Stax Drumming
Learn how to play classic soul songs on the drums
This Is The Beginner Stax Drumming Course
Welcome to the Stax drumming course. Here we will learn how to play the drum beats for some classic Stax soul tunes.
We previously looked at 1960s Motown from Detroit. Another huge record label in American soul music history from the same period was the Stax record label.
Stax was based in Memphis, Tennessee and was founded in the late 1950s by Jim Stewart joined later by sister Estelle Axton.
The recording studio they created was in a former auditorium with sloped floors where the seating was originally positioned. The odd shape created unique acoustics.
Much of the Stax recordings featured the same small group of musicians who later became known as Booker T and the MGs. The core players in this groups were:
- Booker T Jones – Keys
- Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn – Bass
- Steve Cropper – Guitar
- Al Jackson Jr – Drums
So with the single studio, in house/small group session band and pioneering soul sound, you can see the similarities with Motown records. But whereas Motown had a few core drummers, with this Stax style focus we are really studying Al Jackson Jr.
And when studying Al the key word is groove. He had amazing feel and always played for the song to make it feel amazing. So this isn’t a drummer to study if you want all the limelight but Al Jackson is a drummer that I think everyone should study and, as a result, we become better musicians.
Essential Listening
- Soul Man – Sam and Dave
- Hold on I’m coming – Sam and Dave
- Walk on By – Isaac Hayes
- Green Onions – Booker T and the MGs
- Hip Hug-Her – Booker T and the MGs
- Hang ‘Em High – Booker T and the MGs
- Time Is Tight – Booker T and the MGs
- In the Midnight Hour – Wilson Pickett (recorded this session at Stax)
- Walking the Dog – Rufus Thomas
- Knock on Wood – Otis and Carla
So if you’re ready to get soulful, get into Al Jackson Jr mode and learn some classic Stax drumming, then it’s time to click below and get going. You will be taken to a course which breaks down several of the classic Stax drum beats, as well as giving full notation for Stax soul songs and then finishes with two drumless backing tracks so you can practice your beats along with music.
Click to access the course
Faster Hands in 7 Days FREE Challenge
By clicking below you can gain access to a FREE ‘7 days to faster hands’ drum course that will guarantee to raise your speed by the end or your money back (yes it is free so not the best guarantee ever!). But seriously, it will make a difference in a really short space of time.
But more than trying to create unrealistic miracles in a short space of time, it will also set up long term habits that will help you find your full potential as a drummer long into the future. And that is way more important.
It will show you:
- The fundamental techniques to play at your best level
- How to properly grip the sticks
- How to prepare yourself properly to drum
- How to make the stick do the work so you don’t have to
- How to set your drums up for optimum speed
- How to apply this around the kit
- Exercises to develop control as well as speed
- How to take this on into the future to become awesome!
And more than that you will also get a ton of other great free drum resources to make you a better drummer such as playalong tracks, articles, exclusive video lessons and more. And it’s all free!
Watch the video to get a feel for what the seven day course entails and then scroll down to get the course immediately.
Start today and build your hand speed up
So let’s start the course today. Do it now and begin your 7 day process to get faster hands. This time next week you’ll be enjoying the results and thinking about how you can take it to the next stage (by the way, the course helps with that too as we’ll be checking speed progress over the next 12 months).
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