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Lesson 2 of 4
  • Year 7

The role of the hi-hat in a drum groove

I can create a typical rock drum groove by adding hi-hat quavers.

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Lesson 2 of 4
New
New
  • Year 7

The role of the hi-hat in a drum groove

I can create a typical rock drum groove by adding hi-hat quavers.

Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and

Copyrights help

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The hi-hat is the third main part of a drum kit. It is higher and quieter than the kick and snare drum.
  2. The hi-hat can make an open or closed sound depending on whether its two cymbals are touching or not.
  3. A metronome helps keep time when recording in a DAW.
  4. After recording, the music can be pushed perfectly in time by using the quantise function.

Keywords

  • Hi-hat - part of a drum kit made of two cymbals

  • Cymbal - a concave metal disc that makes a bright sound when struck

  • Metronome - a device that clicks/ticks a beat to keep a player in time

  • Quaver - a note lasting half a beat; quavers often come in pairs

  • Quantise - the quantise function in a DAW pushes the notes perfectly in time

Common misconception

Pupils think the metronome matches the rhythms they play, since they previously played crotchets.

Pupils should play a metronome beat while the class claps quavers to highlight the metronome shows the pulse by clicking on the beats of the bar.


To help you plan your year 7 music lesson on: The role of the hi-hat in a drum groove, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Pupils may find it easier to solo the track into which they are recording so that they can hear the metronome more clearly. They may also find the American notation terminology confusing so you may need to give more time to explaining this.
Teacher tip

Equipment

A DAW or other suitable compositional tool or instrument

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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