Level 1 · The Three Sounds
1-2 - Ghost taps
Quiet fingertip taps - your future ghost notes.
How to practice it
Move your hands to the top corners of the plate. Tap with the pads of your fingers (like drumming on a table, all fingertips together), alternating Right-Left on steady quarter notes. Keep it LIGHT - half the volume of your bass tone.
Suggested take: ~45s · start 60 BPM → pass around 80 BPM
1
g
2
g
3
g
4
g
60 BPM
Start at 60, exercise passes around 80. Legend: B bass · S snare · g ghost · - rest
Tips
- • Fingertips land together as one unit near the top edge.
- • Think 'tick', not 'hit' - these fill space between the big sounds later.
- • Keep both hands hovering close to the plate between taps.
Watch out for
- • Playing ghosts as loud as bass - they should sit in the background
- • Uneven volume between right and left hand
- • Tapping with one finger instead of the whole fingertip group
Record your take
Aim for ~45s. Put the phone ~1m away, facing the front plate. You'll get Rafa's feedback within a minute of submitting.
Up next after this: 1-3 - First snares