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October 2014 Issue – Volume 39 • Number 10

Welcome to part five in our continuing series on ways to interpret the classic Ted Reed book Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer. This time we’ll apply Afro-Cuban ideas to the written manuscript. The following applications can be used with any of the seventy-two repetitive one-measure examples from pages 29, 30, and 33–36, the thirty-two-measure rhythmic melodies from pages 37–44, or the accented-8th-notes section that begins on page 46. At the core of Afro-Cuban music is clave. Check out the music of Mario Bauzá, Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo, Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, and Michel Camilo. Listening to Afro-Cuban music will help you recognize and feel the direction of the clave rhythm, which is critical when playing in this style. Examples 1–4 show 3:2 and 2:3 son and rumba clave rhythms with the accompanying cascara (timbale-shell patterns) and tumbao (bass parts). Jazz drummers usually voice the […]
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Articles in October 2014

Tal Bergman

DON’T LET THE BLUES FOOL YOU—GUITAR SLINGER JOE BONAMASSA’S DRUMMER OF  CHOICE CAN TACKLE JUST ABOUT ANY STYLE YOU THROW HIS WAY. Tal Bergman’s dad isn’t a drum teacher, but the advice he gave his son about music was invaluable…

Story By Robin Tolleson | Photos by Alex Solca
Feb 23, 2018

Duple/Triple Single-Diddle Gear Shifters Part 1: 8th-Note Triplets and 16ths

In part one of this two-part series, we’re going to isolate our timing and sticking “gear shifts” between 8th-note triplets (twelve notes per measure) and 16th notes (sixteen notes per measure). Not only will these exercises be great for your…

by Bill Bachman
Feb 23, 2018

Bill Stevenson: All or Nothing

Bill Stevenson’s playing in Black Flag and the Descendents provided an archetype for hardcore drumming, making Stevenson perhaps the most influential player from the original West Coast punk scene. Beyond the kit, his bandleading and songwriting credits with Descendents and…

by Stephen Bidwell
Feb 23, 2018

Rudy Royston

This fearless drummer refuses to let anything get between him and his musical goals—not hard work, not the naysayers…not even the sonic limitations of the traditional drumkit. And that boldness is on stunning display on his debut album as a…

by Ken Micallef
Feb 23, 2018

Maya Tuttle

Photo by Nicholas Rhodes/nickydigital.com The Colourist plays pop music—but it’s pop with teeth. As you’re drawn in by the group’s sunny boy/girl vocals, you might miss some rather less-than-cheerful lyrics. And if you think the beatsmith at the back is politely…

by Adam Budofsky
Feb 23, 2018
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Artistry Versus Commerce Balance Is Everything

For this month’s column I’ve chosen to discuss the most-asked question I receive at shows, at clinics, and on the Web: “How do you balance finance and drumming?” The quote by the great Irish playwright Oscar Wilde sums up the…

by Russ Miller
Feb 23, 2018

Tim Very

After four years with the dynamic rockers Manchester Orchestra—and a few before that paying dues on the indie scene—he’s finally gotten the chance to take full ownership of the drums on a widely anticipated album. And, boy, does he own…

by Ben Meyer
Feb 23, 2018

Ryan Brown

Photo by Thierry Joubaud Since 2006, the music of the late, legendary Frank Zappa has been alive and well in the repertoire of Zappa Plays Zappa, a band led by Frank’s son Dweezil. Until recently, Joe Travers had the job…

by David Brensilver
Feb 23, 2018

Ian Paice

How does a band—and not just any band, mind you, but one that’s among the loudest and baddest to ever walk the earth—keep up the intensity decade after decade after decade? According to the only man who’s ever filled Deep…

By Pete Kaufmann | Photos by Sayre Joan Berman
Feb 23, 2018

Groove Freedom Part 3: 32nd-Note Patterns

Welcome to the third and final installment of my “Groove Freedom” series. For those of you who missed the first two lessons, these articles are based on exercises from my latest book, Groove Freedom. The book is built from the…

by Mike Johnston
Feb 23, 2018

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