Jazz Drummer's Workshop
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Assertions And Evaluations
Time passes, and I become convinced more than ever that the diverse elements comprising the art of drumming all work together to give us drum fanatics as good a shot at happiness and fulfillment as anyone on the planet Earth.…
Latin Jazz Drumming - The Mambo, Part 1
In this lesson series we’ll focus on Latin jazz rhythms and interpret them on the drumset. For the first installment, we’re digging into the Afro-Cuban mambo bell pattern. Mambo is an Afro-Cuban style that’s built upon a clave foundation. Traditionally…
Expanding the Paradiddle – Part 3
As was stated in Part 2, this article will examine ways to obtain polyrhythmic patterns by using paradiddles. These exercises should be practiced with a metronome until a natural feel for the rhythms is achieved. Again, keep the muscles relaxed…
Expanding The Paradiddle – Part II
In Part I we used different placements of accents to expand the paradiddle. In this article, we will expand the paradiddle rhythmically. As I explained in Part I, you must keep your muscles relaxed and concentrate while playing these exercises.…
Jazz Coordination Studies
Jazz-oriented independent coordination is basically the ability to play any rhythmic idea with your left hand and/or right foot, without ever breaking the time flow being played by the right hand on the ride cymbal. Below are some exercises designed…
Action Figures
Approaches for Big Band Rhythmic Articulation This month we’ll explore ways of approaching and articulating ensemble rhythms. As drummers, we obviously can’t perform note lengths with the same exactness as a horn player. We can, however, use the many long…
Improve Your Bottom Line Part 3: Bass Drum Comping in 5/4
Welcome to the third and final installment in this series on bass drum comping. This time we’ll be working in 5/4. The phrases included here are intended to help you develop dynamic balance with your bass drum foot in unison…
Improve Your Bottom Line — Part 2: Bass Drum Comping in 3/4
Continuing with the concept introduced in the last issue, this article explores bass drum comping ideas in 3/4. The phrases included here are intended to help you develop dynamic balance with your right foot in conjunction with your three remaining…
Improve Your Bottom Line Part 1: Bass Drum Comping in 4/4
Drummers depend on the bass drum to help drive the band and provide depth to their time feel. Throughout the 1920s and ’30s, the bass drum was the “solid four” timekeeper of the rhythm section. Many modern jazz drummers use…
Make It Swing! Part 2: Coordination and Consistency
Part one of my “Make It Swing!” series, which ran in the December 2011 issue, contained excerpts from my book Jazz Drumming Essentials and More. That article was an overview of techniques used to develop a strong swing feel when…
Swingin’ the Clave
Advanced Exercises for Developing Independence In jazz, the ride cymbal is the focal point for creating a flowing, swinging time feel. In Afro-Cuban music, the clave assumes this role. Essentially, clave is to Afro-Cuban music what the ride cymbal beat…
Get Up! Strategies for Playing Fast and Staying Relaxed
It’s widely understood that the faster the tempo, the more relaxed your body needs to be. In some cases, however, players psych themselves out when playing fast, which in turn affects their confidence in the ability to compose beat and…
