SamTheBassist wrote: Hey! My name's Sam. Me and my dad both play guitar and he is playing in a band, and unfortunatly dont know how to explain drum beats.
My dad wants to play Lynard skynard's "call me the breeze" (which seems to be outstanding drumming to me) and "down on the corner" by creedence clearwater, but can't describe the beat he likes.

-How would you describe
Lynard Skynard's "Call Me TheBreeze",
Credence Clearwater's "Down on the Corner",
Bad Companie's "can't get enough of your love"

and The Allmond Brothers "Statsboro Blues" to a drummer?

-Do you know where to get samples of drum tracks like these from online?

Thanks so much for all your time.
-Sam

Statesboro blues = blues shuffle
Call Me the Breeze = blues shuffle
Down on the Corner = blues shuffle
Can't Get Enough of Your Love = shuffle

Sam,
In general you call beats by the feel of the rhythm. Usually, determined by the hi hat on the drums, but can be explained by the kick pattern as well. For you, being a basist, the kick pattern would be the most determining aspect of the beat. Therefore, the following terms may apply.
a QUARTER NOTE FEEL
a EIGHTH NOTE FEEL
a SIXTEENTH NOTE FEEL
a THIRTY SECONDTH NOTE FEEL.
Hope tis helps,
Tommy

Sam asks;
-How would you describe
Lynard Skynard's "Call Me TheBreeze",
Credence Clearwater's "Down on the Corner",
Bad Companie's "can't get enough of your love"
and The Allmond Brothers "Statsboro Blues" to a drummer?

Sam, Statesbourough Blues and Can't get enough of your love are both shuffles but Down on the corner and The breeze are not. Down on the corner and the breeze have similar beats but I don't know of any particular name for that feel. Sort of a modified rock beat I suppose.

Speaking as a drummer, why not just give the drummer a CD or tape of the songs in question and let him/her hear it for themself? Seems this would be easier than trying to describe the beat in words. Let them HEAR it! ANDY

drumist69 has the most direct and practical advice, but I don't feel you should give up on learning to expand your vocabulary and trying to learn how to describe things to a drummer verbally. The problem is that the terminology is by no means standard. For example, there are plenty of people who will describe any song with a lot of swing feel as a "shuffle" even if it is basically eighth note rather than triplet based - see above. All depends on the region, musical culture, particular teachers.

The long range advice it to learn to play drums -at least a little. Buy some books and tapes. Take a few lessons. Buy a cheap set. As a bassist it will do you a world of good. It's not important that you become a good drummer, just that you really understand what the drummer is doing.

Swing and Shuffle are terms for specific beats or feels. A shuffle beat consists of straight quarter note beats with each beat being preceded by a beat on the sixteenth note just before it, thus grouping them together as couplets. Give yourself a four count and then think -
da dada dada dada dada and on. (don't overlook the spaces). That's shuffle.
Swing is more complicated - it alternates between a single quarter note beat followed by the sixteenth and quarter note couplet (same as shuffle) and then the single quarter note again.
Think - da da dada da dada da dada etc. The swing feel can be accentuated by crowding the couplets a little rather than playing them precisely on beat.
By now you probably regret asking the question.