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October 2017 Issue – Volume 41 • Number 10

One of the basic skills required for playing jazz is the ability to trade fours, or improvise four-bar solos, with other members of a band. In this lesson we’ll look at some possible approaches to trading fours in 4/4 using three-, five-, and seven-beat phrases. The bass drum is omitted in this lesson, so play any kick pattern that you feel is comfortable and appropriate. Three-Beat Groupings Four bars of 4/4 contain sixteen beats in which to solo. Five phrases of a repeated three-beat figure in 4/4 take up fifteen beats, leaving one beat left over at the end of the phrase. Instead of having the one-beat rest at the end of the four-bar phrase, it can be placed between any of the five three-beat figures. An example is notated in Exercise 2, but also try placing the rest between the other three-beat groupings. To make this lesson’s examples musical, […]
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Articles in October 2017

Yes’s Close to the Edge

In the long list of accomplishments that led to Yes’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, Bill Bruford’s final statement with the band surely ranks as highly as any.

by Will Romano
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Daxx Nielsen With Cheap Trick

More than forty years since its birth in Rockford, Illinois, the classic hard-rock group is as vibrant as ever, thanks to some recent, well-deserved recognition.

by Mike Haid
Aug 30, 2017

New gear from Yamaha, SlapKlatz, Vater, British Drum Co., Overtone Labs and Tama!

Yamaha Tour Custom Maple Drumset Suitable for recording and live playing, Tour Custom Maple drumsets are constructed with 6-ply maple shells using the company’s proprietary staggered, diagonal-seam shell construction. Additional features include 2.3mm inverted Dyna Hoops that help focus the…

Modern Drummer
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“Walkin’”

Tony Williams’ Technique, Language, and Innovations

by Ruben Bellavia
Aug 30, 2017
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New releases by Ignacio Berroa Trio, Jeff “Siege” Siegel Quartet, Harris Eisenstadt and more!

RECORDINGS Taking the Reins Ignacio Berroa Trio Straight Ahead From Havana Berroa blends the best of both worlds. A key architect in the fusion of Afro-Cuban and modern jazz styles for the drumset, Ignacio Berroa takes a different tack from…

Modern Drummer
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Hybrid Rudimental Ritual

Variations on a Classic Method

by Mike Alfieri
Aug 30, 2017

What’s Your Favorite Jazz Drumming Album?

When we recently asked our social media followers for their favorite jazz drumming record, enthusiastic responses quickly flooded in. We tallied up the drummers that appeared on each pick and made a top-five list. The late pioneer Elvin Jones played…

Modern Drummer
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Hired Gun

A new music documentary pushes some of the world’s greatest freelancers—including many of our favorite drummers—“out of the shadows and into the spotlight.”

by Billy Amendola
Aug 30, 2017

Buddy Rich: A Timeline

No player in history could so confidently—and inarguably—wear the title of “the world’s greatest drummer.” Buddy Rich was simply a phenomenon, astounding vaudeville audiences in the late 1910s and early ’20s, well before most children began their conventional schooling. Indeed,…

Modern Drummer
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Jazz in the 21st Century

Many scholars argue that jazz, which was first documented on record one hundred years ago by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, is America’s greatest musical gift to the world. I couldn’t agree more. I mean, what other art form encapsulates…

by Mike Dawson
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HeadHunters - Crossovers Hybrid Rods

Blending the response and feel of regular drumsticks with the controlled, articulate sound of rods.

by Brian Hill
Aug 30, 2017
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Outlaw Drums - Heritage Series Snares

More than 150 years of American history commemorated in reclaimed heart pine snares.

by Brian Hill
Aug 30, 2017

2Box - DrumIt Five Module and TrigIt Triggers

A plug-and-play trigger system with 4 GB of flash memory for uploading original sounds.

by Michael Dawson
Aug 30, 2017

A New Perspective

Displacing Four-Over-Three Polyrhythms

by Aaron Edgar
Aug 30, 2017

The 2017 Chicago Drum Show

A weekend of rhythmic bliss replete with vintage and modern gear, enlightening workshops, and brilliant performances.

Story and photos by Robert Campbell
Aug 30, 2017

Tony Williams’ Concepts

Developing Tension and Release

by Matt Fisher
Aug 30, 2017

Charlie Hall on the War on Drugs’ A Deeper Understanding

While several drummers pave an unwavering groove foundation on the popular indie group’s new release, its main kit man contributes on multiple levels.

by Willie Rose
Aug 30, 2017

38 Special’s Gary Moffatt

For the past nineteen years he’s held the throne for one of rock’s most enduring organizations. It hasn’t always been easy, but rock ’n’ roll eventually rewards its true survivors.

Story by Rick Long | Photos by Carl Dunn
Aug 30, 2017
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Tammy Glover of Thorcraft Cobra

Changing up my gear keeps me inspired. That said, I’ve been using my dad’s vintage 1953 Gretsch red sparkle on recordings since the ’90s. Initially it was a three-piece kit with a 16x22 kick, a 6x14 snare, a 10x13 rack…

Modern Drummer
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