Matt Garstka

Foundations — riff-tracking sticking

Building the clean sticking and kick control needed to track fast riff rhythms

• • Singles and doubles clean at speed on a practice pad
• • Basic double-kick alternation locked to a metronome
• • Accent control moved cleanly around the kit

Unlocks: The intro riff groove of CAFO

Heard in: CAFO · Isolated Incidents

Leads to: Stage 2 — Core grooves — linear riff tracking

5 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 90 BPM

Core grooves — linear riff tracking

Playing linear patterns that match a djent riff note-for-note

Carries in from: Stage 1 — Foundations — riff-tracking sticking

• • Linear hand-kick phrasing that mirrors a syncopated riff
• • Ghost notes filling the space the riff leaves open
• • Four-limb independence at a moderate, controllable tempo

Unlocks: The main verse groove of Physical Education

Heard in: CAFO · Physical Education · Another Year

Leads to: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — polymetric layering

6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 96 BPM

Signature techniques — polymetric layering

Running independent groupings across different limbs simultaneously

Carries in from: Stage 2 — Core grooves — linear riff tracking

• • A hi-hat ostinato in one grouping against a kick pattern in another
• • Polyrhythms (3 over 4, 5 over 4) held steady at a slow tempo
• • Odd groupings tracked cleanly against a steady quarter-note pulse

Unlocks: The polymetric verse section of Kascade

Heard in: Kascade · Another Year · Tempting Time

Leads to: Stage 4 — Metric modulation between riff sections

6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 100 BPM

Metric modulation between riff sections

Bridging riffs that imply different tempos without ever stopping

Carries in from: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — polymetric layering

• • Reinterpreting a subdivision as the new pulse mid-phrase
• • Metric modulation exercises drilled slowly before applying to riffs
• • Odd-meter fills that land the modulation cleanly on the new one

Unlocks: The tempo shift between sections in Physical Education

Heard in: CAFO · Physical Education · Kascade

Leads to: Stage 5 — Double-kick vocabulary under djent riffing

6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 104 BPM

Double-kick vocabulary under djent riffing

Weaving double kick into syncopated riff figures as a rhythmic voice

Carries in from: Stage 4 — Metric modulation between riff sections

• • 16th-note double-kick patterns matched precisely to palm-muted riff hits
• • 32nd-note kick bursts punctuating riff accents
• • Balance between kick attack and cymbal work at speed

Unlocks: The double-kick riff section of CAFO

Heard in: CAFO · Isolated Incidents

Leads to: Stage 6 — Fills & transitions — linear tom fills over riffs

6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 110 BPM

Fills & transitions — linear tom fills over riffs

Building fills that keep tracking the riff's rhythm rather than interrupting it

Carries in from: Stage 5 — Double-kick vocabulary under djent riffing

• • Linear 32nd-note fills mapped directly onto a riff's syncopation
• • Crash cymbal placement chosen to match riff accents exactly
• • Clean transitions from a polymetric section back into straight time

Unlocks: The pre-chorus fill in Kascade

Heard in: Kascade · Another Year · Tempting Time

Leads to: Stage 7 — Advanced coordination — four-limb polymeter

6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 108 BPM

Advanced coordination — four-limb polymeter

Running three or four independent layers at once across a full groove

Carries in from: Stage 6 — Fills & transitions — linear tom fills over riffs

• • Kick ostinato, hi-hat pattern and snare accent all in different groupings
• • Sustained four-limb independence at increasing tempo
• • Odd groupings switching voice between limbs mid-phrase

Unlocks: The instrumental coordination section of Physical Education

Heard in: Physical Education · Kascade · Tempting Time

Leads to: Stage 8 — Song applications — full arrangements

6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 104 BPM

Song applications — full arrangements

Playing complete pieces with polymeter, modulation and linear tracking together

Carries in from: Stage 7 — Advanced coordination — four-limb polymeter

• • CAFO from riff-tracking intro through to the double-kick climax
• • Kascade's polymetric verse sustained for the full form
• • Metric modulation held cleanly across a whole song's structure

Unlocks: A full run-through of CAFO

Heard in: CAFO · Physical Education · Kascade

Leads to: Stage 9 — Challenge workouts — speed and endurance

6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 116 BPM

Challenge workouts — speed and endurance

Pushing polymetric and linear vocabulary to performance tempo without drifting

Carries in from: Stage 8 — Song applications — full arrangements

• • Polymetric layers sustained without one limb pulling toward another
• • Double-kick endurance under a fast, syncopated riff for a full section
• • Rapid metric modulations stacked back to back

Unlocks: The full-speed polymetric climax of Kascade

Heard in: CAFO · Physical Education · Kascade

Leads to: Stage 10 — Mastery — composing over any riff

6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 130 BPM

Mastery — composing over any riff

Freely applying polymeter, modulation and linear tracking to new material

Carries in from: Stage 9 — Challenge workouts — speed and endurance

• • Improvising a polymetric layer over an unfamiliar djent riff
• • Choosing a metric modulation point on the fly that still feels musical
• • Applying the full coordination toolkit to any backing track on request

Unlocks: Improvising a Garstka-style polymetric part over any new riff

Heard in: CAFO · Physical Education · Kascade

6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 110 BPM