My Own Summer Power Groove — Abe Cunningham (Deftones) Drum Lick | MetalForge
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Learn the My Own Summer Power Groove drum lick by Abe Cunningham of Deftones. From My Own Summer (Shove It) (Around the Fur (1997)). "My Own Summer (Shove It)" from Deftones' 1997 album Around the Fur is the most explosive groove in ...
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1. Abe Cunningham's Signature Licks — "My Own Summer (Shove It)" from Deftones' 1997 album Around the Fur is the most explosive groove in Abe Cunningham's catalogue and demonstrates the high-velocity, attack-first side of his playing that contrasts so sharply with the restraint he displays on tracks like "Digital Bath." The song opens with a broadsword of a drum part: a driving, relentless verse groove where Cunningham hammers the hi-hat with urgent 8th notes, plants his snare backbeats with punishing authority, and propels the whole arrangement forward with the physical confidence of a drummer who knows exactly where the power in his kit is. The pre-chorus builds with an escalating fill that moves across the toms with gathering intensity, and the chorus detonates into a full-throttle power groove — open hi-hats, massive backbeats, and a kick pattern that pounds in lockstep with the guitar riff. What makes the performance particularly distinctive is the consistent velocity: Cunningham maintains an almost alarming level of energy from start to finish without ever losing control, which requires both physical stamina and the internal clock to keep an explosive groove from rushing or falling apart under its own momentum. The fills between sections are among his most celebrated: rapid, decisive sweeps across the kit that resolve with a snare crack that seems to simultaneously drive the entire band into the next section. His ability to sustain this intensity across a full take — the track is over four minutes of consistently high-energy drumming — is one of the most often-cited examples of Cunningham's raw physical power at the drums. The song is also a study in how heaviness at pace differs from speed for its own sake: the groove is demanding because of its sustained energy output, not because of technical complexity, and maintaining that output while keeping the pocket clean is where the real work lies. For drummers, "My Own Summer" is a study in controlled aggression and power-groove endurance: it develops the stamina to maintain explosive hi-hat energy across a full song, the coordination to lock a punishing kick pattern to a fast-moving riff, and the precision fills that mark section transitions without losing forward momentum. Learning it builds confidence at pace and teaches you how to channel raw power into a groove that drives a song rather than flattening it.2. Abe Cunningham Profile — Drive the verse with urgent 8th-note hi-hat strikes to establish relentless forward momentum Plant snare backbeats with maximum authority — the groove's power comes from snare weight, not speed Lock the kick pattern tightly to the guitar riff for a punishing, unified low-end attack Build the pre-chorus tom fill gradually so the chorus detonation feels earned and inevitable Sustain consistent velocity across the full song without letting the groove rush or go slack
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