More often than not, I preach precision while espousing specificity when it comes to expressing our ideas on the drumset. In simple terms, that adds up to, “saying what we mean and meaning what we say.” That approach, however, runs the risk of making a drummer’s fills predictable, copyable, and ultimately, boring. Going to the other extreme — complete freedom as wrought by aimless thrashing or noodling — can also be boring if not nonsensical. So: where is the happy creative medium? First, it will be helpful to explain what in the world I’m talking about. For starters, let’s look at a popular and common drumming device that’s used for both fills and solos: the six-stroke roll (or, as I like to call it, “my fake Buddy Rich chops thing”). This always works, it almost always sounds good, and when the drummer moves it around the kit (while employing cymbal […]

July 2022 Issue