Education
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A New Year, A New You? Reviewing and Renewing Your Goals, Part 1
We’ve discussed before how the ability to finish something is much more valuable than the ability to start something. Most people are starters, but the most successful people are the finishers. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG…
Swiss Rudiments - Basel Drumming, Part 3
In the third installment of our series on Swiss drumming, we’ll continue exploring the European roots of rudiments. In the last lesson we introduced Tagwacht pieces—music that’s typically used to awaken soldiers. The piece “Three Camps” could be considered an…
Groove Construction, Part 9: Split Grooves
This month’s groove workshop introduces split patterns. In these phrases, the right hand alternates between two voices, the hi-hat and ride. The arm should hardly move; the motion should originate from the wrist. This concept is especially effective with patterns…
Papa Jo Jones Drum Fill - Incorporating a Classic Jazz Lick
In this lesson we’ll explore a versatile and great-sounding fill from jazz legend Papa Jo Jones. The basic pattern is notated in Exercise 1. Pay close attention to the sticking—it’s essential to start and end the fill with your lead…
A New Perspective - Displacing Two-Over-Three Polyrhythms
This month we’re going to vary the basic phrasing of polyrhythms. Typically, both sides of a polyrhythm begin together on the first note of the rhythm. We can vary this by displacing one or both sides of the rhythm. We’ll…
The Swampy Double Groove - Grease Up Your Phrases
With double grooves, the left hand plays every 8th note using unaccented strokes in between accented backbeats. I refer to these unaccented notes as “taps.” Combining this snare pattern with a standard 8th-note hi-hat figure results in a locomotive groove…
Teacher's Forum - Interleaving
A typical practice session is often laid out in a format that sports psychologists call “block learning,” where you repeat the same skill over and over for a predetermined amount of time. If you’re practicing four different skills (A, B,…
Jazz Drummer's Workshop - Jazz Comping With Quarter-Note Triplets
In this lesson we’ll liven up our jazz comping with offbeat quarter-note triplets. We’ll incorporate this grouping into a swing feel, apply it to four- and eight-bar phrases, and move it around the drumset. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE…
Rock Perspectives - A New Realm of Groove
It might initially seem strange using the term “groove” in conversations about patterns based in odd subdivisions. But examples of these phrases being used in popular music are abundant. A perfect song to demonstrate this concept is Snoop Dogg’s track…
Concepts - Staying Current
Everybody faces the challenge of staying current. It happens in just about everything in life. The music business in particular always seems to be looking for the next new thing, which can be a problem because it ignores the fact…
Beyond the Noteheads - Benefits and Strategies for Transcribing, Part 2
I lead a lab at Temple University, and at our first meeting of each semester I ask my students what music they have an interest in learning more about. Some want to gain a deeper understanding of a particular style…
Conquering Life’s Stage Fright - Part 1: The Three C's
Imagine you’ve worked on your skillset for many hours throughout your life and you’ve developed what you perceive to be an accurate awareness of your abilities. Imagine having spent most waking hours since the age of five thinking about or…
Stickings That Rock, Part 1: From A Hand Pattern to a Groove
This month we’ll look at a sticking that can be found in the first few pages of George Lawrence Stones’ book Stick Control and apply it to patterns on the drumset. The sticking, RLRR LRRL, is a staple of my…
1,000 Ways to Practice a Single Page, Part 1: Introducing the Method
I’ve always wanted a system for practicing different subjects that I can take with me anywhere without having to lug around a heavy stack of books. My students often forgot materials for their lessons, so we ended up using any…
