Housekeeping item: Did you just click on the transcription label on one of my old posts? I stopped regularly using using that label several years ago— to see all of the transcriptions posted over the entire history […]
Very occasional quotes of the day: more from Elvin
More quotes from Elvin Jones, compiled by Norman Grossman, passed along to Jon McCaslin by Adam Nussbaum, posted on Four On The Floor. Go and read them all, here are a couple of very important […]
Rubadub with Stone
Reversing a years-long boycott, I’ve been using the book Stick Control quite a bit for drum set applications lately. I guess it’s unavoidable that sometimes in playing the drums, we think in terms of stickings. […]
Listening to Keith Copeland
Let’s listen some more. This is Charlie Rouse playing After the Morning, a tune in 3/4 by John Hicks. The great Keith Copeland, who left us too soon, is on drums. This is normal modern, mainstream […]
Hemiola funk series: easy grooves in 4/4
A page of easy beats based on the hemiola funk thing, that I wrote for my students. I’m trying to stay close to the original basic licks, while changing them slightly to fit them into […]
Heavy funk drill
Going from Ndugu-actual to Ndugu-esque. This is a 70s style funk drill that dovetails nicely with some other things we’ve been doing lately— see the other links in that linked post. I think jazz drummers […]
Groove o’ the day: Ndugu Latin
Listening to Ndugu Leon Chancler is always a great lesson in how to play funk, and how to use a set with a lot of tom toms. How to use the tom toms period. I […]
Transcription: Billy Higgins solo in 5
Billy Higgins drum solo in 5, on the tune 5/4 Thing by George Coleman, from the album Eastern Rebellion by Cedar Walton. The transcription begins at 5:44. It’s short, kind of a percussion interlude. A […]
Very occasional quote of the day: artist
“An artist is someone who can hold two opposing viewpoints and still remain fully functional.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
Three notes, one on cymbals – 01
This little assignment is related to several things we’ve done lately: my harmonic coordination improved method, and my rock drill; playing it in */4 meters with a swing feel gives you something similar to rubadub. […]
Authenticity
“I grew up happy and rich and I can play blues.” — Miles Davis “You’re not Art Blakey, you’re a white kid from Eugene.” — some guy I worried about “authenticity” for maybe a couple […]
Philly Joe solo lesson
In that last Philly Joe Jones transcription— his solo on Sub City, with Bud Powell— I noted a pattern of using his 8th note bass drum phrases to break up the mainly-snare drum passages. It’s […]