Blues Drumming Instructional Videos
See the Groove. Understand the Feel.
Watch Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith demonstrate authentic blues drum rhythms through short instructional videos. Each example highlights the touch, accents, coordination, and dynamics that shape the groove and help the music feel right.
Chicago Blues Shuffle
Watch Kenny demonstrate how the shuffle pulse, backbeat, and musical space work together to create the deep pocket associated with Chicago blues.
How to Play a Side-Stick Blues Shuffle
Watch Kenny demonstrate how the side-stick sound can soften the attack while keeping the shuffle pulse steady and deeply in the pocket. This approach creates space for the other instruments while preserving the groove’s weight and blues feel.
How to Play Slow Blues Drum Beats
Slow blues demands control, patience, and feel. Watch Kenny demonstrate how carefully placed notes, dynamics, and a steady pulse can support the music without overcrowding it—allowing every accent and space to carry emotional weight.
How to Play a Rock-Influenced Blues Groove
This groove brings a harder rock attack into a blues setting while keeping pocket and feel at the center. Watch Kenny demonstrate how a strong backbeat, controlled power, and carefully placed space can add intensity without losing the rhythm’s Chicago blues foundation.
How to Play a Box Car Blues Shuffle
Named for the box-shaped pattern guitarists form on the fretboard, the Box Car shuffle carries a rolling pulse and unmistakable blues character. In this short drum demonstration, Kenny shows how touch, timing, space, and a steady backbeat create a deep pocket proving that the groove is not only about the pattern, but how it feels.
How to Play a Backward / Flat Tire Blues Shuffle
The Backward Shuffle—also known as the Flat Tire Shuffle—gets its distinctive character from the offset relationship between the snare accents, cymbal pattern, and steady pulse. Kenny demonstrates how controlled accents, consistent time, and a relaxed touch keep the pocket steady, musical, and deeply rooted in the blues.
How to Play a Swing Shuffle Beat
A swing shuffle depends on the balance between the cymbal pattern, snare backbeat, and steady time underneath the groove. Kenny demonstrates how relaxed touch, clear accents, and controlled dynamics create lift while keeping the pocket grounded and connected to the blues.
How to Play a Bo Diddley–Style Beat
The Bo Diddley beat is built around a bold, syncopated five-accent pattern that creates an instantly recognizable feel. Kenny demonstrates how to place the accents cleanly, keep the time steady, and use touch and dynamics to make the rhythm feel powerful without overplaying.
How to Play a Straight Blues Beat
This straight blues beat uses an even cymbal pattern and a solid backbeat on beats 2 and 4, creating a clear, steady foundation without a shuffle feel. Kenny demonstrates how consistent time, controlled dynamics, and carefully placed accents give the groove weight and character while keeping it grounded in the blues.
How to Play a Jazzy Swing Blues Groove
This groove brings a lighter swing feel into the blues through a relaxed cymbal pattern, tasteful snare accents, and controlled dynamics. Kenny demonstrates how touch, space, and steady time create a more conversational pocket while keeping the rhythm firmly connected to the blues.
Slow Blues Drumming Techniques: Space, Dynamics & Feel
Slow blues reveals every note. Kenny demonstrates how steady time, controlled dynamics, touch, and intentional space create a groove that feels deep and expressive without becoming crowded. The focus is not on playing more it is on placing each note with purpose, supporting the music, and allowing the blues to breathe.
How to Play a Delta Slow Blues Groove
Delta slow blues calls for patience, restraint, and a deep sense of time. Kenny demonstrates how a triplet-based cymbal pattern, carefully placed snare accents, controlled bass drum, and intentional space shape an earthy, expressive groove. Every beat has a purpose, and every part of the rhythm must serve the blues.
How to Play a Blues Train Beat
The train beat is driven by a steady snare pattern, a light hi-hat texture, and the bass drum marking all four beats to keep the rhythm firmly grounded. Kenny demonstrates how controlled accents, consistent time, and relaxed touch create movement and character without overpowering the music. The goal is not speed. It is building a dependable pocket that stays rooted in the blues.
How to Play a Rhumba Blues Groove
The rhumba blues groove blends a syncopated, Latin-influenced rhythm with the weight and character of the blues. Kenny demonstrates how the toms, cymbal pattern, snare accents, and bass drum work together to create a danceable pocket with depth and movement. The focus is on balance, touch, and making each part of the kit serve the groove without overcrowding it.
How to Play a Blues Groove on Electronic Drums
An electronic drum kit changes the sound and response, but the foundation of blues drumming remains the same. Kenny demonstrates how steady time, controlled dynamics, touch, and feel keep the groove rooted in the blues while using the flexibility of an electronic kit.
Continue Learning the Language of Blues Drumming
Listening, watching, reading, and playing all reveal something different about the groove. Continue exploring Kenny’s blues drumming resources to strengthen your understanding of rhythm, pocket, and feel.
Rooted in Chicago. Driven by Feel. One groove at a time.