you through long playing sessions well past the age of forty – without strain injuries.
The second point is how to build up your knowledge of note values step by step. Instead of jumping straight to sixteenth notes and triplets, Samkopf starts from the quarter note: you can divide it in two and get eighth notes, divide it in three, or divide it in four. That way you understand the principle behind the note values before you drown in denser rhythms.
The third point is the place of the upbeat. Samkopf discovered that no drum method books mentioned the upbeat – even though every old march begins precisely with an upbeat before the barline. He therefore introduced the upbeat early on, because it mirrors how band music actually sounds.
Practice tip: Take a simple march figure you already know, and practise it deliberately with an upbeat before the first downbeat. Lower your shoulders and arms slightly – Samkopf discovered for himself that lowered arms gave him a crucial extra millisecond to react.