Extending this EZ fast rock / rock in 3 series, with quarter notes on the cymbal: here are some beats and ideas in 5, phrased 3+2. I wrote this series to illustrate the difference between […]
Author: Todd Bishop
Ralph Humphrey in hospice, RIP Ivan Conti
Not great news in music this week. Ralph Humphrey, who had been undergoing cancer treatment, has entered hospice care. He’s one of the first drummers I ever knew the name of, from Frank Zappa’s album […]
It’s about records, it’s about records, it’s about records
I’m noticing— online, and to a lesser degree with some students— a lot of people approaching the drums mainly in terms of drumming media. Books and videos, and the drumming concerns they promote, are the […]
Reed tweak: yet another uptempo method
Minor tweak to an ordinary right hand lead Reed system, making an approach to playing jazz at fast tempos. I’ve probably written something like this before, I can’t be bothered to check. This way has […]
Groove o’ the day: Billy Higgins Latin
Addendum to yesterday’s Billy Higgins transcription— here’s the Latin groove he plays on the A sections of the head on Moose the Mooche, from Joshua Redman’s album Wish. More or less— it takes a couple of […]
Transcription: Billy Higgins trading
Some uptempo trading 8s and 4s on Moose the Mooche, from an old favorite album, Wish by Joshua Redman, with Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins on drums. I used to play along […]
EZ Rock in 3/4
Working on my EZ Fast Rock page, a younger student asked a question like what’s the difference between playing in 3, 4, or 5? Well, here we go, some similar stuff written in 3/4. I like […]
Daily best music in the world: 80s McCoy and Roy
I’ve probably posted this before, I don’t care. A record forgotten by everyone, released on Impulse! about the time I was going to school in LA, at USC. I listened to this a lot, and […]
Hand dominance: still bull
Advertising a belief. Yes, hand dominance is still bull. At least with regard to drumming. It happened again this week: a new student, right handed, who had never hit a drum before, automatically led everything […]
Wilcoxon’s Junior Drummer
I’ve had this copy of Charley Wilcoxon’s book The Junior Drummer* lying around for some time, let’s take a look at it, see how it holds up for modern usage. I have the Ludwig Masters […]