Hole in the Earth Syncopated Hi-Hat Pattern — Abe Cunningham (Deftones) Drum Lick | MetalForge
Learn the Hole in the Earth Syncopated Hi-Hat Pattern drum lick by Abe Cunningham of Deftones. From Hole in the Earth (Saturday Night Wrist (2006)). Saturday Night Wrist (2006) is one of Deftones' most underappreciated records, and "Hole in the Eart...
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1. Abe Cunningham's Signature Licks — Saturday Night Wrist (2006) is one of Deftones' most underappreciated records, and "Hole in the Earth" — its lead single and most sonically direct track — showcases Abe Cunningham's ability to construct a syncopated alt-metal groove that simultaneously drives a song and leaves room for the band to breathe. At approximately 120 BPM, the groove is built on a hi-hat pattern that departs from standard eighth-note template playing: Cunningham emphasises certain subdivisions between the main beats with a wrist accent displacement that gives the groove its characteristic off-kilter pull, a slight syncopation that makes the pattern feel looser and more personal than a metronomic hi-hat sequence. This is the Cunningham signature at mid-paced alt-metal tempo — a groove that seems to push and pull at the same time, forward motion and a slight hesitation coexisting in the same bar.
The syncopation in the wrist pattern at the core of this groove is a form of hi-hat accent displacement: rather than the standard even eighth-note pattern with identical velocity on each stroke, Cunningham places slightly louder wrist accents on certain off-beat subdivisions — the "and" of two and the "and" of four — creating ghost strokes on the primary beats and accented strokes between them. This technique, familiar from funk and R&B drumming, is rarer in alt-metal but gives "Hole in the Earth" a looseness and groove quality that distinguishes it from the more aggressive drumming on Adrenaline or the atmospheric restraint of White Pony. The groove has personality because it departs from template hi-hat patterns, and learning to hear and execute those departures is one of the most effective ways to develop a rhythmic vocabulary beyond the standard metal toolkit.
The wrist mechanics that enable this kind of syncopated hi-hat work involve differential velocity between the accented and ghost strokes — accented strokes use a full wrist motion from top, ghost strokes rebound from the stick's natural rest position. Cunningham executes this with the efficiency he brings to everything: no wasted motion, no over-accenting, just the precise calibration of stroke and rebound that produces the syncopated texture. For drummers, this pattern is one of the most transferable in Cunningham's catalogue: it can be adapted to many mid-paced alt-metal or hard rock contexts, developing wrist sensitivity, hi-hat control, and the ability to build groove personality from subdivision rather than from fills or special effects. The Saturday Night Wrist groove opens the door to a whole language of syncopated hi-hat writing that most metal drummers overlook entirely.2. Abe Cunningham Profile — Accent the off-beat subdivisions (the 'and' of 2 and 4) with a full wrist stroke while letting the on-beat strokes ghost at rebound level Keep the snare backbeats on 2 and 4 with full authority regardless of the hi-hat syncopation above them Maintain consistent tempo through the syncopated hi-hat — the displacement is a velocity change, not a timing change Practise the hi-hat pattern alone until the syncopated accents feel natural before adding snare and kick Vary the degree of accent displacement to find the level that gives the groove personality without obscuring the pulse
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