A Simple Canon Exercise For Drums

Obviously, the whole Row Row Row Your boat deal is just intended to convey the basic concept of a canon. What I've added here is a much simpler example that you can probably learn in a few tries and it really brings the idea home.

The first measure is just a dotted quarter and an eighth, i.e. ONE and two AND three and four and. Play it with your right hand on a cymbal (or tap the table, whatever).

At measure two you'll play the same thing, but you'll add your left hand playing TWO and three AND. Probably do that on the snare.

Now at measure three you'll add the bass drum on THREE and four AND.

Finally, you'll add the hi-hat with your left foot on FOUR and one AND. Notice that at this beat, the figure carries across the bar line into the next measure. This is where it starts to loop around.

If you can't do this, you could always cross a bar line and drink a lot of liquor. Then you would start to loop around. It wouldn't be the same but it might be fun.