Ted Reed's Syncopation

rhythmjunkie

Senior Member
I feel that Reed's SYNCOPATION is the be all-end all, must have basic, all around book for every drummer to work out of. I wanted to see what exercises drummers on the forum were able to get out of it and how they've helped (maybe it could open a lot doors for the uninformed). I've worked it, swinging the notes, while in swing pattern, by executing the material with my left hand on the snare (like Chapins "Modern Drummer"). Also, while in swing, with 2 and 4 rim clicks, doing the exercises with my bass drum. Talk about breaking free. This totally opens up your body to so much more. And then also, a Bossa Nova ( bossa bass and hi hat, eighth note ride) and doing the exercises as the bossa rim click. Really cool. Let us know what you've guy's (and gals) have gotten out of this book.
 
I feel that Reed's SYNCOPATION is the be all-end all, must have basic, all around book for every drummer to work out of. I wanted to see what exercises drummers on the forum were able to get out of it and how they've helped (maybe it could open a lot doors for the uninformed). I've worked it, swinging the notes, while in swing pattern, by executing the material with my left hand on the snare (like Chapins "Modern Drummer"). Also, while in swing, with 2 and 4 rim clicks, doing the exercises with my bass drum. Talk about breaking free. This totally opens up your body to so much more. And then also, a Bossa Nova ( bossa bass and hi hat, eighth note ride) and doing the exercises as the bossa rim click. Really cool. Let us know what you've guy's (and gals) have gotten out of this book.

I started a Ted Reed thread a while back asking how to approach his book. It sounds like you have really done some exploring.
 
Yeah, I've been blessed to come across a few really good teachers that have opened these doors to me. I think being syncopated is about the most important thing a drummer can be (aside from taste and feel). I refer to it as being a "factory" behind a drumkit. This is when you can really accomplish what you want to do behind a drumkit. You'l flow more and more will be going on. Working execises like this regularly, will greatly enhance this ability.
 
In addition to what you've done, playing the written Snare part and filling in any eighth note (not played on SD) with the kick. Then have kick play the written Snare part and fill in missing 8ths with the SD.
There's an Alan Dawson book that takes one through many different useful applications with the Ted Reed book.
 
wow guys this is too cool. I haven't touched that book in 29 years. I just started teaching my son, it was my first book and thought I would start him there as well. Now I am going to have to dig into it for myself. Thanks for in inspiration!!
 
One exercise that I came up with the other day is playing all the long notes (quarters, tied eighths) with the bass drum, all the short notes (eighths) with the left foot/hi-hat, and filling the spaces with the hands playing triplets. You could also just fill with your left hand and play a jazz ride cymbal pattern.

It's a great Independence exercise and it really helps your linear playing.
 
In addition to what you've done, playing the written Snare part and filling in any eighth note (not played on SD) with the kick. Then have kick play the written Snare part and fill in missing 8ths with the SD.
There's an Alan Dawson book that takes one through many different useful applications with the Ted Reed book.

Yeah, the teacher I'm studying with right now studied with Alan Dawson. He was with him (not at the actual moment) when he died.
 
Do the ol' swing ride with snare filling in each second and third partial of the triplet. Then play the line with the bass drum. Fantastic for coordination and lining up your hands with your feet. Sounds great too.
 
Do the ol' swing ride with snare filling in each second and third partial of the triplet. Then play the line with the bass drum. Fantastic for coordination and lining up your hands with your feet. Sounds great too.

The possibilities are endless!
 
Hi all, new to the forum here, pretty cool

I took from alan years back and one nice way of using the book was to play the line alternating hands (triplets) on the snare, on the short notes (1/8) play accents on the snare on the long play accented cymbal and bass. (LF 2,4).

After you get this make the fill in notes that are on the snare (the ones not accented and not on the cymbal) double stroke still keeping the triplet feel going.
 
In case anyone was wondering about the Alan Dawson book, it's called "The Drummer's Complete Vocabulary as Taught by Alan Dawson," by John Ramsay.

I've worked, somewhat halfheartedly, out of this book for the last year or so. It has a lot of useful exercises that seem like common sense but somehow I've overlooked over the years. All the various syncopation exercises are quite valuable. I think there are 40 variations.

Here's the link to it on amazon.
 
The book is essential for every drummer. Ted Reeds "Syncopation" and George lawrence Stone's "Stick Control" kept me occupied for HOURS behind my kit!

I always loved accenting the accented notes in the 8th note triplet section with a crash and bass drum, and changing every note in between into a light double stroke. Bring the dynamics up and down... It sounds great.

try it out!!!


Im not a massive jazz player, so forgive me if that pattern is standard for some of you!!
 
Thought just occurred to me, to translate it into a more modern hip-hop/groove approach to match what I've been seeing lately, why not play the figures as accented 16ths or 32nds on the hi hat while keeping a 2 and 4 backbeat on the snare and something on the bass drum (I don't know, you figure that part out).
 
Like everyone’s pointed out, TONS of stuff from interpretations of this book. I just got a video camera, so I thought I’d share one of my favorites. My teacher claims to be able to replicate the effects of any technique book he’s ever seen with interpretations of this book (especially the full page exercises that start around p. 38, depending on what printing of the book you have) and I believe him. One of my favorites is the paradiddle interpretation. You can explore this interpretation to find some fun stuff –there are many interpretations of this interpretation if you will.
Stick with me because this is really awkward to describe (at least for me) but it’s not as complicated as it sounds: The paradiddle interpretation is somewhat of a misnomer because it’s not purely a paradiddle sticking. Working with ‘exercise one’ on or about p.38, think of the top line as a melody and ignore the bottom line of quarter notes for now. You’re going to ‘diddle’ around the melody by playing it as single stroke accents that will determine your paradiddle-esque sticking pattern. Each note represents a single stroke accent –and the first note on the page is the first note of a 16th note paradiddle. On each succeeding accent written on the page that’s less than 4 16th notes from the accent tha preceeds it, the paradiddle re-starts from the last accent. For any rest that’s a quarter note or longer, play a double stroke roll so, the first line goes:
R l (start again -> R l rr L r (start again -> L r l l R l r r L r l l R l r r (go to double stroke roll) l l R l r r L r L r l l R l r r L r L r l l R l R l R l r r L r L r l l r r l l
--but the point (and one of the main, fundamental concepts of all interpretations of syncopation that I learned from my teacher) is not to think about all the Rs and Ls because that’s baffling and gives a headache worse than cheap burbon. Rather, think about the melody –sing it to yourself ‘do bop, do bop ,bop, bop, bop …etc. and let that guide your sticking pattern
So, played slowly, the first line of ‘exercise one’ looks like this: (and go easy on the 'ol hand techniqe here, I'm no pro, haha)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fXy6RVSgnc
And here’s the whole page at a moderate tempo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z25ghOmjxno

Ugh, bedtime. ends of long weekends suck.
 
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Great book, I found mine not too long ago. A bit dusty but still in ok shape. I studied with a teacher in the Boston area here named Frank Shooshan great teacher and person. I believe he passed away. His ride cymbal patterns are still clearly ledgeable over each lesson in the book. This book was my favorite by far.
 
I once took lessons from a drummer named Steve Gillis who had me play page 38 from Syncopation, playing the notes written with bass drum & right and left side cymbals filling in the holes with 16ths on snare (with similar sticking to what Auger wrote) and constant 8ths on the hi hat w/foot... that was the first time I saw syncopation, the book, being used in a drum set manner. I was blown away. I believe those lessons were some of the best drum lessons I ever received.
 
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The "Short-Note/Long-Note" Jazz interpretation while filling in the spaces with snares in triplets is sick!
If you really want to exercise those chops, represent each note (either eighth or quarter) as a four-stroke ruff. Fill in all of the spaces with sixteenth notes
-Matt
 
I've done tons of independence stuff out of this book like I'm sure many here have also. The downside though is that when swinging the 8ths you'll never play the middle beat of the triplet or any sort of quarter note triplet figure. That's where John Riley's "The Art of Bop Drumming" comes out on top in my opinion.

This may seem sacrilegious, but I'll say it: It's not the book that's great, it's how you manipulate the patterns in it outside of the book's originally intended context that is great, (but as I mentioned falls short in triplet mode for me).
 
I've done tons of independence stuff out of this book like I'm sure many here have also. The downside though is that when swinging the 8ths you'll never play the middle beat of the triplet or any sort of quarter note triplet figure. That's where John Riley's "The Art of Bop Drumming" comes out on top in my opinion.

This may seem sacrilegious, but I'll say it: It's not the book that's great, it's how you manipulate the patterns in it outside of the book's originally intended context that is great, (but as I mentioned falls short in triplet mode for me).

A workaround for this issue would be to interpret the upbeats as second notes of the triplet, or as a reverse shuffle rhythm if you will:

Syncopation.png


You could also interpret the upbeats as 16th note upbeats, i.e. "es" or "as". This opens up many new possibilities for developing different 16th note based ideas.
 
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