Adding to a similar thing we did early this year, here are some more possibilities for filling in an ordinary right hand lead Reed method— that’s the one where you play the book rhythm on […]
Year: 2022
Sidebar: mind what you say
Teachers, speaking to students: I know everyone thinks we’re not being heard, but a lot of them are more engaged than we think they are, and a lot of things we say to them, particularly […]
Reed interpretations: triplet feel R&B
This is a triplet-feel R&B groove practice method we did in a lesson with a student recently. It has a snare drum backbeat on 2 and 4, quarter notes on the cymbal, and some triplet […]
It’s suspect: nothing but singles, doubles, and flams
New recurring (maybe) feature, inspired by Modern Drummer’s It’s Questionable column. I’ll call it It’s Suspect, and say a few words about an annoyingly wrong but persistent drumming myth. This question was asked on a […]
Transcription: Jack Dejohnette – Gentle Rain
This tune shows you one way of opening up a Bossa Nova groove, in a modern jazz setting. It’s Jack Dejohnette playing on Gentle Rain, from George Benson’s album Beyond The Blue Horizon. I’m listening […]
Cymbalistic: new Reverb store!
CYMBALISTIC: I finally got around to setting up a Reverb store for Cymbalistic, my cymbal site, for those who wish to buy that way. It’s functional now; I’ll be adding the remaining cymbals I have […]
Very occasional quote of the day: a voice of their own
“There’s nobody who has a voice of his own that’s a fraidy cat.” – Lester Bowie, 1984 Downbeat Blindfold Test, posted on Twitter by @jazyjef
Reed tweak: filler options
Some filler options for a basic, very common right hand lead method used with the book Syncopation— the top line book rhythm is played with the RH/RF on a cymbal and bass drum in unison, […]
The state of the cheap real cymbal market
No, no, no True to my whiplash self-contradiction form, I’m following up my “THERE’S TOO MUCH PRODUCT INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET” rant with a dense informational post about shopping for cheap cymbals on the internet. […]
Groove o’ the day: Idris Muhammad – Last Train to Clarkesville
Idris Muhammad plays a hip train beat on George Benson’s cover of a Monkees hit, Last Train To Clarkesville, from his 1968 album Shape Of Things To Come. He’s playing rim clicks with a stick […]
Sidebar: Shopping in the YouTube age
Continuing a particular aspect of that why I hate videos post: information paralysis. It hits me whenever I have to buy camera equipment, or electronics, or computer related products. It’s always a manic descent into the […]