gospel... how can I learn it?

[h3r3tic]

Is there any good book to learn this style of drumming?
Because I saw amazing drummers like Ronald Bruner Jr and he kicks ass! ;)
I wonder if I could put this style of music into my drumming vocabulary?

any suggestions?

Thanks guys!;)

[Raymond Bloom]

You're looking in the wrong direction, a book will help you learn just some patterns but it won't make you gospel. Not totally related but the same idea -
Jojo Mayer: ''what I like about d'n'b is that there are no books about it (except Johnny Rabb's book), if there's books, I'm out of there! it's not interesting for me'' (not totally word by word, but you get the idea)
And it's very true, the guys that are totally ripping like Aaron Spears, Gerald Heyward etc they lived in that music for years. They weren't learning from books how to play gospel.

If you want to access this style, you need to have some funk background, it's based on that stuff. About fills, they are mostly different hand-feet combinations, different kind of linear licks and odd stickings etc But that's just the technical side. You need to find the groove and understand why they are playing the way they are. Most will say that gospel drummers overplay too much, but this music in the original setting actually requires that, it's worshiping music and they are expressing all the emotions through that music and playing style, it is very high energy stuff, ya know! Of course, in an ordinar musical setting you wouldn't want to overplay, that's just one exception where it's appropriate.

Listen to lots of quality r&b, hip-hop, funk and try to groove to that music, catch the feel and try to apply some stickings to that

Like this guy for example:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_jQ0QQuU04s
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LyvCfKSrRL4&feature=related


And remember - play PHAT! :) All the stuff you play needs to sound hip, try tuning your drums to that music - a snare drum with nice crack, pop and tight sound, toms with lots of attack, bass drum that stands out but is not really dead sounding, you want your hi-hat to be crisp and the ride cymbal to be clear sounding but not clangy also a china will help. Getting your drums to sound right for the music will help you to get the feel of it. At least, that's what works for me. I would shoot myself if I had to play jazz on a rock drum set-up and vice-versa, if it doesn't sound like I hear in my head I can't make it groove


So, listen, listen and listen some more, work on some hand-feet patterns, base all that stuff on a strong groove pattern, stay musical and have fun!

cheers

[h3r3tic]

You're looking in the wrong direction, a book will help you learn just some patterns but it won't make you gospel. Not totally related but the same idea -
Jojo Mayer: ''what I like about d'n'b is that there are no books about it (except Johnny Rabb's book), if there's books, I'm out of there! it's not interesting for me'' (not totally word by word, but you get the idea)
And it's very true, the guys that are totally ripping like Aaron Spears, Gerald Heyward etc they lived in that music for years. They weren't learning from books how to play gospel.

If you want to access this style, you need to have some funk background, it's based on that stuff. About fills, they are mostly different hand-feet combinations, different kind of linear licks and odd stickings etc But that's just the technical side. You need to find the groove and understand why they are playing the way they are. Most will say that gospel drummers overplay too much, but this music in the original setting actually requires that, it's worshiping music and they are expressing all the emotions through that music and playing style, it is very high energy stuff, ya know! Of course, in an ordinar musical setting you wouldn't want to overplay, that's just one exception where it's appropriate.

Listen to lots of quality r&b, hip-hop, funk and try to groove to that music, catch the feel and try to apply some stickings to that

Like this guy for example:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_jQ0QQuU04s
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LyvCfKSrRL4&feature=related


And remember - play PHAT! :) All the stuff you play needs to sound hip, try tuning your drums to that music - a snare drum with nice crack, pop and tight sound, toms with lots of attack, bass drum that stands out but is not really dead sounding, you want your hi-hat to be crisp and the ride cymbal to be clear sounding but not clangy also a china will help. Getting your drums to sound right for the music will help you to get the feel of it. At least, that's what works for me. I would shoot myself if I had to play jazz on a rock drum set-up and vice-versa, if it doesn't sound like I hear in my head I can't make it groove


So, listen, listen and listen some more, work on some hand-feet patterns, base all that stuff on a strong groove pattern, stay musical and have fun!

cheers

WOW man! thanks a lot for your help!
I think I'll do just that ;) thanks bro!

[Korompay]

Check these out: http://www.andrewsmall.net/documents/linear_phrasing_part_1.pdf
http://www.andrewsmall.net/videos/linear_phrasing_part_2.mov
http://www.andrewsmall.net/images/pdf_over.jpg
http://www.andrewsmall.net/videos/linear_phrasing_part_3.mov
http://www.andrewsmall.net/documents/linear_phrasing_part_3.pdf
http://www.andrewsmall.net/videos/linear_phrasing_part_4.mov
http://www.andrewsmall.net/documents/linear_phrasing_part_4.pdf
http://www.andrewsmall.net/videos/linear_phrasing_part_5.mov
http://www.andrewsmall.net/documents/linear_phrasing_part_5.pdf
http://www.andrewsmall.net/videos/linear_phrasing_part_6.mov
http://www.andrewsmall.net/documents/linear_phrasing_part_6.pdf

[Ekim]

Is "Gospel" really a style? It seems to me that what little gospel I hear is either straight-ahead or maybe a little funk-feeling.

[JCM]

I play in church so I'm pretty much a Gospel guy. My church is mainly african so I play a lot of Soca (soul-calypso) but we also play rock, latin, jazz and funk. Gospel is really varied in that you can play so many different grooves. It's a good way to start out because you learn to play all these different things

[drumbum]

i think a lot of what Raymond Bloom said was good info except for when he said that to play gospel you have to have some funk background. its actually the other way around. funk, blues, r&b, jazz...it ALL came from gospel. gospel music back in the day is what inspired the music, and that music evolved into funk, blues, etc.

a lot of the gospel church bands i have seen usually have 3 or 4, sometimes more than 5 drummers in the church. they'll rotate drummers on sundays and wednesdays. the older drummers teach the younger drummers what they know, and the younger drummers put their "signature" on how they play the songs. they learn and share from each other. basically, the best way to learn gospel is to listen to and PLAY gospel.

listen to Fred Hammond, Israel and New Breed, Andre Crouch, Kirk Franklin, etc...

[Ced91071]

Best thing to do is listen, practice & learn! I play for a moderate sized church and I am learning praise & worship. I have a gospel and marching band background so once again the best I can tell you is to practice, practice, practice!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DamoSyzygy]

Gospel is like jazz in that its not so much a musical style as it is a LIFEstyle.

Sure, both genres have their identifiable signs, but learning these alone will not define the style on its own.