Part of the idea of this “survival” series is to be very right hand (or leading hand, if you play lefty) oriented; we want to start every measure with the right hand— it just suits […]
Category: odd meters
Page o’ coordination: 5/4 with tie across the barline
Here’s a Page o’… for getting comfortable handling an accented note tied across the barline in 5/4: For the sake of clarity, I’ve written the page without the advertised ties; but you should be thinking […]
Page o’ coordination: hihat splash in 5/4
Here’s the disconcerting third dropped shoe in this recent spate of hihat splash pages o’…, now in 5/4, and I… Wow, I think that may be the ugliest, most incomprehensible sentence I’ve ever written. I’m […]
Transcription: Les Humphries — Ching Miau
In honor of Yusef Lateef, who we just lost a few days ago, at age 93, here is the thing that inspired yesterday’s post: Lex Humphries playing on Ching Miau, a one-chord modal tune in […]
Page o’ coordination: across the barline in 5/4
This is a classic situation when you start improvising in 5/4: you get a little cocky about your ability to just vibe the meter and come out OK, and in a few moments you observe […]
Transcription: Terry Bozzio — Rubber Shirt
Let’s consider this a special feature for the funds drive; like the other Zappa thing this week, I’ll be taking it down in a few days and submitting it to Drum! Magazine, so get it […]
Transcription: Frank Zappa — I’m A Beautiful Guy
This is a fairly epic two-minute thing I should really be submitting to Drum! or Modern Drummer, but— well, actually, I’m going to do that, so you’d better get this while you can, because I’ll […]
Page o’ coordination: another 5/4
OK, if you get burned playing a 5/4 because you haven’t practiced enough, don’t come crying to me. I’m doing all I can. This page is based on an ostinato that is sort of a […]
Page o’ coordination: 5/8 + 5/8 — 02
More fun with 5/4, gateway to all odd meters. I guess. Getting it together does seem to make the others quite a bit easier. This is our second entry using the 5/8+5/8 construction: When getting […]
Podcast — Episode 6: Todd’s playalong tracks
Hey, we haven’t done a podcast in some time, have we? I’ve been doing most of my drumset practicing along with recordings recently— book exercises and everything— and I thought I’d share some of the […]
Groove o’ the day: Robertino Silva — Saídas E Bandeiras
Been having a little bit of writer’s block in finishing several longer pieces this week, so let’s do something easy. Here’s a simple rock beat in 5/4 by one of my favorite Brazilian drummers, Robertinho […]
Page o’ coordination: 5/8 + 5/8 — 01
Another page o’ coordination in 5/4. From the amount of time we spend dealing with playing in 5, you might get the impression that I think it’s pretty damned important. I really don’t, but it […]