Matt Garstka

≈ 145 (shifting) · 4/4 with polymetric riff sections

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — riff-tracking sticking

Primary technique:

Linear riff tracking with double kick

Also trains:

Metric modulation, Double-kick bursts, Polymeter

Key groove:

A tight linear groove that mirrors the riff's syncopation with the double kick woven in

Signature fill:

A 32nd-note double-kick burst that punctuates the riff's unison hit

Transition:

A metric modulation shifts the felt tempo into the song's climactic section

Listen for:

How closely the kick pattern follows every syncopation in the guitar riff

Training:

Locking a linear double-kick pattern precisely to a fast, shifting riff

Challenge:

Play the full riff-tracking groove without a single kick landing off the riff

• Intro: Riff-tracking linear groove establishing the feel
• Verse: Double-kick pattern locked to the syncopated riff
• Bridge: Metric modulation into a new tempo feel
• Climax: Full-intensity double-kick riff tracking
• Outro: Groove resolves back to the opening feel

≈ 140 (shifting) · 4/4 with instrumental odd-meter sections

Prep with: Stage 2 — Core grooves — linear riff tracking

Primary technique:

Four-limb independence over riffing

Also trains:

Metric modulation, Ghost notes, Linear phrasing

Key groove:

A verse groove that tracks the riff linearly while ghost notes fill the gaps

Signature fill:

An independence-driven fill where each limb briefly plays a different grouping

Transition:

The independence section resolves via a metric modulation back into the main riff

Listen for:

How the ghost notes keep the groove feeling relaxed despite the riff's density

Training:

Building four-limb independence that still tracks a real riff musically

Challenge:

Play the full instrumental coordination section from memory, no charts

• Intro: Linear groove tracking the opening riff
• Verse: Ghost notes filling space in the riff-tracking groove
• Instrumental: Four-limb independence section
• Bridge: Metric modulation back to the main riff
• Outro: Groove fades on the opening riff-tracking pattern

≈ 135 (shifting) · 4/4 with polymetric verse sections

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — polymetric layering

Primary technique:

Polymetric layering

Also trains:

Hi-hat ostinato, Odd-meter fills, Linear 32nds

Key groove:

A polymetric verse groove with the hi-hat grouped differently from the kick and snare

Signature fill:

An odd-grouping fill built from the same ratio as the underlying polymeter

Transition:

The polymetric layers briefly lock to unison before the chorus arrives

Listen for:

How the hi-hat seems to drift against the groove before realigning

Training:

Hearing and playing independent metric layers as one coherent groove

Challenge:

Play the full polymetric climax at tempo without any layer pulling toward another

• Intro: Kick and snare groove alone, establishing the base layer
• Verse: Polymetric hi-hat layer added on top
• Fill: Odd-grouping fill matching the polymeter's ratio
• Chorus: Layers lock briefly to unison
• Outro: Polymeter returns, fading to silence

≈ 100 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 2 — Core grooves — linear riff tracking

Primary technique:

Dynamic, restrained groove playing

Also trains:

Ghost notes, Dynamics, Linear fills

Key groove:

A more melodic, restrained groove that lets the riff's clean tone breathe

Signature fill:

A soft linear fill that never overpowers the surrounding clean-toned riff

Transition:

A dynamic swell rather than a busy fill carries the song into its climax

Listen for:

How much space is left in the groove compared to the band's denser material

Training:

Playing with restraint and dynamic control rather than technical density

Challenge:

Play the groove using noticeably fewer notes than feels natural

• Intro: Sparse groove with soft dynamics
• Verse: Ghost notes add subtle texture
• Build: Dynamics rise gradually
• Climax: Fuller groove at the song's peak
• Outro: Returns to the sparse opening feel

≈ 150 (shifting) · Constantly shifting odd meters

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — polymetric layering

Primary technique:

Metric modulation across a long form

Also trains:

Double-kick endurance, Linear 32nds, Polyrhythm

Key groove:

Rapid changes between differently grouped riff sections stitched together by modulation

Signature fill:

A modulation fill that reframes the subdivision into the next section's tempo feel

Transition:

Instant switch from a groove into a unison band hit in a new implied tempo

Listen for:

How confidently each modulation lands exactly on the new pulse

Training:

Fast recognition and execution of metric modulations back to back

Challenge:

Play through the full sequence of modulations at half tempo, then build up

• Intro: Rapid riff-section changes
• Instrumental: Continuous metric modulations with the band
• Fill: Modulation fill bridging two tempos
• Climax: Full-band unison hits in the new meter
• Outro: Resolves back to the opening theme

≈ 128 · 4/4 with layered odd groupings

Prep with: Stage 2 — Core grooves — linear riff tracking

Primary technique:

Four-limb independence over a groove-forward riff

Also trains:

Ostinato independence, Odd groupings, Linear fills

Key groove:

A groove-forward take on polymeter, keeping a danceable pulse under the independence

Signature fill:

A fill that briefly exaggerates one limb's independent grouping before resolving

Transition:

The exaggerated limb resolves back into the groove exactly on the downbeat

Listen for:

How danceable the groove still feels despite the layered independence underneath

Training:

Keeping independence musical and groove-focused rather than purely technical

Challenge:

Play the groove so it would still work at a dance party, despite its complexity

• Intro: Groove-forward pattern with subtle independence
• Verse: Full four-limb independence under the riff
• Fill: Exaggerated limb fill resolving to the groove
• Chorus: Independence eases back for a simpler feel
• Outro: Returns to the groove-forward opening pattern

≈ 132 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 2 — Core grooves — linear riff tracking

Primary technique:

Groove-oriented riff tracking

Also trains:

Kick variations, Snare-tom combinations, Crash placement

Key groove:

A slightly Latin-tinged groove that tracks the riff while keeping a danceable feel

Signature fill:

A snare-tom fill that borrows a Latin phrasing shape while still tracking the riff

Transition:

A crash-accented riff hit launches the danceable chorus groove

Listen for:

How the Latin-influenced phrasing sits naturally inside a djent-adjacent riff

Training:

Applying riff-tracking coordination to a more groove-centred, less dense piece

Challenge:

Play the groove so it feels genuinely danceable, not just technically correct

• Intro: Groove-oriented riff tracking, relaxed feel
• Verse: Kick variations under a syncopated riff
• Fill: Snare-tom fill with a Latin-influenced shape
• Chorus: Crash-accented open groove
• Outro: Groove fades back to the relaxed opening feel

≈ 138 (shifting) · Mixed odd meters

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — riff-tracking sticking

Primary technique:

Odd-meter fill vocabulary within polymeter

Also trains:

Metric modulation, Double kick, Polyrhythm

Key groove:

A driving groove stitched together from several differently metered riff phrases

Signature fill:

An odd-meter fill that bridges two riff phrases in different implied meters

Transition:

A quick metric modulation carries the odd-meter fill into the next riff's pulse

Listen for:

How each odd-meter phrase still feels connected to the one before it

Training:

Executing odd-meter fills that genuinely bridge two different metric feels

Challenge:

Play the full sequence of odd-meter fills back to back without a click track

• Intro: First odd-meter riff phrase established
• Verse: Groove locked to the shifting riff phrases
• Fill: Odd-meter fill bridging two riff phrases
• Climax: Rapid modulations at full intensity
• Outro: Resolves back to the first riff phrase

≈ 120 (shifting) · Highly irregular, shifting throughout

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — polymetric layering

Primary technique:

Full polymetric and modulation vocabulary combined

Also trains:

Linear 32nds, Ostinato independence, Free interpretation

Key groove:

Combines polymetric layering, metric modulation and linear tracking across one long piece

Signature fill:

An extended fill sequence combining odd groupings with a metric modulation

Transition:

Multiple modulations stack within a few bars near the piece's climax

Listen for:

How every technique studied so far appears somewhere in this one track

Training:

Applying the complete coordination toolkit across a demanding, ever-shifting arrangement

Challenge:

Play the entire piece from memory, tracking every meter shift without a chart

• Intro: Sparse polymetric layer establishing the base
• Verse: Full riff-tracking groove locked to the shifting riff
• Instrumental: Stacked metric modulations at speed
• Fill: Extended odd-grouping and modulation fill sequence
• Climax: Full polymetric and modulation vocabulary combined
• Outro: Resolves gradually back to the sparse opening layer