Sean Kinney

≈ 96 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — weight and space

Primary technique:

Heavy, riff-locked groove

Also trains:

Space between hits, Basic fills, Consistent dynamics

Key groove:

A blunt, heavy groove that follows the main riff hit for hit.

Signature fill:

Short snare fill leading straight back into the riff.

Transition:

Direct drop back into the groove with no build-up.

Listen for:

How the kick pattern mirrors the guitar riff almost exactly.

Training:

Basic riff-locking and consistent heavy touch.

Challenge:

Keep the groove equally heavy from the first bar to the last.

• Intro: Riff and drums enter together, locked rhythmically.
• Verse: Groove follows riff accents precisely.
• Chorus: Slightly more open backbeat, same core pattern.
• Outro: Groove holds steady to a sudden stop.

≈ 105 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — weight and space

Primary technique:

Syncopated riff-following groove

Also trains:

Half-time chorus feel, Cymbal accents, Dynamic contrast

Key groove:

Syncopated verse groove locking to the wah-riff, opening into a half-time chorus.

Signature fill:

Short tom fill marking the shift into the chorus.

Transition:

Groove drops to half-time feel exactly on the chorus riff change.

Listen for:

The syncopated kick hits matching the wah-pedal riff precisely.

Training:

Riff-locked syncopation and clean half-time transitions.

Challenge:

Switch cleanly between the syncopated verse and half-time chorus without hesitation.

• Intro: Riff establishes the syncopated rhythm drums will lock to.
• Verse: Kick pattern mirrors riff syncopation exactly.
• Chorus: Groove opens into a heavier half-time feel.
• Outro: Returns to syncopated verse groove to finish.

≈ 145 (7/8 feel) · 7/8

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — weight and space

Primary technique:

Odd-meter riff lock

Also trains:

Heavy backbeat, Accent placement, Tight ensemble timing

Key groove:

A driving groove in 7/8 that locks tightly to the riff's asymmetric phrasing.

Signature fill:

Snare-and-tom fill that resets the 7/8 phrase cleanly.

Transition:

Fill lands exactly on beat 1 of the next 7/8 cycle.

Listen for:

How the groove never feels uneven despite the asymmetric meter.

Training:

Playing convincingly in 7/8 while locked tightly to a riff.

Challenge:

Play the full riff-locked groove without losing the 7/8 feel at speed.

• Intro: Riff and groove establish the 7/8 cycle together.
• Verse: Tight riff-lock through the asymmetric phrase.
• Chorus: Heavier backbeat within the same 7/8 structure.
• Outro: Groove drives hard to a final cut-off.

≈ 112 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — weight and space

Primary technique:

Simple but powerful fills

Also trains:

Half-time verse feel, Dynamic build, Cymbal placement

Key groove:

A moody half-time verse groove building into a heavier full-time chorus.

Signature fill:

Short, blunt tom fill launching straight into the chorus.

Transition:

Single crash-and-tom hit marking the shift from verse to chorus.

Listen for:

How little Kinney plays in the fill compared with the impact it has.

Training:

Writing a short, powerful fill that resolves the whole song section.

Challenge:

Reduce the fill to the fewest possible notes while keeping its impact.

• Intro: Sparse half-time groove sets the mood.
• Verse: Restrained backbeat, heavy space between hits.
• Chorus: Full-time feel, heavier backbeat and cymbal work.
• Outro: Returns to half-time groove to close.

≈ 88 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — weight and space

Primary technique:

Riff-locked half-time groove

Also trains:

Ghost notes, Cymbal darkness, Dynamic restraint

Key groove:

A slow, heavy half-time groove tightly matched to the main riff's rhythm.

Signature fill:

Sparse fill using only snare and kick, no cymbal crash.

Transition:

Understated fill that avoids releasing tension before the next verse.

Listen for:

The absence of a big cymbal crash where one might be expected.

Training:

Riff-locking at slow tempo with disciplined dynamic restraint.

Challenge:

Play the whole song without a single full-force crash cymbal hit.

• Intro: Groove enters quietly, locked to the riff immediately.
• Verse: Half-time feel with ghost notes filling space.
• Chorus: Slightly fuller dynamic, still no big cymbal release.
• Outro: Groove fades without ever fully releasing tension.

≈ 90 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — weight and space

Primary technique:

Tension through repetition

Also trains:

Half-time groove, Dynamic arc, Cymbal swells

Key groove:

A repeated, hypnotic half-time groove that barely changes across the whole song.

Signature fill:

Rare, deliberate fill placed only at the biggest structural moment.

Transition:

Long build using dynamics alone before the eventual fill.

Listen for:

How long the same figure repeats before anything changes.

Training:

Building tension through touch and repetition rather than new patterns.

Challenge:

Loop the main groove for a full two minutes without varying the pattern.

• Intro: Groove establishes the hypnotic repeated figure.
• Verse: Pattern repeats, tension rises through touch alone.
• Chorus: Same pattern, fuller dynamic weight.
• Outro: Rare fill finally releases the built-up tension.

≈ 90 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — weight and space

Primary technique:

Dynamic restraint across a full arrangement

Also trains:

Light touch, Cymbal choice, Song-length dynamic shaping

Key groove:

A light, mostly brushed-feel groove that stays out of the acoustic guitar's way.

Signature fill:

Minimal fill using rim and light tom tones only.

Transition:

Gentle dynamic lift into the chorus rather than a fill.

Listen for:

How little volume separates the verse and chorus, yet the lift is still felt.

Training:

Full-song dynamic shaping using touch rather than pattern changes.

Challenge:

Play the whole song at a controlled low dynamic ceiling throughout.

• Intro: Very light groove, minimal cymbal presence.
• Verse: Restrained backbeat under acoustic guitar.
• Chorus: Gentle dynamic lift, still no heavy hits.
• Outro: Groove fades to almost nothing.

≈ 96 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — weight and space

Primary technique:

Heavy syncopated groove

Also trains:

Double kick accents, Cymbal darkness, Riff-lock at heavier gauge

Key groove:

A thick, syncopated groove with double kick hits accenting the sludgy riff.

Signature fill:

Aggressive tom-and-kick fill marking each structural shift.

Transition:

Double kick burst driving into the chorus riff.

Listen for:

The double kick accents landing exactly with the riff's low-end hits.

Training:

Syncopated double kick control locked to a heavy riff.

Challenge:

Keep double kick accents completely locked to the riff at full volume.

• Intro: Heavy riff and groove lock in together immediately.
• Verse: Syncopated double kick accents follow the riff.
• Chorus: Fuller backbeat, cymbal darkness increases.
• Outro: Groove and riff drive together to a heavy finish.

≈ 92 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — weight and space

Primary technique:

Modern half-time groove with syncopated accents

Also trains:

Cymbal placement, Dynamic control, Riff-following kick

Key groove:

A sludgy half-time groove with a syncopated kick accent lifted straight from the main riff.

Signature fill:

Short fill built around the same syncopated feel as the verse groove.

Transition:

Fill maintains the groove's syncopation rather than breaking from it.

Listen for:

How the fill grows directly out of the groove instead of interrupting it.

Training:

Applying half-time syncopation to newer, sludgier material.

Challenge:

Keep the fill's syncopated feel identical to the groove around it.

• Intro: Riff introduces the syncopated figure drums will lock to.
• Verse: Half-time groove with syncopated kick accents.
• Chorus: Heavier backbeat, same syncopated foundation.
• Outro: Groove and riff resolve together.

≈ 88 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations — weight and space

Primary technique:

Dark, heavy pocket with tension-building dynamics

Also trains:

Half-time chorus, Cymbal swells, Riff-locked verse groove

Key groove:

A brooding verse groove that locks to a dissonant riff, opening into a heavier half-time chorus.

Signature fill:

Weighty tom fill bridging verse tension into chorus release.

Transition:

Cymbal swell building directly into the half-time chorus downbeat.

Listen for:

How the cymbal swell builds tension before the chorus lands.

Training:

Building tension into a release using cymbal swells and half-time weight.

Challenge:

Make the transition into the chorus feel inevitable, not sudden.

• Intro: Dissonant riff and groove establish a dark mood.
• Verse: Riff-locked groove builds tension gradually.
• Chorus: Half-time feel lands with full weight.
• Outro: Groove recedes back into the verse tension.