A page of snare drum rudiment practice phrases, written in 5/8, in a 3+2 phrasing. Keep this with your copy of Haskell Harr (book 2) or Rudimental Swing Solos. These can all be played at […]
Category: exercises
Hemiola funk series – SB-BS
I like this series. It’s a little half-baked, and I’ll probably have to rewrite it eventually, but I feel we’re closing in on something. A theory of rhythm and playing the drumset not based on […]
Syncopation p. 37 in 16th notes
Continuation of this item, in which I transcribe exercises by Ted Reed into 16th notes. Here I’ve done the famous page 37 exercise. I won’t be doing any other pages because that would be obsessive […]
Hemiola funk series – BS-SB
Further exploring hemiola rhythms in various meters and drum set orchestrations… there will be several more posts like this coming soon. It’s a simple idea that nevertheless needs to be written out, and it takes […]
Syncopation rhythms in 16th notes
This is a library item— you can print it and keep it with your copy of Progressive Steps to Syncopation. I’ve transcribed the one-line syncopation exercises from Reed into 2/4, doubling the rhythmic values. Just […]
Two hemiola coordination patterns
This is partly about rhythmic education, partly about drilling a couple of basic drumset coordination ideas, and partly about education on the polyrhythmic foundation of common funk rhythms. It is based on this page of hemiola […]
Afro 12/8 – funk – updated
This page is an update of something I wrote in the wilds of 2013— a page of bass drum variations for a funk-feel Afro-Cuban 12/8, with a backbeat on 3. I had a student play […]
Page o’ coordination: Idris Mozambique
A page of exercises for learning basic performance vocabulary using Idris Muhammad’s Mozambique-like cymbal rhythm from this recent groove o’ the day. Play each of the hand patterns many times— if you need to, start […]
Stick Control flams in 5/8 – 01
This is pretty straightforward, almost something you can do without writing it out— I’ve simply transcribed the basic flam exercises from p. 16 of Stick Control into 5/8. I get bored practicing things in a […]
Tyshawn Sorey linear lick
I did something I don’t usually do— transcribe a lick for a stranger on the internet with no context and no information about the player or music. I have no idea where the person got […]
Open ratamacues for drumset
More jazz solo vocabulary: my previous page of open ratamacues, adapted for the drumset. It’s pretty simple: we’ve just moved the doubles to the bass drum. I eliminated the triple ratamacues because I don’t like […]
Page o’ coordination: basic jazz waltz – 02
Another page of basic jazz waltz materials, with a dotted-quarter note rhythm on the bass drum, which gives your waltz a more rolling feel. As opposed to the traditional, rather hokey boom-tap-tap feel. Play the […]