The Woven Web Linear Groove — Matt Garstka (Animals as Leaders) Drum Lick | MetalForge
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Learn the The Woven Web Linear Groove drum lick by Matt Garstka of Animals as Leaders. From The Woven Web (The Joy of Motion (2014)). "The Woven Web" from The Joy of Motion (2014) is the track Matt Garstka chose to break down in his w...
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1. Matt Garstka's Signature Licks — "The Woven Web" from The Joy of Motion (2014) is the track Matt Garstka chose to break down in his widely watched Drumeo session, and it has since become a reference point for anyone studying modern linear drumming. A linear pattern is one where no two limbs strike at the same time — every note is its own event, the hands and feet weaving in and out of each other like a single melodic line spread across the kit. Garstka uses this approach to play fast, flowing sixteenth-note figures that move seamlessly between the snare, toms, hi-hat and kick, creating the illusion of far more notes than are actually being played. Underneath the flash, the groove stays firmly in the pocket: the backbeat is always implied, and the band's djent-style guitar chugs lock to his kick drum so tightly that the riff and the drums read as one rhythmic gesture. The song also showcases his command of dynamics, ghost notes and orchestration around the kit — the way he chooses which drum each note lands on is what turns a technical exercise into a musical phrase. For students, this lick is the ideal gateway into linear playing because Garstka himself demonstrated it slowly and explained the sticking, so the logic behind each move is documented. Building it up teaches limb independence, even sixteenth-note timing, and the discipline of placing every stroke deliberately. It rewards patience: played too fast before the sticking is automatic it falls apart, but once internalised it unlocks a whole vocabulary of fills and grooves that sound impossibly fluid. It is one of the most instructive single tracks in the entire instrumental-progressive-metal catalogue. Spend time with it and you will hear your own fills start to flow more melodically, because the linear approach trains you to think of the kit as one connected instrument rather than a set of separate drums.2. Matt Garstka Profile — Map out the sticking so no two limbs ever play at the same time — this is the core of linear playing Keep the implied backbeat present even while the notes move around the kit Orchestrate the linear figure across snare, toms and hi-hat to turn it into a musical phrase Lock the kick drum to the guitar chug so drums and riff read as one rhythm Build the pattern one beat at a time at slow tempo before stringing the bars together
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