One of the biggest things I noticed when I started this journey is that a lot of drum libraries include an articulation called a “half drag” or a “ruff”. These would sound good at some tempos and at others not so good. Since I did not “Think Like a Drummer” at that point, I had no idea what a drag articulation was and avoided it altogether.
When you first start to think like a drummer you will start to notice things that are happening within the drum pattern. The pattern within the pattern so to speak. The hi-hats for instance not only have a rhythm that gets played, but also a pattern of velocity.