Foundation

The New Breed System

Sing one melody, play one reading exercise — combine

Duration · 25 min Focus · Independence / Method

Gary Chester's The New Breed (1985) is a system, not a book of patterns. The book contains two ingredients: 11 sung melodies (numbered, written out as snare-line rhythms) and 39 reading patterns (kit grooves with progressively syncopated kick and snare). The system is mix-and-match: pick one melody, pick one reading pattern, and play them together. With 11 × 39 = 429 combinations, you have a year of practice material from one book.

What it teaches that no other book teaches as cleanly: the voice and the limbs are different processors. The melody you sing is the part you own without thinking; the reading pattern is the part you have to read off the page. Combining them practices the actual situation a working drummer is in — playing time while reading a chart, or while a bandleader cues new material.

The exercises below take that idea and demonstrate it in miniature. Each shows a SUNG melody (notated above) and a PLAYED kit pattern (notated below). The notation is two-voice; the upper voice is the melody you vocalize, the lower voice is what your hands and feet play.

As in independence-singing: the upper voice is NOT played. It is sung aloud while the limbs play the lower voice. Read each tip carefully — the singing assignment is the lesson content, not just a hint.

1 — Sing Melody 1 (Quarter Pulse) Over Reading I-A
4/4 · ♩ = 85
SUNG (upper): four quarter notes — Chester's Melody 1, the simplest sung pulse. Vocalize "da, da, da, da." PLAYED: the simplest reading pattern — kick on 1 and 3, hi-hat foot on 2 and 4. Add hi-hat 8ths in your hand if you can; if you can't hold all of it yet, drop the hand-hat. The four-foot-pattern alone, with the sung quarter pulse on top, IS the New Breed entry-level exercise.
2 — Sing Melody 2 (Two Halves + Quarter) Over a Backbeat
4/4 · ♩ = 80
SUNG (upper): a half note through beats 1–2, then quarters on 3 and 4 — "DAaaaa, da, da." PLAYED: kick on 1 and 3, snare backbeat on 2 and 4 from your hand. The upper line is a vocal score, not a played-snare part — don't strike it.
3 — Sing 8th-Note Melody Over a Syncopated Kick
4/4 · ♩ = 75
SUNG (upper): six 8ths per bar — "da-da · _ -da · da-_ · da-da", two rests inside each half-bar. PLAYED: the syncopated kick figure 1, & of 2, 3, & of 4. This is the crux exercise: hold the sung melody dead steady while the foot lives its own life.
4 — Sing Quarters Over a Walking Snare-Comp Pattern
4/4 · ♩ = 80
SUNG (upper): steady quarters again — the easiest possible vocal anchor. PLAYED: a more elaborate foot pattern — kick on 1 and & of 2; hi-hat foot on every offbeat 8th plus beat 2. The feet are now busy in a way most beginners can't read; the sung quarter pulse keeps you oriented. This is the working method: when the limbs get hard, the voice gets simple.
Move on when
  • Sing a quarter-note pulse (Melody 1) while playing a basic reading exercise — two minutes, no drift
  • Sing an 8th-note melody while playing a syncopated kick figure — voice and limbs genuinely separate
  • Switch from singing Melody 1 to Melody 2 mid-loop without the limbs faltering
  • You can identify, in your own playing, whether the difficulty is in the voice, in the limbs, or in their combination
Listening 3 records

Listen for it

  1. 01

    Steve Smith Vital Information

    A direct Chester student. Hear the influence in his independence patterns.

  2. 02

    Kenwood Dennard Various studio recordings

    Another well-known Chester pupil; uses the system in real performance.

  3. 03

    Gary Chester The New Breed (book)

    The source. Borrow it from a library and try Melody 1 over Reading 1-A as your first session.