A Page o’ Coordination for getting together basic funk coordination using a common fusion cymbal rhythm, that comes from Latin drumming— it’s also the jazz cymbal rhythm, not swung. The rhythm is difficult enough for […]
Month: August 2019
Transcription: Billy Higgins – two breaks
Continuing yesterday’s theme, here are two slick drum breaks by Billy Higgins, from Hank’s Other Bag, from Hank Mobley’s octet album A Slice Off The Top. They happen at the beginning and end of the […]
Transcription: Ben Dixon 8-bar break
A little 8 bar break played by Ben Dixon— this is really just an excuse to listen to his playing on this track overall. The tune is Lullaby of the Leaves, from Grant Green’s album […]
Daily best music in the world: Pygmy music
I’m working on a couple of new book ideas right now, so you’ll have to content yourselves with perusing our voluminous archives, and digging this absolutely amazing Pygmy music— African people also known as Aka or […]
Updating the book
Time to rework the book for my events band again. It’s been eight years, and I really don’t want to see most of those tunes ever again. I always felt too obligated to make this some […]
Cymbal of the minit: 18″ Cymbal & Gong Turk “Toshiro”
I don’t use Turk-type cymbals much any more, but this one is really special: 18″ Cymbal & Gong custom Turk light ride. Weighs 1472 grams. C&G doesn’t have a regular Turk line— the smiths in […]
Basic drum set coordination – 01 – alternating
A page for teachers, for beginning through intermediate level students. I want them to have total clarity on what it feels like to play all the major limbs, and unisons between limbs, and the basic […]
Keep your pencil sharp
Drawing by Josef Albers Every student was required to have a pencil sharpener and to keep a sharp point on the pencil when drawing. — Rob Roy Kelly on studying art with Josef Albers Reading […]
Max’s rubadub – triplets added
Wow, slow posting in August. This is something more to do with that Max Roach rubadub-like system I’ve been writing about recently. Here I’ve added some filler triplets to the original transcribed phrases I posted before— […]
Hemiola funk series: 2/4 inversions
I wrote this out for some of my younger students, and also as a continued exploration of this hemiola rhythm in funk. It’s very similar to some other things I’ve posted— most of these left […]
Writing tips
First get the leaves off your paper and learn how to hold a pen. Start writing at the UPPER LEFT. Come on. “You have to have a command over the English language or you’re just […]