Yes, it is. This always hung me up— the seemingly infinite tempo possibilities for any one thing you practice. It was a constantly lurking thing that I’m not doing this fast enough, and you would […]
Year: 2021
Accents in Reed
TOTAL nerd stuff here. I use the accent pages in Progressive Steps to Syncopation (pp. 47-49) with my students for convenience, but I find them be a pain. They’re thorough, but poorly balanced— so if […]
Subtractive method overview
Here’s a broad overview of this subtractive thing I’ve been working with. It’s a new approach, but not unprecedented, and I think it’s worth exploring. The idea starts with a Stone-type 8th note sticking pattern, […]
Practice loop: Port of Entry
Here’s a fun practice loop sampled from Port of Entry, by Weather Report. A great track from Night Passage, one of my favorite records. Tempo is 77 or 154 bpm, depending on how you want […]
Paradiddle inversion with bass drum substitutions
Something I was playing around with yesterday, substituting bass drum for some notes of the extremely useful RLLR-LRRL paradiddle inversion. These are good for playing fast. The last three patterns don’t follow the exact sticking […]
Very occasional quote of the day: Shelly Manne on soloing
“I think you should approach every drum solo the way a good improviser approaches soloing; you shouldn’t know what you’re going to do until the time comes to do it. Miles Davis said that you […]
Page o’ coodination: prep for subtractive method with Mozambique bell
I wrote this for my own use— I was attempting to do that recent subtractive Reed method with the more complex Mozambique bell rhythm, and it will go much faster to see the warm up […]
Top CD rebuys
After my pathetic little beater of a car bit the dust a few weeks ago I replaced it with a dynamite $5500 20 year old Mercedes-Benz E320— the last of the bombproof Benzes— with an […]
A little technique video
Let’s talk more about me. I just posted a little technique video in response to a forum conversation. Someone was confused about the meanings of the stroke types, and wanted evidence of my competency to […]
Groove o’ the day: Little Feat – Front Page News
Here’s a very inventive modern-sounding groove by Richie Hayward with Little Feat, on Front Page News, from the group’s album Down On The Farm. What he’s doing on the hihat reminds me of the staticky […]
Page o’ coordination: basic triplet texture in 4/4
Here’s a straightforward page o’ coordination for learning bass drum variations along with a basic triplet texture with the hands, in a jazz feel. The hands are doing a simple linear sticking pattern— a paradiddle-diddle […]
Notes on the first playing gig in some time
I had my first actual jazz club gig since COVID the other night, thought I’d share some playing notes about it. This is the type of thing we talk about here. The rhythm section was […]