Many drummers think that brushes can be used only in jazz, but if you’ve been following this series and practicing the various patterns in each article, you should realize by now that brushes can be used in any musical style. This month we’re covering a linear motion that allows you to play at extremely fast tempos, and it’s great to use when playing funk, Latin music, or up-tempo swing. The first diagram shows the basic motion. The hands sweep in unison but in opposite directions. The legendary jazz drummer and brush master Philly Joe Jones called this motion “the windshield wiper.” Now let’s try the motion in 8th notes. You can use any sticking. In the next two diagrams, the main sticking patterns are RLRL and RRLL. A great exercise for all stickings is to play a “time pyramid,” where you start with quarter notes and then shift to quarter-note […]

February 2012 Issue