jazz drumming Archives - Modern Drummer Magazine

jazz drumming

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Roy Haynes’ Phrasing

Modern Interpretations and Variations

by Mike Alfieri
Oct 30, 2018

What’s Your Favorite 1970s Jazz or Fusion Drumming Album?

This month, as we delve into the music and drumming of 1978, we asked our readers and social media followers to name some of their favorite records from the entire decade. Here they weigh in on great ’70s jazz and…

Modern Drummer
Apr 25, 2018

Up-Tempo Studies

Part 2: More Exercises for Reflexes and Chops

by Steve Fidyk
Mar 28, 2018

Rhythmic Conversions - Part 5: Brazilian Grooves and the Half-Note Triplet

In this lesson we’ll superimpose a new tempo over an existing pulse using a half-note-triplet subdivision. We’ll then manipulate the subdivision to create Brazilian grooves in the new tempo. I recommend that you practice these patterns with a metronome and…

by Steve Fidyk
Oct 31, 2017

The Importance of the Offbeat

Tracing Its Use in Rock, Pop, and Jazz

by Peter Erskine
Sep 27, 2017

Playing Melodically

Part 3: Stickings and Interpretations

by Peter Erskine
Jun 28, 2017

Playing Melodically - Part 2: Freddie Hubbard’s Solo on “Make It Good”

Last month we took a jazz melody, Charlie Parker’s “Billie’s Bounce,” and implied its melodic rhythm on the snare. This month we’ll phrase trumpet great Freddie Hubbard’s solo on “Make It Good” from the 1967 Duke Pearson album The Right…

Peter Erskine
May 31, 2017

Playing Melodically - Part 1: “Billie’s Bounce”

In this new series I hope to present my thoughts and pass along some experience and insights on playing jazz. These lessons will largely deal with the symbiotic relationship between playing what the mind hears versus what the hands and…

Peter Erskine
Apr 26, 2017

Beyond the Noteheads - Part 3: Varying Your Transcriptions

This month we’ll apply variations to some of the transcribed phrases from Part 2 of this series (March 2017). This process truly has no limits. I find that being opened-minded to practicing transcriptions with this method helps energize my practice…

Steve Fidyk
Mar 29, 2017

Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills

Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills Part 3: More Two-Bar Patterns by John Xepoleas Welcome to the third and final lesson in our series on creating Elvin Jones–style triplet fills. This time we’re creating high-energy two-bar fills. Let’s begin…

Modern Drummer
Feb 23, 2017

Swing Style 101, Part 1: Avoiding the 1

Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Swing Style 101 Part 1: Avoiding the 1 by Justin Varnes Chances are, not many of us launched into a career in drumming after hearing a Papa Jo Jones record and asking our parents for a set…

Modern Drummer
Feb 23, 2017

Swing Style 101, Part 2: The Other Half

Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Swing Style 101 Part 2: The Other Half by Justin Varnes One of the main reasons why it can be so hard to make jazz sound and feel right is that here the basic timekeeping elements of…

Modern Drummer
Feb 23, 2017

Triplet Fill Concepts - Part 1: Three Over Four

Welcome to the first of three lessons in our “Triplet Fill Concepts” series. In this part, I’m going to show you how to play some simple three-over-four ideas using accents over triplets. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital…

John Xepoleas
Feb 23, 2017

Bebop Syncopation - Part 1: Max Roach and Art Blakey

Ted Reed’s Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer is considered a timeless book by many leading drummers and educators. One page alone can inspire a lifetime’s worth of practice material. In this series of articles we’ll explore new…

Mike Alfieri
Feb 23, 2017