Another choice item from a 1981 column in Modern Drummer, in which Scott K. Fish talks to a lot of great bass players, about drummers: “Faults I hear in drummers? Mainly that they play too […]
CYMBALISTIC: videos are up!
4/24 UPDATE: Bumping this— I have the other two 22″ Extra Special Janavars now— I just played them and, yeah, I’m not hyping them, they’re great. I may keep one for myself, my birthday is […]
Whither the hihat foot
What does it do? Right up front: in playing the drums, the left foot is basically subservient. A lot of people vaguely suspect they’re not doing enough with it. Some go on to become fixated […]
Very occasional quote of the day: futuristic
“A lot of drummers try to be futuristic and more modern, but they lose the groove and find themselves nebulous instead of in contact with what it really is. So all of the interesting things […]
EZ rock in 5 – 3+2
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 […]
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 […]