Jazz Drummers’ 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.
Improve Your Bottom Line, Part 1: Bass Drum Comping in 4/4 (VIDEO)
https://vimeo.com/117308578 Jazz Drummer's Workshop Improve Your Bottom Line Part 1: Bass Drum Comping in 4/4 by Steve Fidyk Drummers depend on the bass drum to help drive the band and provide depth to their time feel. Throughout the 1920s and…
Swingin’ the Clave: Advanced Exercises for Developing Independence (VIDEO)
July 2012 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Swingin’ the Clave Advanced Exercises for Developing Independence by Steve Fidyk 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.…
Get Up: Strategies for Playing Fast and Staying Relaxed (w/ VIDEO)
May 2012 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Get Up! Strategies for Playing Fast and Staying Relaxed by Steve Fidyk It’s widely understood that the faster the tempo, the more relaxed your body needs to be. In some cases, however, players psych themselves…
Focus on the Hi-Hat: The Classic Swing Sound (VIDEO)
March 2012 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Focus on the Hi-Hat The Classic Swing Sound by Steve Fidyk Before small groups reigned supreme and the ride cymbal became king, the beacon in jazz timekeeping was the hi-hat. Jo Jones with Count…
Ride Cymbal Phrasing: How Grip and Fulcrum Impact Your Sound (VIDEO)
November 2011 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Ride Cymbal Phrasing: How Grip and Fulcrum Impact Your Sound by Steve Fidyk Here’s a video demonstration of the three ride cymbal grips discussed in my latest article. https://vimeo.com/117291798 For transcriptions and additional insight into…
Relative Tempo: Click-Shifting Exercises to Improve Your Sense of Time
August 2011 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Relative Tempo: Click-Shifting Exercises to Improve Your Sense of Time by Steve Fidyk This article discusses ways to improve your sense of timing by shifting a quarter-note click to each 8th-note-triplet or 16th-note subdivision. Here’s…
Steve Fidyk’s Tribute to Joe Morello
May 2011 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Rudimental Jazz Revisited by Steve Fidyk Army Blues drummer and MD contributor Steve Fidyk plays a 5/4 drum solo dedicated to his longtime teacher, Joe Morello. See Fidyk’s two-part educational column based on Morello’s recently…
