How to Improve Your Groove on Drums (Without Playing Faster)
- Rob Bishop
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
Rob Bishop | robbishopdrums.com
Quick Answer
To improve your drum groove, stop focusing on what you play and start focusing on how you play it. Groove comes from consistency, dynamics and space — not more notes. Record yourself and listen back, be critical of what sounds together and what doesn't. The drummers who sound best are not the ones playing the most. They are the ones making every note feel intentional.
If your drumming doesn't feel great, even when you’re playing the right notes, the problem usually isn’t what you’re playing.
It’s how you’re playing it.
That’s what groove is. And it’s the difference between drumming that makes people want to move and drumming that makes people feel vaguely uncomfortable without knowing why.
Most beginners think improving means playing more notes, playing faster, or learning harder patterns. But in reality, the drummers who sound best aren’t necessarily the ones playing the most. They’re the ones making every note feel intentional.
To show you what I mean, here’s a performance I recorded playing along to Rosie by John Mayer.
# Watch the Performance
Before you read on, watch it through once, and just listen. Does it feel good? Does the hi-hat sit comfortably in the track or does it overpower everything? Does the groove feel relaxed or tense?
Those instinctive reactions you have as a listener are exactly what we’re going to talk about.
# What Is Groove, Actually?
Groove is one of those words that gets used constantly in drumming but rarely explained properly.
Here’s the simplest way I can put it:
Groove is what happens when timing, dynamics, and feel are all working together.
Take any one of those away and something starts to feel off, even if you can’t immediately identify what. The beat might be technically correct but feel stiff. Or it might feel rushed even though the tempo is right. Or it might feel too loud, too mechanical, too busy.
Groove is the combination of getting all three things right simultaneously. And the only way to develop it is to start paying attention to each one separately.
# What I Was Focusing On in This Performance
When I recorded this, I wasn’t thinking about impressing anyone. I was thinking about making the drums feel good in the context of the song.
Here’s specifically what I was focused on:
The hi-hat dynamics
The hi-hat is the most constant sound in most grooves, it’s playing on almost every subdivision, its the ''connective tissue''. Which means if it’s too loud, too inconsistent, or too mechanical, it dominates everything and the groove suffers.
Listen to the hi-hat in this performance. Is it overbearing? Does it sit underneath the snare and kick, or does it compete with them? A well-controlled hi-hat should feel like it’s holding the groove together quietly, present but not dominating.
This is something beginners almost never think about because they’re concentrating so hard on getting the pattern right. But dynamics, the volume and touch of each limb, is what separates drumming that grooves from drumming that just keeps time.
The 16th notes — and how they’re played
The hi-hat in this groove is playing 16th notes. That means four evenly-spaced notes per beat rather than two.
Here’s something most beginners don’t know: there’s a completely different feel between playing 16th notes with one hand versus two hands alternating.
With one hand, the notes have a natural slight unevenness, a human quality that sits differently in the groove. With two hands alternating, it’s more controlled and even but the feel changes. Neither is wrong. But the choice matters, and it affects how the whole groove feels to a listener.
In this performance I played the 16ths with one hand. Listen to whether you can hear that in the feel.
Staying relaxed
Tension is the enemy of groove. When you’re tense — gripping too hard, shoulders up, holding your breath, it comes through in the playing. The notes feel forced rather than flowing.
Everything in this performance was about staying relaxed and letting the groove breathe. Not overplaying. Not forcing. Just sitting in the pocket with the track and making it feel good.
# What to Listen For as a Beginner
When you watch this performance, or any drumming you’re trying to learn from, here are the questions I’d ask:
Does it feel good?
This sounds obvious but most beginners skip straight to “what is he playing” without asking whether it feels good first. Trust your instincts as a listener. If something feels good, ask yourself why. If something feels off, ask yourself why.
How is the hi-hat being played?
Is the volume consistent? Is it sitting underneath everything else or fighting for attention? Is it rushing or is it locked in? The hi-hat tells you an enormous amount about a drummer’s control.
What are the dynamics doing?
Is everything the same volume, or does the snare cut through clearly while the hi-hat sits underneath? Does the kick feel grounded? Dynamic balance is what makes a groove feel musical rather than mechanical.
Does it feel relaxed or tense?
You can hear tension in drumming even if you can’t explain exactly what you’re hearing. Relaxed playing has a flow to it. Tense playing feels like someone trying too hard.
# How to Actually Improve Your Groove
Understanding groove is one thing. Developing it is another. Here’s where to start:
1. Play simple patterns and focus entirely on feel
Pick the most basic groove you know. Now forget about the pattern, you already know it. Instead, focus entirely on how it feels. Is your hi-hat consistent? Is your snare cutting through cleanly? Are you relaxed?
Simple patterns are where groove is developed. Complex patterns are where groove is demonstrated.
2. Record yourself and listen back
This is the most important practice tool you have and the most underused. Record a simple groove, put your sticks down, and listen back as an audience member.
Does it feel good? Be honest. Most drummers are shocked the first time they really listen to themselves objectively.
3. Play along to music with feel
Songs like Rosie aren’t technically demanding. But playing along to them and making your drums feel good in that context — that’s the work. The track won’t adjust for you. You have to lock in with it.
4. Pay attention to your hi-hat dynamics
Start here if you’re not sure where to focus. Control your hi-hat volume so it supports the groove rather than dominates it. This one change will improve how you sound more than almost anything else.
5. Slow down and relax
Groove doesn’t come from trying harder. It comes from relaxing more. If your playing feels tense or forced, the answer is almost never to push through — it’s to slow down, breathe, and let the notes flow rather than forcing them.
# The Thing Nobody Tells Beginners About Groove
Groove isn’t something you add on top of your playing once you’ve got the technical stuff sorted.
It’s something you develop from day one by paying attention to how things feel — not just whether the pattern is correct.
The best thing you can do right now is start asking “does this feel good?” every time you sit down to practise. Not “am I playing the right notes” — that matters too, but it’s not the whole picture. Feel is what turns correct notes into music.
Rosie is about.. Feel.
# Want to Develop Your Groove Properly?
If you want structured and clear progression, that builds your timing, dynamics and feel from the ground up — The Beginner Drum Course gives you exactly that. [Start The Beginner Drum Course - £97]
Or start for free with the Free Drum Starter Pack — it includes real grooves, real songs, and a complete breakdown of the fundamentals that make drumming feel good.
Here’s what’s inside:
- Full Billie Jean video breakdown — one of the best groove-building songs ever written
- Full Grade 1 song breakdown — Another One Bites the Dust, step by step
- 5 Essential Grooves every drummer needs to know (PDF)
- 5 Mistakes Beginners Make — and how to fix them
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Watch the Rosie performance and drop a comment — does it feel good to you? Tell me what you think of it..
FAQ Section:
What is groove in drumming?
Groove is what happens when timing, dynamics, and feel are all working together. A beat can be technically correct but still feel stiff or mechanical. Groove is the quality that makes people want to move, where things feel nice and goey and it comes from how you play, not just what you play.
How do I get a better groove on drums?
Start by playing the simplest pattern you know and focusing entirely on how it feels rather than what it is. Control your hi-hat dynamics, stay relaxed, and record yourself so you can hear what’s actually happening. Groove is developed in simple patterns, not complex ones.
Why does my drumming sound mechanical?
Usually because every note is being played at the same volume with the same force. Dynamics — the variation in touch and volume between your hi-hat, snare, and bass drum, is what makes drumming feel musical rather than robotic. Start by consciously bringing the hi-hat volume down. Think of yourself as a mixing board and has you play you're mixing your own sound.
Does playing faster improve your groove?
No — the opposite is usually true. Groove comes from relaxing into the beat, not forcing it. Slowing down and focusing on feel will improve your groove far more than playing faster or learning harder patterns.
How important is the hi-hat for groove?
Extremely. The hi-hat is the most constant sound in most grooves and acts as the connective tissue holding everything together. If it’s too loud, inconsistent, or mechanical, the whole groove suffers. Learning to control hi-hat dynamics is one of the most impactful things a beginner can work on.
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