Basic Brushes by Charley Perry In the history of drumming, brushes are a fairly recent addition to the drummer’s arsenal. They go back perhaps forty years and have been used almost exclusively in jazz and dance bands. The origins of brushes are unclear; no one knows with certainty how and when they came to be. Most jazz authorities favor the early accounts of whisk brooms played on suitcases as being the forerunner of present-day brushes. With the advent of extremely loud music (rock), there was no longer a place for the delicate nuances of brush playing, and it soon became a lost art. Today, however, brushes are regaining popularity. Used skillfully, they can produce exciting and varied tone colors and effects that are simply not possible with drumsticks. More than one rock drummer, interested in other musical forms, has come to me brushes in hand, with the request, ‘Teach me […]