Jojo Mayer is one of my favorite drummers, which is why I wanted to transcribe this infamous cross stick groove. If you haven’t seen Jojo play this particular groove before, I don’t know where you’ve been the last 10 years. Growing up, I would watch hours of Jojo Mayer drum clips, and this cross stick groove came up over and over. I’m glad to finally have sheet music for it!

As you’ll see in the sheet music for this transcription, there are only 4 voices to worry about (kick, cross stick, hi hat, and crash). And the fastest subdivision the groove ever gets to (not including the snare fill right at the end) is 16th notes. But Jojo is playing this groove at a QUICK 180 BPM. 

Getting this groove up to the original BPM will be tricky. But I think it is worth learning this iconic groove from Jojo Mayer because many of us probably don’t think too much about “cross stick grooves”. We spend loads of time learning linear fills, ghost notes, coordination – but “cross stick chops” falls VERY low on the list. Even though you might not need to play cross stick on a gig too much – it still comes up from time to time. Which is why it is always worth having a few little cross stick tricks in your back pocket. This Jojo Mayer groove is FULL of fun little things you can sprinkle here and there whenever you find yourself playing a cross stick groove.

Watch the transcription video above and then download the sheet music below. Happy drumming!