This is the first of two pretty-easy methods for developing a New Orleans-style street beat— or rather, for expanding on it, and playing it in a “modern” way. They’ll also be good for getting a […]
Category: exercises
EZ Reed method with flams and 16th notes
Another “EZ” Reed method for rock/funk fills, similar to our recent triplet method, this time using pp. 24-27 from Syncopation. I won’t break it down completely, but you can figure it out by looking at the […]
Uptempo Stone method — 02
Here’s a little companion to our other uptempo method using Stick Contrtol by George L. Stone. This is more of an open system, and you may do it without even getting that deeply into the book […]
Page o’ coordination: shuffle bass drum variations
It’s a busy, busy, busy, busy time here— lots of gigs, lots of teaching, lots of work to be done on my house as we convert our little back house into an Air b’n’b. Nevertheless, […]
Page o’ coordination: Ventimiglia
This is something I wrote for working on one of my own tunes: Ventimiglia, from my 2014 album, Travelogue. It’s a bright 6/8 with a strong pull towards 3/4. The bass line is borrowed from […]
Chaffee linear phrases in 3/4 – 16th notes – 01
I’ve been trying to figure out why I never did that much with Gary Chaffee’s linear system; I find I’m a lot more interested when I vary the rhythm, and when I’m not always starting […]
Snare drum etude in 2/4 with 8th notes and triplets – 01
I’ve been interested in modulating rhythms lately, so here’s a little snare drum etude derived from my previous etude in 5/8. It’s actually the same piece— I’ve just changed the meter to 2/4, and changed […]
Cut time funk method: two-measure grooves
I’ve been working quite a bit with this cut time funk method from last year— part of what I’ve been doing instead of writing more blog posts. I’m not just writing junk to burn up […]
Snare drum etude in 5/8
This week I’ve been working out of Odd Meter Calisthenics, a very good book by Mitchell Peters, which covers a lot of stuff in */8 meters. Which led me to write out a little study […]
Page o’ coordination: Afro 6 – 6/4 feel
Another Afro 6 POC. It’s a very rich and rewarding style, which is why I do so bloody much stuff with it. I was surprised to see I had never written up this variation before— […]
GOTD & POC: Elvin Jones — That 5/4 Bag
First-ever combined Groove o’ the Day and Page o’ Coordination. We’re completely off the chain. From Elvin Jones’s second album as leader, Dear John C., here is the major groove for That 5/4 Bag, with […]
Simple one-handed Reed interpretation
UPDATE: Download link is working now… This is a simple exercise which arose while working on my Zigaboo Modeliste-like half time feel funk method. It will be easy to master— it’s fun to work on […]