Names of different types of blast beats?

blastbeatkeeper

Senior Member
This is for the blasters out there...I know there are several types of blasts you can play, but what are they called?? I know the names- skank blast, bomb blast, etc. I just dont know which one is which. Im self taught, so I never got around and learned the names. Never really learned how to play them properly, either, but I am working on it. Anyone who can help, that would be awesome. Thanks. Ive included two examples of what Im talking about. Hopefully you can understand them....

When you blast 16ths on the snare- rrrr rrrr rrrr rrrr or LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL, and you match rhythm with the bass drum RLRL RLRL RLRL RLRL, while other hand is on 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Or when you blast 16ths on the snare, and then do 32nds on the bass, and say either R or L foot is matching the snare hits, with the other foot off the beat, with other hand on hihat or ride on 1,2,3,4. What are those two blasts called?

If anyone can help, that would be fantastic. Thanks in advance.
 
There are so many variations (and they keep expanding) - I'm definitely no expert here.
But this book (& CD) by Derek Roddy has it all I think (don't have it yet):
The Evolution of Blast Beats

I guess a good deal of those patterns are also covered on his DVD Blast Beats Evolved (which I have). I never bothered to learn the names, I would always think of them as patterns/exercises.

We do have a lot of threads on blast beats but I haven't found a thread that would list all those types yet.
 
their is also different names for blasts in regards to the speeds your playing.

an ultimate blast is in the 200-240 range... hyper blasts is faster than that etc.

but to answer your question

basically your standard blast beat is RLRLRLRLRLRL between ride cymbal and snare. or hi-hat snare / crash snare. in 16ths... your doing R L R L R L R L on the kick in 8th notes.
(i usually call that the open blast) it can be called the skank blast


now if you do right and left together in 8th noes.. on the hands (same time) with R L R L R L R L on the kick in 8th noes.. thats what i usually call the closed blast (sometimes called the "hammer blast"

then I will take the previous and switch my left or right hand to 1/4 notes while still doing 8th notes on the other and continuing with 8th on the kicks. Not 100% what that is called


then you have the free hand / gravity blast which isn't really required or necessary. I can do it but its more of a gimmick or party favor trick.

Now speed it up to 220-240 bpm and your blasting :)

you can also do this all with one bass pedal. but if your using a double, Once you get that down.. whenever your doing 1/8 notes on your kick switch it to 16th notes....

here's a small vid i made and you'll see how the 16th on the kick sound :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egq-1KOOhhE
 
Don't forget the one where you play 8ths on the snare, quarters on the hats, and 16ths with your feet. I don't know the name of it, but I have both seen and heard it in many situations. The gravity blast works well in this form too.
 
from wikipedia:

------Hammer Blast--------------------traditional blast-------------------------bomb blast--------------------------gravity blast--------------
C- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-| C- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-| C- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-| C- x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|
S- o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-| S- -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o| S- o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-| S- oooooooooooooooo|
B- o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-| B- o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-| B- oooooooooooooooo| B- o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-|


Hammer blast =(aka) "together" blast, unison blast, suffocation blast
Traditional blast =(aka) skank blast, open blast, grind beat
Bomb blast =(aka) double kick (hammer/together) blast, cannibal blast, (sometimes still called a bomb blast if the hands are doing traditional or gravity, while the feet are doing double kicks)
Gravity blast =(aka) freehand blast, rim blast

double the kicks under a gravity blast and it's still a gravity blast

using two feet under a hammer or traditional blast and it can be called an Economy blast

you can half or quarter the cymbal hits on any of them as well, in which case I would call them the same name "with (half/quarter) time (insert cymbal name)"

other ones that have been given names:

Hoglan blast: (after Gene Hoglan)
Basically anything with the hands continuing a straight blasty pattern and the kicks doing bursts (any length, any denomination)

Dirk Blast: (after Dirk Verbeuren)
uses the Flam Accent Rudiment alternating hands between snare and hats

C- R-----L-----R-----L-----|
S- L-L-R-R-R-L-L-L-R-R-R-L-|
B- o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-|
 
Never gave it a second thought to look it up on wiki...thanks Bretton. Thanks everyone else for the feedback.
 
There's also hyper blast wich is basically trad meets gravity turning it into a roll alternating between snare & kick. Although it's such an extreme version of it's hard to listen to if it's not used sparingly. Longstretch uses it once & a while.

oh yeah don't forget Fotis Benardo's "Hell Blast"
instead of being good ride/ cymbal and snare, its becomes Right hand on ride and left on Hi hat; while right foot on bass and left foot on a foot snare. Played at 16th note ?
quite interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNYmCs_5vFM

Now that's definatly a very unique approach.
 
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