Jazz, 2nd try

[Tuxido]

Update, clip number 3 @ post 7.


I tried to apply what you guys suggested to me last time,
toned down the snare, tried to keep a straight ride pattern the whole time, and I put the bass drum on 1-2-3-4 most of the time.

P.S. oh and this time i was singing a bass line (walk ???), so maybe it will sound more spacy. (http://media.putfile.com/Try-2)




(click on any word)

[Drummer Karl]

so, first: Damn, you have the potential for it!!! Good developement mate!
what I like: You make cool progress and alsoI really like the comping ideas, and how you develope the dynamics. very good...

what I don`t liked so much: The hi-hat beat, has to be more steady, never sloppy! (I had or have to work on that, too)

overall I just didn`t like things you CAN`T do perfect when playing Jazz for just a month or so...just keep it up, and LISTEN TO Jazz MUCH and read much about it, also this psychical side of it!

good luck buddy and peace,

Karl

[HardcoreLogo]

Hey there, good stuff.........I still think you need to slow down a bit a really let things line up and fall in their place, also lighten up on the bass.......playing "four on the floor" is also called feathering the bass, are you playing heel down?Try to develope a lighter touch on the bass....if you get it to hit very light(let the beater pull back as soon as you make contact, don't play into the head like rock) you should get this soft "buuummmm" type sound sometimes called "droping bombs".that is the sound you should be going for, the bass was just too up front....again, I'm not a jazz expert, just pointing out what I hear as a listener.
That all said, I really like your ideas, I think you have great potential...just don't rush it, it will come!

[Tuxido]

Thanks,

as for the bass drum, ill tune it higher and take out the cover thats inside because even if I just slightly tap it, it still goes "bump bump" or maybe im doing it wrong.
And ill make it slower next time,
Again, thank you for the critisism it really helps me.

Edit: in that clip I had to boost the bass (I use audacity) because i only have 1 mic so the bass drum sounds wimpy without, so maybe thats with it sounded loud.

[Cymbalrider]

With the bass sounding like that it turns this into a swing groove. There are times when you want to play every beat like that when the energy is building. But too much of it turns into this "techno" thing ;) The thing that helped me most with jazz was playing with a group not simply listening or watching others to learn how much better they were than I was. Use others for inspiration but don't try to be just like them. You'll get caught up in trying to do a Buddy Rich fill or a Max Roach solo and the beat gets lost. Just have fun with it. That's the biggest thing I noticed with jazz compared to the other stuff I do...it's fun! Just get into the groove of the song, whatever that is. Even if it is a simple drum part, play it out. Perform it!

[stoptime]

Dude, it's like night and day! This is so much better, right from the get go I can tell you've been really working on this, and it's obviously paying off. The boys have some good suggestions above, and here's a couple more.

1. The slowing down thing is a good one. Sometimes you break your ride pattern while comping with your left. That's cool. But I can tell that it's not an intentional thing here. Slow it down, and pay attention to the trouble spots. Often things get weird when both hands land on the same note in weird places. I'll attach an exercise that will help this.

2. Always have a sense of where 2 and 4 is. Play it on the hats, accent it a bit on the ride, say it with your mouth, whatever it takes. Rock music accents the hell of 2 and 4, and jazz does the same, believe it or not. It's just a different feel.

3. If you can find a bass player to play some walking bass lines with you, great. If you have a guitar or a bass handy, try making some up yourself. When you listen to jazz, pay particular attention to the bass. Check out Elvin Jones on Wayne Shorter's "Night Dreamer"

4. Play with a metronome on 2 and 4. It's hard at first, but it helps more than anything.

5. Check out this exercise, and keep your ear out for it when you listen to jazz, especially with Elvin.

Here's the exercise. Good for the jazz 'triplet-y' Elvin feel, and just good for the left hand. For starters, keep feathering the bass on all 4, and play 2 and 4 on the hat.

http://www.chicagojazzdrummer.com/dworld/triplets1.jpg

[Tuxido]

Heres playing update number 3, Heres Update number 3, (http://media.putfile.com/Jazz3rd)

Thanks alot StopTime really like that triplet exercise, I might even be doing it too much : )
One thing I find hard in that exercise is controling the rebound in both hands, the part where they overlap


Oh, and im playing trad in this clip, Im trying to learn that aswell since playing jazz in matchgrip looks weird.

[mind_drummer]

You've done a really good job. It has that jazzy feel, the ride is the guide...

BRAVO !

[stoptime]

Awesome! It just keeps getting better. Now, for your next challenge, here's the same exercise, but instead of two snare hits it goes snare-bass. Combine this with the above, and you'll start getting more ideas - and don't stick to what I wrote. Try snare-tom, tom-bass, etc. and you'll be greatly expanding your drumming vocabulary.

Again, great work!

[mind_drummer]

Talking about triplet exercise

Register yourself on nu-fusion site and get to the lesson section and select jazz, the first exercise from the bottom and the "jazz grouping concept" which is triplet exercise between ride - snare - bass drum - hi-hat w/ foot.

http://www.iatde.alivewww.co.uk/nufusion/logon.php

There's so much more too on this site...

[Garvin]

Here is a practice track that you can use.... I recorded myself playing over it, maybe get some ideas from that as well. Remeber that as a jazz drummer your job is to support the soloist and create a comfortable space for the rest of the group, not compete with them...

http://media.putfile.com/Practice-track This is the practice track

http://media.putfile.com/jazz-Drumming-Test
This is me playing with it.

[Tuxido]

Thanks, I really value your comments and tips !

Ill try to do variations of the triplet exercise next time.

oh, and Garvin, could you send me that playalong to my msn adress ( bigscaryafro@hotmail.com ) because, i have no way of downloading it from putfile.

[jordanz]

Try #3 is the best yet. Some suggestions:

* Less BD. In Jazz, the BD is for occassional accents. If you want to feather, the BD should be felt but not heard.

* In Jazz, the emphasis is more on 2 and 4 than on 1 and 3. This is one of the hardest things for Pop/Rock drummers to get. I can hear it in your playing. You do ding-dinga-DING, dinga-DING when it should be ding-DING-ga-ding, DING-ga-ding.

[funky_white_boy]

Yeah, most jazz drummers hardly EVER use their kicks. For me its easy to keep time with my right foot so when i play jazz stuff i usually like to pound out quaters on the floor and i bring up my foot for the occasional bd accent. But other than that it sounds really good. Heckuva lot better than me.

[mkv]

hey! great drumming, you're on to something... BUT don't let your ride cymbal get sloppy. use some time to just sit and play ride and hihat with a metronome.

best of wishes, Mikkel