IHE AART OF. - loin frie Poa icley sao AEA Lomond MECN CNC ay NS oa Nod Ri isn ee eee ete nes aaa one er oroen te ee ee Nie eae eae aay cae § Poco trip ested ye ‘CPP MEDIA PETRA AL eS NOL RTA ries eres) ing of this material in whole or in part without the evpress eS ees ee ee is a violation of copyright law es cea| Contents Time Playing 6 The Ride Cymbal 7 Phrasing 8 ‘The Jazz Drum Sound 10 The Bass Drum &Hi-hat 11 Cymbals 12 Practicing 14 “Comping 16 Interdependence 17 Comp Example 1 18 Pacing 20 Rhythmic Transposition 21 Comp Example 2 22 Comping with the Bass Drum 24 Comp Example3 26 Comp Example4 28 Accompanying a Soloist 30 Listening/Song Structure 32 Awareness 33 Soloing 34 Solo Structure 35 One-bar Phrases 36 Developing Musical Phrases 37 Three-beat Phrases 40 Developing Longer Solos 44 Questionand AnswerSolo 45 Brushes 47 Basic Pattern 48 Ballad Pattems 49 Uptempo Patterns 50 ‘The “Figure 8” “51 “3 Against 2” Feel 51 Brush Patterns in 3/4 52 More Jazz Essentials 55 The Shuffle $6 Playing in “2” 57 3/4 Waltz 58 Samba 59 12/8 Feel 59 Mambo 60 Uptempo Playing 60 Charts 62 School Days (medium) 64 Last Week (shuffle and “ What Is This Thing Called? (medium-up) 1 October (ballad) 67 Satch and Diz (3/4, 4/4) 68 OutIn The Open (uptempo) 69 Appendix 70 Recommended Listening 71 General Discography 78 Books & Videos 80 ride hi-hat hichat cowbell with foor bass snare mounted floor tom tom lest-. Introduction - So you want to play drums, jazz drums, huh? Maybe you became interested in jazz drum- 5 ming because you heard a concert or recording, attended a clinic or read an interview by one of the more prominent drummers of the last thirty years such as Dennis Chambers, Vinnie - Colaiuca, Dave Weckl, Peter Erskine, Steve Gadd, David Garibaldi, Billy Cobham, Jack. DeJohnette, Tony Williams or Elvin Jones. But where do you start? These drummers sound so different from one another. They use different tunings, cymbals, ouch. technique and grooves, and they play different types of music. Yet all of them attribute a large part of their musicality to a thorough study and knowledge of the master drummers who preceded them Vinnie Colaiuta credits Steve Gadd, Billy Cobham and Tony Williams. Billy Cobham cred- its Tony Williams and Buddy Rich. Tony Williams credits Max Roach, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobb and Roy Haynes. a 4 Alll these drummers form a continuum that leads back to the be-bop era of the 1940s and 88 ‘50s, and even earlier. The purpose of this book is to help you discover, and learn from, the masters of be-bop. Early innovators such as Baby Dodds, Zutty Singleton, Gene Krupa and Jo Jones, were exceptions to the old saying, “five musicians and a drummer” but all success~ ful “bop” players were knowledgeable musicians as well as gifted drummers. The leaders of the be-bop movement were Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie. Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. Their compositions challenged drummers like no others had before. They combined thythmically intricate melodies and sophisticated harmonies (at times played as slowly — or rapidly —as imaginable) in ways that continue to caprivate players today. 114 This music requires more trom a drummer than just timekeeping. When you listen to some of the masters of the idiom, you hear not only a great feel, but an acknowledgement of the v2 melody and the harmonic form, musical accompaniment, and logical solos. If you dig even > 4 deeper, you may find that more chan one of the “newest, hippest” phrases was already being + played by a drummer in your grandfather's day! Thope this book will shed some light on this important music, and will help you put down the same kind of musical roots many musicians so deeply value. Subsequent volumes in this series will address the musical innovations of the ‘60s and '70s, as well as chart reading and Ls interpretation S Enjoy! 0 Toten “People try to get into drums today, and after a year, they're working : on their own style. You must first spenda long time doing everything that the great 7 drummers do... Drumming is Hike ar t evolutionary pattern." 5 Tony Williams ‘Modern Drummer June 1984CD Tracking Information 1 Sateh and Diz Time Playing 2 Phrasing 3. Warm-up 4 64 bars of Bass at» =120 Comping Comp Example 1— Slow Comp Example 1— Fast Rhythmic Transposition ‘Comp Example 2— Slow Comp Example 2— Fast 10 Comp Example 3 — Slow 11 Comp Example 3 — Fast 12 Comp Example 4 — Slow 13 Comp Example 4 — Fast Soloing 14 What I: This Thing Called? (medium-up) 15 One-bar Phrases 16 Orchestrating Phrases 17 Orchestrating Phrases — Fast 18 Rests within the Phrase 19 Three-bear Phrases 20 Question and Answer Solo 21 Question and Answer Solo Number 2 Brushes 22 School Days (medium with brushes) 23 Brush Pattern 1 — Basic Pattern 24 Swing and Straight 8th-note Ballad Pattern 25 Uptempo Pattern 1 26 “The Figure 8” 27 *3 Against 2" Feel (28 Brush Patterns in 3/4 29 October (ballad) Corresponding music examples are shaded in grey throughout the book Tracking numbers are listed throughout the book with this icon. More Jazz Essentials 30 Last Week (shuffle) 31 The Shi 32 Playing in “2” 33. 3/4 Waltz 34 Samba 35 12/8 Feel 36 Mambo — Jazz Adaptation 37 Uptempo “Sprint” Exercise 38 Uptempo “Sprint” Exercise — Faster 39 Out In The Open (uptempo) Tunes Minus Drums 40 School Days (medium) 2:31 41 Last Week (shuffle) 5:13 42 What Is This Thing Called? (medium) 4:06 43. October (ballad) 2:58 44 Satch and Diz (3/4, 4/4) 2:51 45. Out In The Open (uptempo) 3:53 Bob Mintzer __tenor saxophone Phil Markowitz piano James Genus bass John Riley drums All compositions by John Riley Drums: GMS 14x20 bass drum 8x12 mounted tom 14x14 oor tom ‘5x14 snare drum Cymbals 20" Zildjian K light ride with three rivets 18" Zildjian K dark crash brilliant 13" Zildjian K hi-hats Sticks Zildjian jazz wood tip Recorded September 16 and 17, 1993 Park West Recording Brooklyn, NY. Engineered by Jim Clouse | Mastered by | 1. Produced by John Riley and Dan Thres 1k Pekoc at Foothill Digital | aie kde Cymbal Toa drummer, the key to playing any style of music well is recognizing and developing the fandamental elements that make the time flow. In contemporary popular music, the time flow is locked in by “1” and “3” on the bass drum and backbeats on *2” and “4" with the snare drum. I Latin music, the time flow is determined by the clave. While Latin drummers are notorious for rhythmic adventurousness, risks are not taken at the expense of the clave, Sim- ilarly, in rock or funk music, although ic isn't imperative thar the bass drum be played on downbeats and the snare drum on backbeats, itis essential that the band fee! that pulse. In jazz, the time flow comes from the phr ing of the ride cymbal pattern. ‘The pulse of jazz is a quarcer-note feel with an eighth-note triplet subdivision. Over the years, different rhythmic phrases have been written to represent this pattern. Here are the four most common ways of notating the jazz ride cymbal pattern: [3 ae | o While none of these notations is completely accurate, the chird example with the triplee phrasing is fairly close to the way most azz drummers think of the ride pattern. The quarter- note pulse is paramount, because it gives the music a sense of forward motion. With mind, the phrasing begins to take shape and sounds like this: ‘Adding the hi-hat on beats 2 and 4 gives those beats more “weight,” as suggested in the other tide cymbal notations lH — Time Playing 7While there are instances where the ride cymbal pattern might be phrased as in the other notacions, the basis for a swinging feel at most tempos is a ride pactern consisting of four ‘with the “skip” note, the third note of the triplet of beats 2 quarter-notes of equal intensi softer in volume than the quarter-notes) and the hi-hat on and 4, pheased asa triplet (ali beats Zand 4 For yearsit was said that beats 2 and 4 were the most important beats to feelin jazz. Thisidea is flawed. In all music, including jazz, beats I and 3 are the “mama” and “papa’ beats. What- ever the music, people dance on “I” and“3," not"2" and “4.” Beats 2 and 4 are the “children” of beats 1 and 3. You can't snap your fingers, clap your hands, or play the hi-hat on “2” and “4” unless you are feeling “1” and“3." The ideas to find a balance, because if beats 1 and3 or 2and 4 are too heavy, the music won't groove. Phrasing Topic esdecrmtl pene, setyourmeronome ats» 60and count outloud, t-rp-et, ple, 3-ip-let, 4-uiprlee, By acentng the third note ofthe tiple, you vill develop 4 rmndnin your phrasing aswell asa sense of exactly where to place the downbeat ‘Now add the ride eymbal to your counting: “That’ what the drummer is supposed todo: keep the time. Ifyou can de some shing else besides that, fine. But the time isesentiel. That non-negotiable” Elvin Jones Desn Beat March 1963 With the ride eymbal it would look like this: feeder [nen ee SS ‘Make sure thatthe four quarter-notes are plaved at the same volume and that the “skip” note is not accented on the ride cymbal, although you do accent the upbeats in your counting. Think about giving each note a definite beginning, but no ending, The sound of each note should be connected to the next one rather than separated. Try plaving the ride pattern on your snare drum. The pattern will sound somewhat stiff because the snare has little or no sustain; You can hear a definite end to each nore. Now play the pattern on your floor tom. This will sound better because the floor tom resonates longer than the snare, and the notes connect. The sound you want on the ride eymbalis similar: each note should flew into the next. 8 Time Playing Joho Riley‘our met (00 (¢hing triplets) and sing “DeeeDeeduDeceDeeduDeee, sc, Continue singing and add the rice cymbal and hi-hat. The hi-hat just adds an abet se to the time — to thy beat. That's why time ts so importa ie if you harve the tine fol ing feeling — yo the skip note and make sure there are no flams between that basic element is there. the ride cymbal and hi-hat ~a perfect unison isa must. Keep vour sinw X. Keup a consisiens iriplee sound and volume consistent, Listen for and maintain the triplee Shelly Manne subdivision. Use your CD player's looping function to loop CD Down Beat track 4 and play along with the 8-bar bass line phease (at = 120). March Lock your ride cymbal pattern in with the bass. Repeat for five minstes at quarter-note = 120, 140, 160, 180, 200, The followi le cymbal. Again, inare chythms must enhance the swing feel. exercises are designed to reinforce the swi s at various tempos. The Play them softly so that you don softly, ton. A good starts your focus on the ride cymbal, Play the bass drum teh ace TimePlaving 9 oT18 The Bass Drum & Hi-hat There has been much discussion in recent years about whether or not the jazz drummer should play quarter-notes on the bass drum (commonly referced to as “feathering”), All “bop” drummers played time on the bass drum, and this much is clear: if the quarter-notes are too loud they will ruin the time flow, and if the bass drum is left out the time doesn’t feel grounded. Drummers consider quagter-notes on the bass drum too loud if they are audible at all within the ensemble. They should be “felt, not heard,” as the saving goes, Most of the deummers who play four on the floor successfully play flar-tooted, and let the beate: rebound off the head. They use bass drums that resonate and a softer beater on the pedal, which pro- duces less of a “pop” than those generally used today: ‘The reason drummers started playing the bass drum on all four quarter-notes was to reinforce the walking bass line of the unamplified acoustic bass. The idea was to enhance — not replace or overshadow — the walking bass part. Therefore, I recommend developing the kind of sft touch required to play the bass drum so that itis felt and not heard. Don’t ty it in public until you can control the bass drum to the point where it enhances the time flow rather than stifling it. Often drummers play four on the floor in conjunction ssith the “heel-toe” hi-hat technique By synchronizing the four quarter-notes played on the bass drum with the heel-toe motion ‘on the hi-hat, you create a very stable time foundation, ‘Make sure your hi-hat foot hee! ands exaccly with the bass drum on pe ee beats 1 and 3. Similarly, don’: lam beats 2 and 4. In addition to the method just described, I've seen jazz master Jimmy Cobb use another type of toot synchronization to enhance the groove. When Jimmy chooses not to play four on the locs, he'll play beats 1 and 3 with the heel of his bass drum foot and at che same time, beats J and 3 with the heel of his hi-hat foor. Ether of these foot synchronization “moves” will add real strength to your Heel Heet time feel. Try them— the people you Heel Toe Heel Toe play with will notice the difference. The role of the hi-hat is to enhance the groove of the ride cymbal. This is done by playing in perfect unison with the ride cymbal on beats 2 and 4. The sound you want is crisp and-defi- nite. Think of the sound of a church choir clapping along with their singing, The clapping is strong, its placement definite. The clapping reinforces the flow of the rhythm of the melody. Imagine how the music would sound if the clapping was done in a half-hearted, wishy-washy fashion — the music would be better off without the clapping. The hi-hat must be played with authority, but at the same time must stay under the ride cymbal. Jazz drummers generally keep their hi-hat evmbals about nwo inches apart. The top cymbal is held loosely in the clutch — tight enough that it doesn’ slide up and down in the clutch, burioose enough to move freely and sound open, nor choked, when played with sticks. There arethree basic foot techniques that work wel for playing the hi-hat, You should exp ment ofind the one that gives youa good, consistent “chick” sound. Relaxed controls the goal. eon the ball of veur fect, Whichever ‘aved and thitevery note is played three techniques are flafeoted. hel-tce, and ‘an 1d you use, make sure that your motion is fuid and” The Jazz Sound Early drumset players, like Baby Dodds and Zurry Singleton, focused their time playing on the bass drum and snare drum. Their sound was an outgrowth of the military style. The feel ‘wat march-like, but also included elements of swing derived from boogie-woogie and rag- ime piano styles, The term “ragtime” is derivation of “ragged-time,” meaning syncopation, Cuanbals and Chinese to:n-toms were used as sound effects. By the 1930s, the timekeeping function moved to the bass drum and hi-hat, and ater to the bass drum and ride cymbal. The snare was used for comping and soloing, The rom-toms were inconporated melodically for varienyin drum solos developed on the snare. Calfskin Heads Plastic drum heads didn’ exist in the 1930s and 1940s, and were notin widespread vse until the mid-1960s, The sound of Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Act Blakey, and all players of the bop era, isthe sound of drums with calfskin heads. Calfskin heads have rich, pure tone with less overtone ring than plastic heads. You can fel the stick sink into calfskin head and rebound witha nice, soft spring on the upstroke. Most people find ‘hat calfskin heads respond physically alittle more slowly than plastic, but most don't mind because the feel and sound are so pleasing. None ofthe plastic-coated head surfaces feel quite like calfikin or lastas long, Also, brushes fee and sound great played on a calfskin head Tuning The jazz drumset usually consists of a bass drum, ‘snare, mounted tom, and floor tom. The drums are tuned so that each one has a pitch and tone that blends wich all the others, much lke wicetina hoi The hghestwoize is thesate drum which should ave bothacaepaeach and a fat sound. With the snares off, the drum should blend in perfectly with your toms ‘After making sure each snare drum head i in rune with itself, experiment with your ening. Tune both heads to the same pitch — how does that sound? Now tune the top head tighter Try loosening or tightening the snares, Top head looser? Bottom head tighter? Each of your drums has a wide tonal range. On the toms, the top and bottom heads are usually tuned to the same pitch, This tuning gives the drums an open, warm, singing tone. Because jaz2 drummers at times use the bass drum like a third hand, itis tuned to a tone and resonance similar to thar of the toms. Therefore, muffling is kept to 2 minimum, Tuning your drums to specific pitches isn't necessary, but most drummers do tune their drums in thirds or fourths to help create a melodic flow. When tuning, I tune the bass drum first. and then the snare drum, Then I tune the toms to blend in berween the snare and bass num. As for the range in which to tune the drums, historically, the smaller the ensemble, the higher the tuning of the drums, Drummers working in larger, louder ensembles tuned the rums lower because the lower- sounding drums projected better through the ensemble, To hear the sound of calfskin heads, compare Max Roachis sound on Live at Basin Stret with ford Brown, to Mel Lewis's sound on The Definitive Thad Jones, Vlume 1 or 2. Recorded rere than thirty years apart, both drummers ae using calfskin heads, but Max tunes very high while Mel tunes very Jow, But both have a similar resonance and warmth, Time Plaving Jobo Riley:2 Cymbals In general bands grew progressively louder through the 1960s, ‘70s nd 80s, forcing eymbal manufacturers to make thicker and heavier cymbals to meet the requirements of the music. ‘The advantages of a thick cymbal over a thinner one are thata thicker cymbal is louder, ean ‘The problem with playing jazz on a heavier ride eymbal is that the notes of the jazz ride pattern dont flow together to create the desiced cushion of sound. A heavy cymbal doesn't breathe: its sound is short, like playing the ride pattern on your snare drum, The reason many jazz drummers put rivets in their cymbals is to ‘enhance the spread or resonance — the cushion that connects cach note. Fortunately, cymbal manufacturers are once again ng thinner ride cymbals, usually called “light” or “dry.” these cymbals have the appropriate combination of stick artack, (for clarity and definition) and cushion (overtones and spread) tohelp drummers get a flowing time feel on the ride cymbal, The jazz ride cymbal is usually 20" or 22" in diameter. With this cymbal you can create a multitude of different sounds. The fact that eymbals are thickest at the bell and thinnest at the edge ere stesdifferent sound characteristics depending on where you play Playing Areas ‘The cymbal bells the highest-pitched, least sustaining (or rus iting) and most projecting part of the eymbal, Playing on the bell is great for Latin rhythms, fusion music, and for playing short, cutting figures with an ensemble. Directly beneath the bell isthe thickest part of the bod of the cymbal, Playing this area’away from che bell — approximately 2 cor 3 inches — will create a clean, crisp, defined sound which is very effective when the musical intensiry is high and you really want to "dig in” so the eymbal. This patt of the cymbal is also a ‘good choice for playing uptempor because you can use a Tight touch and still project. ‘The third playing area, about midway between the bell and the -dge. isthe main time-playing area on the ride cymbal. Here you .geta distinct stick sound and an appropriate amount of over- >uild-up to create the cushion, The cymbal vibrates evenly in thicarea and can be played from very soft to very loud. yet stil rmainain its sound quabities Time Plaving through amplification better, and lasts longer because it is more durable. The new heav- ier cymbals do what they are designed to do, but i's important to keep in mind that a cymbal “Medium” today is heavier than a “Medium” made in the 1950s. “Iprefir darker sounding cymbals and ‘hat is why Tell every drummer, Every cymbal you have should bea ride cymbal, because you should treat she diferent sections (ofa tune) witha different vide Behind ie." The mare bigh- pitched cymbal you shave, the more rrouble youre going to give the Band. Alo, for riding in a ig band, I chink thar the pingier a cymbal ‘sand theless overtone and spread it das, the more empty everyting will be. Itvimportane that you have a good, fall fat-sorrding cymbal Even in my dark sounds there isstill a ‘igher sound. a medium sound and a Tosser sound Pluss the Bigh sound bebind a piano, Filal use the lowest sound beFind the piano, Bus Iwan use ‘the mice round behind the piano bscase itor much in the piano range. ten Ln playing behind. say. a srumpet sole ellewsed by a tenar slo, amd [hneze thatthe sohor player isa bavd-bioccor Fit use the Chinese cumbal bohind the toner Tegan r0 havea lowe cvmbal behind a soloist swho basa harsh, Bighsound. Witha subadued type of player who bas a softer ccige, Ten? sant something that ations, 90 Lg toa lighter higher sound fs complement it” Mel Lewis Mediern Drummer 1985 John Riley3 The playing area closest to the edge generates a sound with many low overtones and litde stick definition. The cymbal vibrates unevenly when played close to the edge, but can be contralled if you play it with a very light touch. Play towards the edge with the shoulder of the stick for occasional soft crashes within the time flow. Experiment with your ride cymbal; find the different sounding areas. Check your ride cymbal out with different weight sticks and different tip shapes. Familiarize yourself with your ride cymbal — learn what it can do for you. Sticks Once you've found a stick that you feel comfortable with and you know the sound possibilities of your ride cymbal, experi- ment wich “choking up” one inch on the stick. How does that change the sound in each area? Ardifferent volume and tempos? Now hold the sticks at the butt. What does that do to your sound? Your facility? Experiment with playing the shoulder of the stick on the cymbal in the following ways *+ Occasionally; as an accent within the time flow + Supported by the bass drum or snare drum + In each playing area + Repeated shoulder notes on the bell > + Repeated shoulder notes on the edge Integrate these different sounds into your playing to make it ‘more interesting, flow better, more swinging and dynamic Go forit! “Tused to spend all day (at the Gretsch Compa in Brooklyn, then the distributor of Zildjian cymbals) going through the grades. For instance, the ‘mediums, the beavies, the thins; then the dimensions, the 16%, 18 and 205 ‘and on and on. You could keep yourself busy for days; it’s.a very sensitive busines to pick asetof cymbals that swill function for you as a drummer. It isimportant to get the right ones, cymbal: with tones and tone patterns that will lend with the music you are going to be playing.” Elvin Jones Down Beat 1977 Time Plaine 1r i Look at your list of strengths and weaknesses every day. Acknowledge what you do well, but work every day on decreasing your weaknesses. In fact, before you sit down to practice, make cither a mental or, better yet, a written note of what you hope to accomplish ducing the prac~ tice session. Remember that you Must enjoy practicing if you hope to retain anything of ‘musical value. Recording practice'sessions, rehearsals, and gigs is extremely valuable because it can make you more aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Setting Goals The goal of being the best: ‘drummer you can be is admirable, but probably not specific enough to get you where you want t0 go. “Lsed to practice eight hours a day, every day! From about 1956 until about 1962. It was a whole thing, a Years ago, President John F. Kennedy focused the psyche of the swhole period in my life where nothing American people and directed the development of our space ele was happening.” rogram when he said, “We're going to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade!” Compare this specific goal to the Tony Williams desire to “Have the best space program.” from Note and Toxts by Ar Taylor Competition ‘ : People are competitive by nature. While certain aspects of the music business are very com- petitive, the playing of music is not a competition. Yet, people still like to compare both how they play, and their level of success, with that of others. Figuring out where you stand can be an enlightening and stimulating process. The knowledge that others have worked harder and 0 become more complete musicians than you should encourage you to work harder and become more serious about eliminating your weaknesses, Unfortunately, some people become discouraged and frustrated when they realize that their playing is not as “togethe:” as they would like, or that someone younger plays better than they do. Tony Williams, born in 1945, burst onto the music scene in 1963. At the age of 17, he was playing with Miles Davis and 7 sounding great. Steve Gadd, also born in 1945, first started “Tused to practice anywhere from four making waves in the music scene in 1975, at age 30. Imagine how different the music scene would be today ifa young Steve Gadd became frustrated by comparing himself to Tony in 1964 or 65 and stopped playing. They both are great players who have influenced many. Everyone develops at their own pace, Elvin Jones made his first record at age 29. Art Blakey started leading the Jazz Messengers at age 37. Remember, music is a life-long pursuit, and meaningful improvement takes time. Inspiration An aspect of practicing that cafinot be overlooked is listening to recordings and going to see live performances. We are very fortu- ‘nate that a number of the innovators from the be-bop era are still performing today. Seeing a master play is an invaluable expesi- ence that will help you feel and understand the music better. to eight hours a day when Ifirst start ed, from the age of thirteen to when I ‘was about twenty-four.” Elvin Jones from Notes and Tones by An Taylor | “Whenever Max, or Buddy, or Elvin, or Roy Haynes or any good drummer isin town, if Tm not working, Igo where they're at!” Philly Joe Jones ‘Modern Drummer February 198214 Practicing 44H Forsome people who are reading thisbook, playingjazz may'be relatively new experience, and might feel awkward. Remember learning to ride a bicycle? At frst you were worried about keeping your balance; you didn't even think about pedaling. Once you gained a sense of balance but nota mastery oft — you could try to pedal. You still hadnt considered how you would steer or stop! Gradually, ial came together; you could ride figure-eights and stop on a dime, bureach day until you could “doi,” you would start out by regaining your sense of balance Warming Up Playing with a swing feel require similar sense ofbalance. Spacing each notes thatit flows with relaxed forward momentum will take a while to master. Bur it muse be mastered, or nothing else you play will feel right, or will matter atall. The spacing of the ride cymbal pate ‘ern must become like your balance on a bike — it has to be there from the first second you startto tide, To help achieve a consistent, swinging ride cymbal beat, I suggest that you begin cach practice session with 5 or 10 minutes of playing the ride cymbal with the comping pat- terns that are written out on page nine. This will remind you of the proper sound and space ingof the triplet feel of jazz. The “Fun” Factor ‘The drums are fun to play and you should have fun playing them, However all drummers at one time or another go through periods when they'll play all day, every day for weeks at a time, but still not improve much. The fact that it is so much fan to play the drums can be « Problem in itself, because it takes discipline to stop playing (and stop having so much fun) and start working on the weaknesses in your playing. When a drummer plays for hours on end without spending any time focusing on correcting weaknesses, he will improve — but he. will improve the things that he already does pretty well. To make the most effective use oF your time atthe drums, you should spend atleast half your time correcting your weak areas, and the rest doing that more primal thing we all love so much, Reading Reading music, and becoming a good reader, does not take away from your natural feeling for ‘music. Imagine that you wanted to learn about world history but could not read. How weutd You learn? What you could learn would be entirely dependent on the limited information people told you and your ability to remember what you were told. Now suppose you knew how to read. You could still lean from others, but you could also go to a library and read abour the many events and aspects of history that none of vour contacts had any knowledge of You could also use your reading sills to verify information that you had been given, While music has a strong oral tradition, the reading of music in no way diminishes that tra- dition. Being a good reader simply opens the door to knowledge about all music. Where to Begin How do you figure out what to practice? By fi Playing with people and by looking at drum books. Take an inventory of your playing, your musicianship, Make a list of your strong points asa player and be proud ofthe thinge that you do well. Make a second list of your weaknesses and commit more practice time 20 improving these areas, You might want to break your weaknesses into sever groups. Group 1 might consist of things that will take only aZew day's to polish up. Group 2 may consist o ‘hings thar willtake a month or soo improve. Group 3be things that will that will take ayear (9Fs0 to master and Group 4 may consist of long-term, life objectives. ning to recordings and live performances, by Time PlayingaCe aca aared Play you ha to Pre ns ae ea eg cer eee ee ee ee) es learned how to de tha ae ies ans eee rae eet een i tte nee ea ren en eae aan > eee SCAN Rhythn tT)Comping Once you've developed a flowing ride cymbal pattern, the next step is to work on comping. The word “comp” comes from accompany or complement. Comping ideas are designed to accompany and complement both your swinging ride cymbal and the entire band. Comping is done for several reasons: *To enhance the groove; . + To add variety to the time flow; + To support or stimulate the soloist, + Asa response to an idea just played by another band member. Comping is nor dore: + To display.technique; + To disrupt the time flow; + To overshadow the soloist, + Because you are bored “just playing time.” Interdependence The comping exercises in this book combine a steady ride cymbal and hi-hat pattern with “moving” parts on the snare and bass drum. In the past, exercises like these have been called “independence studies.” Independence is 2 misnomer because the last thing a drummer ‘wants is his limbs to work independently, What you should work for is what I call interde- ‘pendence, where each limb knows exactly what the others are doing and how they work ‘together, not independently. When you can hear how a complex syncopated comping idea relates to the ride cymbal, it becomes easier to learn and will sound better when you play it Dont think of your limbs as having four independent brains. Instead, visualize four interde- pendent parts that work together to create the whole swinging groove. ‘You will notice that these comping exercises are not written using triplets but are played with atriplet feeling, This is achieved by “swinging the eighth-notes.” In jazz, all the eighth-notes are swung, In order to swing the eighth-notes you must learn to “feel” the upbeat as the third note of triplet. Here is a bar of “straight” 8th-notes: ‘Now played witha swing feel. 2 2 2 2 = ee oe ee + a z Off-beat 8th-notes: are phrased like this: a ae h + = ae} This 8th-note phrase: (ae = = = Ee sounds like this: | | N NvComp Example 1 S Practice the following comping ideas with a steady, swinging ride cymbal beat. Play the hi- hat softly with some “snap” in perfect unison with the ride cymbal on beats 2 and 4. Play quarter-notes on the bass drum softly, don't mash the beater into the head, | NN 2-=— eee 18 — Comping John Rie . ottRemember, think of the triplet pulse and swing the eighth-notes. Play each two-bar phrase | until it grooves. Practice with a click; a good tempo to start with is J = 100.Pacing (Once you are comfortable playing these comping exercises, the nextstepis to develop asense of how touse them musically. A good way to lean to comp musically is to play each two-bar phrase twice, then play four-bars of time without comping. This exercise will show you a type of musical pacing or density between comping and time playing. Remember that your comping ideas must accompany and complement the playing of the other musicians. Add,an ‘occasional accent, vary the dynamics, or play some of the comp figures on the toms to change the fee ofthe phrase. ‘The slash marks in the second stave are a form of musical short-hand meaning “continue the normal time feel.” = Now go on to the next two-bar phrase and play it the same way’ KN Ak Na SSS ae SS ae = = and 50 on, though all the two-bar phrases, When’ an idea is repeated in this fashion, is called aff” 20 Comping. . John RileyRhythmic Transposition ‘Groups of four-bar phrases are the basis of almost all jazz tunes. In the early days, jazz musi- cians would start their solo ideas at the beginning of each four-bar phrase. As the musicians became more sophisticated, the phrasing began to change. Solo ideas became less predictable or symmetrical because they started at different points within the four-bar phrase. s Es Notice thar the ideas you played in bars 1 and 2 of the first four-bar phrase sound quite dif- fecent when played in bars 2 and 3 of the second four-bar phrase. In order to hear the differ- ence, you must feel beat 1 of each four-bar phrase. Don't feel the beginning of each comping ides as the “I” of each phrase. This idea of moving identical chythms from one place to another is called raychmic transposition. Check out these rhythmic transpositions: | A | NN Sa SSS ‘ Now go through each phrase in Comp Exercie 1, transposing the rhythm in the three differ- ent ways I just desezibed. Count out loud to be sure that you are feeling both of the four-bar phrases and the way the comping ideas “lay” over the time. Make sure that the ride cymbal is swinging throughout. Once this is comfortable, spend some time improvising in this man- ner. Play along with CD track 4. Pre Art of Bop Drumming Comping 21Practice Comp Exercise 2 the same way you practiced Comp Exercise 1 Keep the ride cymbal, bass drum and hi-hat swinging. + Play each phrase a number of times, until it feels good; then go on to the next. + Make each phrase into a rffby playing it ewice, followed by four bars of time. + Ina four-bar structure transpose each phrase as you did with the previous comping ideas. a oe sn min a cn sae m4 Rigeigrigsig cin mn i eigen 1 7 iu J 1 i S mook® ht fn "Comping 23 The Art of Bep Drumming pee 10Comp Example 2 Comp Exercise 2 expands on Comp Exercise 1 with triplet-based ideas. Although these exer cises are busier than the earlier ones, you must maintain the same focused ride cymbal sound. ‘The inclination will be to accent the “skip” notes on the ride eymbal but if you accent the ride e cymbal in conjunction with the left hand you will lose the strong forward momentum of the auavter-note pulse. Start at J» 80, 3) - eo 3 2 m3 maf an ep min mpgs mia ep em m3 mip cioeig oo 2 2 mao S35 igen mip ep m2 2 mip 22 Comping John Rilem4 Comping with the Bass Drum Drummers from the early days through the swing era comped almost exclusively with the snare dram. With the emergence of bebop, drummers began using the bass drum for comp ing as well. ‘The bass drum’s first step outside of strict timekeeping was playing isolated accents, called “dropping bombs.” Gradually, drummers Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey and especially. Max Roach, Roy Haynes and Shelly Manne began to incorporate the bass drum more actively into their comping vocabulary by using it almost lke a third hand. To develop your “third hand,” go back to Comp Exercise 1. Play time on the ride cymbal and “2and 4” with the hi-hat. Dont play quarter-notes with the bass'drum; but rather, play each ‘wo-bar comping idea with the bass drum until i feels good. Be careful to keep the ride eym- bal steady, as it will want to go with the bass drum. Now slow down the tempo and play Comp Exercise 2 with the bass drum while the ride cymbal and hi-hat swing, With your left hand you can play a cross-stick on beat four. Comping John Rile« CS) Comp Example 3 ———_—__—_— ‘Comp Exercise 3 introduces two-voice compingideas with the snare drum and biss dram. Think of the ewo voices as having a conversation and, as always, keep the ride cymbal and hi-hat steady. Remember, your comping shouldnt overpower the low ofthe ridé cymbal. Begin at» 90. i = fie s KN a == Ss <= { = aH as 7 i 2% Comping : John Riley“Don't chink of your limbs as having four independent brains. Instead, visualize four interdependent parts that work together to create the wholeswinging groove.” Art of Bop Drumming Comping © 27a = Comp Example 4 Comp Exercise 4 expands on Comp Exercise 3 to include tiplet-based figuce. Startat! = 80. . 2 -o inl 28 Comping John Riley ~ akExperiment with Comp Exercises 1-4 by: as | G3 tmpeovising similar comping iden of your own + Displacing the figures in four-bar phrases { pusinga two-ba figure, then improvising a complimentary ewo-bar response " Etierating the hi-hat on beats 2 and 4* Playing quarter-notes with the hi-hat 1 Substituting the hi-hat for the basagirum oo oo 2 8 moe » ro E pat ate ed aaa “Thereof ep Draming TheeAccompanying a Soloist Now that you've developed the physical and mental techniques of comping, the problem | remains: “When do I comp — what is the right time?” This question can only be answered by your ears. You must listen tothe people you are playing with and always know where you ae in the song form. [As the soloist plays, you (the accompanist) must recognize what the soloist is trying to do, Jazz solos are not one-dimensional. They have shapes — “peaks” and “valleys.” You must bé in syne with the soloist in his or her solo, Basically, a soloist can do one of three things: + Build toa climax + Come down froma climax 5 : + Coase Building toa Climax Every time you play, your goal should be to generate a good feel and maintain your place in the form of the tune. In addition, as a soloist develops his or her solo, the accompanist must both support and encourage that development. “To illustrate the point, imagine a telephone conversation going something like this: Ist Persons ° Boy, Im bappy. [just found a great new ride cymbal 2nd Person: That's great. Can Thear it sometime? Sure you can, It sounds so warm and feels great to play on, too! Ya like to find a cymbal lke that someday. Uf lcome across another one Til Besure to tell you about it ‘When can I come over and hear your new cymbal? Come over right now if oud like T'm on my way. Both people are listening to exch other, they're interested in what each has to say and respond to each other in a friendly and supportive way. What if the conversation went like this 1ePomne Booey Iatfordageatneariecbal ee ee 2nd Person: ‘That nice Style is nt muse Anybody can get Iesounds warm and ed good to play on. nthe drumset and get rea fat, Hmmm. But bow do you play with people, . for people Playing fst around he Well, just thought [i tell you abou it. Bye drums is one thing. But to play music, ne teplay with people for others to Tien fe tba someting elie Now suppote they erehavingamusica conversation, Thefiseper That whole other world” son is the soloist anc ‘second is the drummer. Tony Willi Madern Drummer August 1992 ‘Which music would you enjoy more? 30 Comping : John RileyWhen a soloist increases the intensity so should the drummer. This can be done in a num rane artast Blakey would helps solos build hs sol by gradually increasing che inten” ", Sheof the groove itself Each chorus would “burn alle harder thas che previo ons Philly Joe Jones would increase the tension by playing repeated "if" behind the soloist Coming Down from a Climax Coming down fom a climax aves gradual thinning othe comping ens Coming do oe mca and berg ava thatthe soloist may build agin or end the hor be unsure ofwhere ro go net Coasting Everyone has fet the intensity of someone building a solo to cima. We've all experienced the cooling off after a climax, but what is coasting? Coasting means ‘that the soloist isnit sure ifhe Panto build more intensity and play afew more choruses or end the solo: When 2 soloist is coasting, a musical drummer can help shape the rmusic. returning, 7 Tf the drummer jst lays down a swinging groove forthe soloist (which is difiuls enough in ite, the solo wil probably end soon. Butif the drummer initiates some scion by comping a way thar pushes the soloist — generates some sparks — chances ae the sles wil respond C yung the solo again, You must discover wha each soloist needs Ifyou push 190 hard you right overpower the slo, fyou lay back roo much, the music may dic. Listen fo the music you tre playing and hear how the soloists reacting in order to decide what is appropri. for that si aa enunat rune on that day. Another version fight go ina completely diferent direction ° ‘The gear ching about improvised music is that if you relly in rane withthe people you ply with, your songs can sound completely differen each time you play them. ‘Nojazasolo takes the same shape vice. Thisis why ibcrucial to listen to che soloist fhe thinks he building wo a climax, you shouldbe right therewith him swinging hard and increasig oO" innsiy (by comping) to push him firthe. Howeve, if soloists building co cimas bur yo : ieee ches wanding down because you lost your concentration or werest realy hearing, the susie iat noe reach its al potent, ad the soloist wil be unhappy and fel char "you werent playing with me” - Seasoned players are complecely aware of what he soloists doing without chinking abourbuild- ingor coasting. The goa sro getto che pint where the mprovisstions and omg ideashap- penaturaly and are dzeced by yourearsandianlon, rather than by chinking or planning 31 “the Ataf Bop DrummingListening /Song Structure ‘Moss jaza songs are built on one of two forms. The frst is the blues form, which is 12 bars divided into three four-bar phrases, Each 12-bar cycle i called a chorus ‘he second isthe seandard song form, which is 32 measures divided into four eight-bar Phrase, The eight-bar phrases are generally designated as A(8) A(B) B(8) A(8) Thc con pletion ofeach 32-bar cycle isa chorus, a) 8 a SSS @ 8 SSS =] 8 Jn a 32-bar tune, the first eight bas (A) introduces the melody and harmony. The second Cight bars (A) usually repeats the fist. The third eight-bar section (B) is generally « new {relody indifferent key. This seetion is often called the bridge. The time ee (Latin, wo, Bets swing, et.) frequently changes during the bridge. The as eight-bar section (A) egen- spills rear to the melody, harmony and feel ofthe first (A). Listen tothe play-along nes Last Week "Whatis This Thing Called?,"“Sutch and Die," and Outin the Open They ize each 32 measures long and use the same AABA song form, “School Days" isa 13-ber form and the ballad “October” uses an 8-bar form. Comping John Riley me fyAwareness ‘The 32-bar AABA standard song form and the 12-bar blues form are by far the most com- ron structures used in jazz. Thesé forms repeat over and over during a jazz solo. Charlie Parker wasnt just playing anything he wanted off the top of his head — every nore and every phrase was in elation to the form (harmonic movement) ofthe particular song he was playing ‘Asa drummer, you too must know where you are in the song at all times, The form of the ‘tune you are playing repeats over and over. The soloist you accompany may play solos from justone chorus to ten choruses or more. You must keep track of where the beginning of every chorus is, where the bridge is, and so on. Develop your sense of the harmonic movement by listening to records and figuring out the form of each song. Fel the harmonic movement. "The drummer, ifbes acware of music as a ‘ae cehele and listens in terms of form i and melody and chord changes, ith ‘out actually studying, be can Become aweare of these things and use them in i bis playing, Bven though be may not be able to name what change leically «fellows another, Becan sense it. In jae b "Fae Are of Bip Drumming ro Shelly Manne Beat June 1964 3BHale Solo Structure — Drum solos can vary in length from one measure to as long as the drummer desires. Shor: solos can serve-as a transition froin one section of a tune to another or change the feel or mood. Longer solos are used for exchanging ideas (asin “trading” 45, 85, or choruses) or to feature the drummer. Whatever the purpose ofthe solo, the drum soloist’s ideas should be played in a musical fash- ion with a swinging feel and should relate to the music being played. A good solo on any instruments one that is played in the style ofthe tune, feels good and tells a story. There are many ways to develop a solo, including theme and variation, call and response, dynamic con- ‘rast tension and release, and textural changes. Long solos consist of four and eight-bar phrases, which in turn are made up of one-bar ideas, To develop a musical soloing style ‘we will begin by looking at one-bar phrases. fee “Ljollow the improvisation the soloist ‘bas taken and when Be through pick up be lax phrase Be' played and suse tit as he beginning fo my improvisation on the melodic pattern One-bar Phrases ofthe composition” ‘The one-bar phrases in this book are not included because they are “hot licks,” or the “hippest” stuff. They are meant to be used to develop the kind of musical logic and melodic phrasing that all the great jazz players employed. When soloing Max Roach, Kenny Clarke, Philly Joe Jones and Roy Haynes didn’t just play . ‘what they had practiced and memorized. These masters played off the melodic motifs ofthe song and developed ideas thatthe other soloists presented in their solos. Irs taken forgranted that they knew the melody and form of the songs and had good time, a swinging feel, and the technique necessary to execute their ideas People sill isten to these drummers thirty, fory, even fifty years later not only because they swing so hard bur because chey developed their music in a logical way. The key to bringing a sense of musical logic to your soloing is istening as you play, and building each new idea on what was played previously. Don't think about pattems or sticking. Listen to the music — your ideas will evolve from that. ‘Musicis a language. Your playing communicates with those you are playing with, and wich the audience. Listen to what you are playing, Develop your ideas. Don't ramble — say some thing memorable when you play. » The Art of Bop Drumming rater Elvin Jones Down Beat Marsh 1963 Soloing 35One-bar Phrases ————— 7 “To begin, play each one-bar phrase aa comfortable tempo —ty¢=120. ! A no i fe ing John Riley #Developing Musical Phrases Step 1 —Repetition Now trade fours with yourself: play four bars of time followed by the one-bar idea repeated four times (four bars). Do this until the phrases flow together. 15 — Step2—Orchestrating Phrases 2 Now orchestrate (move) the ideas around the set while trading fours. Here are some of the melodic possibilities: 5 The Art of Bop DrummingStep 3— Adding Rests to the Phrase ‘The next step is to use rests to create space, or rhythmic displacement, within the four-bar phrase. Kr KW Sra a ate =, a 4 aS c 38 Soloing John Riley.Step 4—Rests within the Phrase ‘84 ‘Now take out notes within the phrase for more rhythmic interest. | | | i “Now orchestrate thes ides. . | | Step5— Rhythmic Elasticity | Letss-s-r-e-t-e~8 the rhythm — spread it our so that it sounds slower nee i | ' i Z a I Or contract the rhythm, making it sound faster: 2 rtof Bap Drumming Soloing 39ce oo a = Look what happens when you introduce a second idea — x the second one-bar phrase: p RLRUERL wT 3 3 2 i 3 3 Sm NO Sa a —F 7 = ar RLRLRLR L . ae, 2 ee Artof Bop Drumming =o Mmm.Three-beat Phrases One ofthe most frequent rhythmic devices used by all the be-bop greats involves repeating eas that are only three beats long over a 4/4 pulse. Most any of the 1-bar phrases can be tcansformed into a three-beat phrase by omitting either the first or last beat of a phrase. For example: ; Becomes this figure when you remove the fourth beat: —o z ‘Orwhen fou remove the first beat: 3 Check out how these 3-beat phrases sound in 4/4, 2 L 2 Novi orchestrate the three-beat phrases around the set. To review, solos can be developed in a number of different ways: + Repetition + Orchestration + Dynamics + Adding rests to create chythmic displacement + Omitting notes in the phrase + Stretching or contracting the rhythm + Use ofthree-beat motifs ‘Asyou can see, you can get alot of musical mileage out ofa simple idea: a = as ° Ifyou use creative logic. 40 Soloing t John RileyTo Aa r=. = __ == FR. RLRLRLRLR™ RRLLRRLLR = RLRRLRLLR™ RLRRLRLLR™ RRLLRRLLR™ RLRRLRLLR™ FE nual mm RLRLRLRLR RLRLRLRLR™ RRLRLRRLR” RLLRERLRL” ‘And s0 on. Now orchestrate, using dynamics and adding rests withih the one-bar phrases. Another effective idea is to use rolls to connect phrases. 2 ‘The “stick on stick” sound is also useful A : 2 H eS : [eters] Sl aes [nest Oem N = — > a = LORRLM ” * eg re ge be Art of Bop Drumming Soloing” 43,LRRL “LRRL 42 Soloing John RileyQuestion 1 : 3 a Question and Answer Solo Here's what the format sounds like using ideas from the one-bar phrases. 8 Question 1 ‘Answer 2 ‘Answer I asa question : Answer 2 2 cao. ‘Answer 1 as a question Question 1 as an answer ‘As you can hear, by using just three ideas: S \ ~ an interesting and musically logical solo was created. _ The drt Bop Drumming Soloing 45Developing Longer Solos Students often tell me they don't know what to play when they are asked to solo, The truth is ‘you dont need an immense vocabulary to play a solo if you develop your ideas fully. To play longer solos—a chorus or several choruses —use a moti (some phrase thats expecially mem- rable) from the melody of the song 2s an opening statement or “question,” and play an appro- priate “answer.” Ifyou try this, you will find it helps you develop a logical and melodic soo. 44 Question 1 Answer 1 Question 1 Answer 2 ‘Answer Ias a question Answer 2 Answer 1 as a question Question I as an answer ‘This format forces you to remember what you've just played. Ifyou can'tremember it, then you probably weren't thinking melodically. When you are thinking melodicaly, you'r playing “makes more sense” and becomes more memorable to you, the band and the audience. Soloing John RileyBO Question and Answer Solo Number 2 Hete's another solo using the same format. Can you hear the logic? The melody? The ques- tions and answers? . RRR” RRR R LRLR LRLR RLRL RLRLR i 3 s ‘A great way to improve your soloing is to learn someone else's solo. Collect solo ideas from the recommended listening CDs. Lear the ideas by ear or by transcribing them and then integrate these new ideas into your own soloing vocabulary. John Riley 46 SoloingA Ballad Patterns rc This next patterns gret for ballads, Each hand circles in quarter-notes, coming towards the : theron the best. Puta litle weigh on each brush to help spell out the quartet-note pulse: Recorded sequence — two bars each patter, Straight Eighth-note Ballad On some ballads, the melody is played with a straight 8th- note feeling. The rhythm section must immediately eecog- nize whether the melody is being played with a swing feel or an eighth-note feel and provide the appropriate support. Both brushes stay on the head at all times, ie) R JJ} SSS Swing Ballad Variation In this variation the right hand plays the ride cymbal pattern, and the left hand circles in quarter-notes, *§ FIP ELS ee Brushes 4948 Brovhes Brushes Legend has it that the brushes of today originated in New Orleans. In the early 1900s, New Orleans drummers were looking for a way to create a different, softer sound than they could get from sticks. Today's brushes are the grandchildren of the fly swatters used by New Orleans drummers to achieve this effect. Brushes produce a warm, smooth-flowing sound at lower volumes and at all tempos. Good brush playing requires many of the same skills as playing with sticks, such as maintaining a {good fel and sound, listening to and accompanying the soloist, and knowing how to solo. ‘The biggest difference between playing with brushes and playing with sticks is the way you achieve a good sound. Playing with brushes requires type of sustained motion (particularly with the left hand) that is completely different from playing with sticks. have found that inost students make dramatic improvements in their brush playing once they realize thatthe left hand must make its circling patterns in time. This is done by gently leading the brushes over the head. Dont push the brush into the head — sweep it over the head. Brush Pattern 1—Basic Pattern = "The most common brush pattern is as follows: The right hand plays the ride cymbal pattern while the left hand circles clockwise in half-notes. The hands cross on beats 2 and 4. Don't push the left brush into the head. Strive fora left hand where you can't hear the brush change directions, The sound should be as smooth and consistent as possible. This versatile brush pattera sounds good at most tempos. John RileyThe “Figure 8” 7 Heres a great sounding pattern that can be used in a variety of tempos: ‘ agg dd f ee eee t I 3 Against 2” Feel Liirst heard Marty Morel play a parcern like this with the Bill Evans Trio in the early 70s. Notice that the left hand plavs a small circle within a cizcle. The sound of the left hand should be per- fectly smooth except for accent pulses as noted. A good-sounding right hand variation would be to sweep the right hand from beat 1 to 2 and from 3 to 4. This wll help thicken the sound. 7 Tm jf HS SS Brushes 51 Fie drtoBep Dranming_ Uptempo Patterns This next patter is used for uptempo playing. The hands split up the ride cymbal pattern: Besure tohave one of yourhands sweeping allies, GD) erbbleof the head und the otherhand has eared Here are ewo uptempo patterns that Jack DeJohnerte showed me. Pay special attention to the synchronization swith the hi-hat because the coordination isa litle awkward. The left hand sweeps on beats 1 and 3. The right hand taps on beats 2 and 4 and sweeps on the “ands” of beats 2 and 4. 50 Brushes, John RilHeze's a pattera Elvin Jones plays frequently. He uses a counterclockwise cree in the lef hand and pushes the brush into che head slightly on beats 2 and 4, 2 > : Brush Patterns in 3/4 ‘The left hand makes a small fast circle for beat 1 and a Slove large cil for bests? and 3. On the CD, each pattern in 3/4 is repeated four times, 52 Brushes Here’ a swinging pattern that can be played at most tem~ pos. Brush master Ed Thigpen uses it on a great brush , record, Oscar Peterson's Affinity. The left hand almost ‘ stops on each beat. aIn this pattern, the left hand sweeps accented dotted quarter-notes starting on beat 2. The hi-hat plays the “and” of beat 1 and beat 3, Viennese style: ie Die Artof Bop Drumming Bente ge54 Brushes, variation with the left-hand circling in quarter-notes RH 914243 When playing with brushes, make sre thatyour bass drum and hi-hat are in balance with he vol ume of che brushes. Play the bass drum and che i-hatas ities oftheir sound. as you can withoutlosing the qual jpod" ones. But in order “The patterns described here are by no means the only brushes, you must lay down a solid foundation until you get a good swing fee at all tempos. For inspiration, there are m seat his own groups: Phill Joe Jones with Miles Davis or Wynton Kelly; Vernell Fournier with ‘Aumnad Juma: Joe Morea with Dave Brobeck; Ed Thigpen with Oscar Peterson; Paul Motian, Shey Manne, Larry Bunker and Mary Morel with Bill Evans; and Kenny Washingron with Tommy Flan sound good with John Rile“Tho. tion will briefly explain a number of cifferent “feels” that jazz drummers are often roqized to play: The Shuffle ‘The shuiile is a rhythm it playing all the eighth-notes in the bar. As @ wEnbe. al an 1 4/4 with a“walking” fee. It creates a strong trance-like groove by always, swing the eighth-notes. Begin at = 100. Here are some variations on this pattern: open hi-hat, ora “china” cymbal. Iris shard John RitPlaying in "9” When a leader or band member asks for a *2-feel,” the bass player plays half-nore-based ‘hythms (beats 1 and 3) rather than a *walking” quarter-note pulse. The drummer in turn will play a more relaxed groove, which can be done by plaving fewer quarter-note based rhythms on the ride cymbal. | Opt Jo) on (Because playing in “2” less active, you must be sure to keep things poppi the some snap and don't let the music sound sleepy or bogged down. Keep the Another way to play in “2" is to play time on the hi-hat. To do this, use your foot to hold the ‘wocymbals abouta quarter of an inch apart. Position your left thumb on the your fingers on the bottom eymbal. Use yous left hand instead of vour foot to bals on beats 2 and 4, The will be smoother — without che snap. A.nice variation isto close the cymbals with your hand on the “and” of either beat 1 or beat 3 — like this: Don't squeeze the cymbals together, just gently dampen the sound without stopping the flow ofthe rhythm, Try this variation: poe hb] © h | eM] 7 = = = Listen to che rune “Last Week” (CD track 30) — we play the bridge with 4 "2. Tied ef Bop Drumming More are Essen \3/4 Waltz Many jazz tunes are written in 3/4 Standard tunes that were originally written in 4/4 can be converted to 3/4 for a change of pace. ‘The three most common ways to play 3/4 aze: 1 Int” 7 “The bass player plays a dotted half-note on beat 1 and les it sustain for the entire measure. 2 In'3” “The bass player plays three quarter-notes to the bar to give a strong “walking” feel, similar to-walking in 4/4, 3 Broken “3” feel “The bass player plays rhythms based on dotted quarter-notes. In all three forms, the drummer plays a similar type of part: = @) x R) ) ey However, the emphasis changes depending on the feel. When playing in “1,” the bass drum and hi-hat are the center of the time while the ride cymbal and hi-hat are less driving, When playingin3," che ride cymbal and hi-hat are more focused and driving while the bass drum tnd snare play lighter In the broken “3 feel, the left hand is more prominent. On the tune “Satch and Diz” (CD track 1 or 44) the A sections of the head and piano solo are played with in “1.” During the sax solo the A section is played in “3.” Hereis an example of a 3/4 pattern that works well in a Latin-jxzz feel Check out Max Roach recording, Jazz in.i/# Time, for some swinging playingin 3/4 58 More Jazz Essentials JohnSamba ‘The samba is a Brazilian rhythm in 2/4 that “swings” in its own way. The eighth“notes are played straight, not “rounded.” Dagt let the ride cymbal sound like swing, It should be very straight, but relaxed. The patterns that your right hand and your feet are playing should really lock together and create the forward momentum. Dont play the bass drum too loudly. ‘The sound should be very even and balanced between your hands and fect. This pattern is generally written and fel FS tl These are many different traditional samba rhythms which can be incorporated into jazz. As with any style of music, make an atcempr to “get to the source” and hear the original artists. Itis worth knowing the work of contemporary Brazilian artists such as Milton Nascimento, Ivan Lins, Joyce, Jorge Ben, Chico Buarque, Eliane Elias, Gal Costa, Beth Carvalho, Elis Regina, Gilberto Gil and Djavan. Also look for recordings featuring Brazilian drummers Dom Um Romao, Airto Moreira, Duduka Da Fonseca, and Portinho. 12/8 Feel . ‘This rhythm also known as nanige, bembe, or Afro-Cuban 6/8, is pechaps the grandfather of the modern jazz ride cymbal pattern, The 12/8 feel can be played for an entire song of used 0 change the mood within asong. Two masters of the 12/8 groove are Elvin Jonesand ArtBlakey. ce ee 3 SoS is 4-120 The dre of Bop Drumming More Jazz Essentials a a.60 Mambo “The mambo isan Afro-Cuban chythim in 4/4. Traditionally played on timbales, the mambo panera can be adapred for use on the drumset, Traditional Application Jinn adi 5 ~ wry "The mambo craze of the 1950s influenced drummers such as Max Roach and Art Blakey, who adapced the chythm and feel of the mambo to the bop chythms of their time. Their mambo pattern was a bit more rounded and improvised than the traditional mambo, and can be played with either a straight eighth-note or swing feel: Jazz Adaptation 4+140-240 “To hear Afro-Cuban grooves and jazz paired with standards by Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Wavne Shorter and others, check out recordings by Jerry Gonzalez and The Fort Apache band swith Steve Berrios on drums and percussion. Other drummers to look for are Ignatio Berron with Dizzy Gillespie; and Robby Ameen with Ruben Blades and Dave Valentin, Uptempo Playing Drummers Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Jake Hanna and others can be heard on records playing tempos as fast as = 400. How? The playing of uptempo jazz requires subtle changes in the phrasing of both the ride cymbal pattern and comping. At tempos below « = 270, you must maintain the triplet spacing we've been working on; butberween = 270.and. = 300, your ride cymbal pattern and comping will “facten out.” The triplet phrasing changes to a more straight-eighth-note spacing, Main~ rhining the triplet spacing above « « 300 will create an edgy stiffness in your playing and tend to stifle the flow of those you accompany. The comping can include triplet, but will be mainly eighth- and quarter-note-based. In order to be able to play upternpos you must practice playing uptempos. One good way to practice all the ideas in this book is to play along with records and try to “cop the feel” of the asters. Practicing uptempos with records is especially valuable because it shows you exactly how far you have t0 go to be able co do what you must be able to do. More Jazz Essentials — — & John Riley —BeAr of Bop Drumming x Endurance and Speed “In practicing uptempos,itisimportant to ecognize that there are two components which work together, but must be practiced separately: endurance and speed. You need them both, but you ust develop endurance before peed. ‘To improve your endurance, work on sustaining a moderately fast pace fora long time, say 15 minutes, Iv best to keep the ride cymbal pattern very consistent — really focus on the sound and feel you are creating, and stay relaxed. ‘While the hi-hat stays on “2 and 4,” interject an occasional comping idea with the snare drum or bass drum, but don’t let your comping take away from the ride cymbal — this isa ride eym- balexercise, Practice with a metronome in half-notes clicking on beats 1 and 3 or beats 2and 4, ‘The tempo should be just fst enough so that you have to push yourselfa lite to finish the last few minutes. Keep a record of the tempo you started with and how long you could sustain it Increase the tempo five BPM (beats per minute) every few days as your conditioning improves, Wri ab Don Uptempo “Sprint” Exercise ‘To play faster, you must practice playing faster. After you've been working on the endurance exercise for a week or two, you will have an idea of what you can do, as well as having the endurance to do it. Now you must push your upper limit in short bursts to eventually increase your endurance tempo. Do this by taking a tempo 10 to 20 BPM faster than your endurance tempo and do “sprints.” If you're playing for 15 minutes at 4 = 100, then set your metronome at 120 and play the following: Eight measures at = 120, followed by sixteen measures at / = 120. 4-120 d+120 repeat 10x In other words, eight bars of regular time followed by sixteen bars of double-time. The eight bars of regular time are the “recovery” phase, while the sixteen bars of double-time are the sprint phase. The click will be on all four quarter-notes in the first half and on “1 and 3” in the sprint phase. Shift the hi-hat to double-time as well ne Besure youare warmed up defae you do this. Inthe sprint phase, play lightly but stay focused and relaxed. Tey to incorporate all your resources — wrist, fingers and arm. As you get stronger, you can increase the intervals to sixteen bars of regular time and thirty-two bars of double-time. Remember that if you are playing J = 150 or faster, the 4/4 section will have a definite triple fel, while the double-time section will flatten our toa more straight eighth note feeling. On the tune “Qut In The Open” (CD track 39) the ride cymbal pattern is flac- tened out in this manner diie to the tempo. More Jazz Essentialsond erTre Lead Sheets ———______ There area number of different ways that a band leader can introduce new music toa group. In most small group situations, the leader wil suppl identical “lead sheets” for exch tone oy cach member of the group. Lead sheets contain the melody, chord changes, namie and Usually some information about the styl (., “medium swing”) ofthe song, Each player expected to know how to read the lead sheet and create the appropriate musical parton cheir iMstrument. The lead sheet gives a drummer the four crucial elements needed to playa new Song in a musical fashion — sty, form, melodic shape, and dynamics, Lead sheets don't con, {ain tbeats." The drummer must create the appropriate feel based on the style indicated on the sheet (ballad, “2-feel,” shuffle calypso, etc.) Drum Parts Some leaders write specific parts, a ina big band, foreach instrument. A good drum pare willindiate the style, the important shythmic information frorn the melody, show the frm, fi the dynamics. Deum parts dont contin the actual melody or chord changes, but may vse descriptive words co suggest the melodic or harmonic mood such as “smoothly” “built” ce “less intense” and so on “You'll hear it” A third seenaio finds the leader without music for the drummer. 'm pften told, “You don't need a part — you'll hear it.” Experienced players can hear a tune once or twice and be able fo sound good playing ic /they ask the leader the right questions about the song before its ‘counted off + Whi style o + Whats the form: * What about dynamics (A sections loud, bridge soft etc)? fee! — sticks or brushes? With this information, which a leader can relay to you ina few seconds, you havea much beter chance ofnot only sounding lke you hear i,” bur ke sou “know it" When you are told “you'll bear it” just ask, “What's the fel andthe form?” The leader will say something lke, “Meciurn Up swing, 20-bar form, five 4-bar phrases, On the head there's a stop on beat one of the fst Phrase. Come back in on the second phrase.” Remember what he tells you and go fori! Since lead sheets provide more musical information than deur parts, 'm including the lead sheets for you to use when you play along with these tracks. Lead sheets don’ cell you whether to use sticks or brushes, or where all the “hits” (accents) are. You must make the eperopsats musical choices about how co accompany the melody. Paying “School Days," choose to play brushes but sticks would have worked equally a8 well. On “Lact Wee f Played the A sections with a shuffle fee, bur cha is not the only approach that will compli- rant the song. Experiment — play each track with sticks then with brushes. Try switching beween sticks and brushes within a song. My compositions and our renditions of them reflect our broad experiences a¢ musicians and 3s such include some "post-bop” influences. Work on achieving a tue, pure bop feel and vocabulary then expeciment by introducing elements ftom your own experiences és must an. The more thoroughly you understand the past, the more clearly you ean see the & ArtofBop Drumming fi Charts 63nl In a y 8 Domai? creo fi yr: : ay the head once v0 chorus sax solo ' chorus piano solo (First chorus AB) wy the head once to fine F Bop Drumming aan p School Days A) Medium swings" 140 Bal 59 Dimnaj9* 6165) Bhm7 Braj? Gomaj? Aum7 ® ast xonty) cm Ftmaj711) coun . maj? cA = fine For : Play the head twice ‘Two chorus bass solo ‘Two chorus piano solo Play the head once and go to the coda 64What Is This Thing Called? +256 G7 C769) Fm x D7 ids) /Cmaj7 phe ~ z —— I 1 Cmaj? cm Fr ¥ Drom fill Bama? : AT ' Form: Play the head once 2 chorus sax solo 2 chorus piano solo I chorus trading “‘4’s” I chorus trading “2's” Play the head once and go directly to coda Deum fi D.C. al Coda tast x Pcods D°7 qr moire) 66 Charts JohnR¢ Ballad /-60 2 J. Riley : cm DIFs AT Esmaj7/Go Fm Emil == = SS 5 3 Oe + SS Em? By ‘Abmmaj7(H1) Fmd Esmaj765) DWE Gamai7i8 fine Form: “Play the head once One chorus sax solo + One chorus piano solo One chorus bass solo ‘*Play the head once to fine “tof Bop Drumming Charts “7Satch & Diz Bimo Esso maj? F75#9) In“ Bi5) Dias) o7 F7st9) Bim Enmai9 maj? F70519) 4, 4 a * a = a re a —= 7 rt fine Form: Play the head once Two chorus piano solo Two chorus sax solo Play the head once to fine 68 Charts Johfaa) Out In The Open aay Up swing (300) (Solo changes) Almaj7 A J.Rilley Fai? Dmaj7 Braj? Drums + ‘Asmaj7 Fmaj7 Bim 487 Dim? id Bm a Drums Bim? BA? Bom? BST Asmaj7 cr AsmT D7 Bbm7 EW wipe 2A So rame We drefBep Drumming