Hastily scribbled practice notes It has been an interesting journey this week, preparing this challenging music— moderately challenging, I guess; there are a few grooves in time signatures I’m not used to, but I’m being […]
Category: downloads
5/8 control
Sid Catlett would always tell me, “Art, when you’re in trouble, roll. Just relax, you know what I mean?” Let’s talk about something I’m preparing for, kind of a hairy gig coming up next week, […]
Chaffee linear phrases: 8ths and triplets in 4/4
Some Gary Chaffee-style linear phrases in 4/4, in 8th notes and triplets. If I did things in a logical order, I would have written this five years ago, when I was writing those pages in […]
Reed interpretation: Matt’s double bass method – 03
More of an expansive double bass method using the book Syncopation, that I’ve been developing with a student. Here we’ll get into 16th triplets on the bass drums. The method is a little obscure to […]
Syncopation rhythms – quarter note triplets
The need for this arose when I was practicing yesterday, so here we go— two pages of syncopation rhythms including quarter note triplets and inverted quarter note triplets. You know what to do. Get the […]
Page o’ coordination: quasi-samba – bass drum variations
More student stuff! Someone needed a Latin rhythm for a tune he’s playing in a rehearsal combo, and this repeating quasi-samba pattern is what he came up with. So in the lesson we worked through […]
Converting 3/8 hemiola patterns to 2/4
That’s it, CRUISE SHIP DRUMMER! is now an all what-I’m-teaching-in-lessons web site. I’m preoccupied with other stuff right now, travel plans and whatnot. I started doing this around 2013, and quite a bit lately— changing […]
Afro 6 – advanced bass drum ideas/coordination
A page of patterns I’m playing around with, in an Afro 6 feel, that are difficult or unusual for varying reasons— either the bass drum is in unison with the left hand, or the actual […]
Reed interpretation: Matt’s double bass method – 02
Continuing a double bass drum method I’m developing with a student. I don’t play double bass, and have very little to teach on the subject, but we’re building a pretty substantial drill out of it. […]
Transcription: Jake Hanna fours
Here’s Jake Hanna trading fours with Duke Jordan, on Jordan’s album Live Live Live— a Japanese import release from the late 90s. This is a pretty ordinary club date; Hanna was almost 70 and Duke […]
Transcription: Kenny Clarke – Swing to Bop
Kenny Clarke playing brushes on Swing To Bop, from the album The Immortal Charlie Christian. This was recorded live at Minton’s Playhouse in 1941— epicenter of the formation of bebop. We’re hearing a strong quarter […]
Todd’s rock drill
Along the lines of that jazz drill from a few weeks back, here’s a rock/funk drill I’m playing— or universal backbeat-music drill. My wife, Casey Scott, is a songwriter, and is getting ready to record […]