Jazz Drummer’s 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.
VIDEO! Jazz Drummer’s Workshop: Approaching Standards, Part 3: Language and Vernacular (February 2014 Issue)
by Steve Fidyk Welcome to the final installment of our series on applying the rhythmic phrasing of jazz standards to the drumset. This time we’re exploring ways to extract themes from the Thelonious Monk tune “Straight No Chaser” to…
VIDEO! Jazz Drummer's Workshop: Stick Control Revisited, Part 3 (December 2013 Issue)
by Steve Fidyk Welcome to the third installment in our series on drumset applications of George Lawrence Stone’s classic book Stick Control. The variations in the article utilize the “72 Single Beat Combinations” found on pages 5–7. In this…
VIDEO! Jazz Drummer’s Workshop: Approaching Standards, Part 2: Melody and Form (November 2013 Issue)
A Framework for Musical Practice, Part 2: Melody and Form by Steve Fidyk Welcome to the second installment in our series on approaching jazz standards. This article reveals ways of using the melodic rhythm as the source for creating…
Jazz Drummer's Workshop: Stick Control Revisited, Part 2: 3/4 and 6/8 Drumset Applications (October 2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TAqAjMoVWE Welcome to the second installment in our series on drumset applications of George Lawrence Stone’s famous book Stick Control. The variations in this lesson utilize the “72 Single Beat Combinations” found on pages 5–7. Be sure to check…
Jazz Drummer’s Workshop: Stick Control Revisited, Drumset Applications
August 2013 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Stick Control Revisited Drumset Applications by Steve Fidyk The August issue of Modern Drummer’s Jazz Drummer’s Workshop features some of my favorite applications of the classic George Lawrence Stone book Stick Control. The exercises…
Jazz Drummer’s Workshop: Focus on Brushes
June 2013 Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Focus on Brushes From Basic Patterns to Advanced Techniques by Steve Fidyk Practicing brushes is excellent for building strength in your wrists and fingers. It can help develop muscles and reflexes and also improves…
Jazz Drummer's Workshop: The Stick Shot
July 2013 Jazz Drummer's Workshop The Stick Shot A Unique Technique for Ultimate Articulation by Steve Fidyk This month we’re spotlighting the stick shot, a technique that’s fairly specific to the jazz lexicon. To obtain this alternate sound, press one…
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…
Joe Morello: 1928–2011
No one has done more to reveal the inner science and outer beauty of odd time signatures than the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s beloved drummer. Friend and student Steve Fidyk created this fitting musical tribute. Click here to view the complete transcription…
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…
