jazz drumming

chris4355

Member
every time I listen to a jazz song I hear a style of drumming that's completely unfamiliar and alien to me.

I have tried to play along to it in the past but it just doesn't work.


As far as my abilities, I can play to a click, read notes, played in a studio multiples etc... when it comes to rock I always feel comfortable and capable.

as far as books that I have learned in the past...

stick control (I still go over it today)
syncopation for the modern drummer
accents and rebounds
drummers cookbook


can anyone recomend me a good book that goes over the most common jazz drumbeats?

I am looking for something challenging, and something new. any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated as well. when I play drums to jazz I feel like I am playing drums for the first time...
 
Hi Chris,

My recommendation is not so much for a book as it is for you to pick up a copy of John Riley's, "The Master Drummer" on DVD. It's pretty much dealing with what you're looking for.

Kelly
 
every time I listen to a jazz song I hear a style of drumming that's completely unfamiliar and alien to me.

I have tried to play along to it in the past but it just doesn't work.


As far as my abilities, I can play to a click, read notes, played in a studio multiples etc... when it comes to rock I always feel comfortable and capable.

as far as books that I have learned in the past...

stick control (I still go over it today)
syncopation for the modern drummer
accents and rebounds
drummers cookbook


can anyone recomend me a good book that goes over the most common jazz drumbeats?

I am looking for something challenging, and something new. any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated as well. when I play drums to jazz I feel like I am playing drums for the first time...

I see you haven't had a teacher take Syncopation and jazz it up for you. Here's what you can do: play a jazz ride beat (the standard ching-ching-cha-ching-ching-cha-ching etc....) and while you're doing that, your snare hand plays the figures from the book. Speed it up, slow it down, then do the same thing but now your bass drum plays the figures. If you ever start reading jazz charts, alot of the figures written in Syncopation are actually big band horn hits. Play the whole book this way - then when you get to the end of the book, thinking you really got it down, then turn the book upside down and play it backwards to the front.

There aren't specific beats to jazz, it's all about playing around the standard ride cymbal jazz function and how you back up the band. You can get a book, but I'd find a reputable jazz teacher first because it sounds like you haven't listened to enough jazz yet, either. Good luck!
 
I see you haven't had a teacher take Syncopation and jazz it up for you. Here's what you can do: play a jazz ride beat (the standard ching-ching-cha-ching-ching-cha-ching etc....) and while you're doing that, your snare hand plays the figures from the book. Speed it up, slow it down, then do the same thing but now your bass drum plays the figures. !

I always thought that the ride cymbal pattern was expected to be played under the comping patterns -- hmmm
 
I always thought that the ride cymbal pattern was expected to be played under the comping patterns -- hmmm

Isn't that what I just said in my explanation? You're reading the patterns in the book and playing them with either the snare hand or the bass drum foot while you're playing the standard jazz ride cymbal rhythm with your hi-hat on 2 & 4. This is not unlike how you approach Gary Chester's New Breed, just that this way, the cymbal patterns aren't written out. It's another way of learning independence, but you're strictly using it for jazz patterns because you will be swinging all the eight notes.
 
Yes John Riley's DVD is awesome. If you're dieing for I book go ahead and get John Riley's "The art of Bop drumming". Aside from Syncopation, it is the best.

To elaborate on what Bo said.. Syncopation is the best way to learn and get confident at comping and limb independance. I'm serious when I say that the possiblilities are endless. I went from no jazz skills at all to pretty competent in about a year by studying only one page of that book. If you want some ideas, message me.
 
I have always been a fan of Jim Chapin's Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer. This book is filled with a ton of independance building excersises developed specifically for jazz drumming.
 
Jazz is a completely different animal my friend....

where rock is based on kick drum and a snare back beat........jazz is based on a ride cymbal to drive the music....2 & 4 on the HH.... while "comping " with the other drums

its mostly based on an improve skill that takes time to develop

John Riley has a book called "the Art of Bop Drumming"

I highly recommend it.....

and further more....listen to the music.....you have to understand the attitude and feel...

unlike rock.....jazz is sort of a life style and attitude.....much like punk rock or hip hop in a way......

I recommend buying or downloading......

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue...Jimmy Cobb on drums
John Coltranes - a Love Supreme......Elvin Jones on drums
McCoy Tyner - reaching fourth.....Roy Haynes on drums
Art Blakeys jazz messengers with Thelonious Monk .....Art Blakey on drums
Charles Mingus- Mingus Ah Um....with Dannie Richmond on drums

to get you started in understanding the culture

dont even play along....just listen.....
 
Get Syncopation and The Art of Bop Drumming. A teacher will do wonders here, I've read page 38 of Syncopation in so many different ways it's ridiculous! And I'm pretty sure we're just getting started (I'm a freshman music major).

And listen to a ton of jazz, watch videos, go see jazz players live.
 
Ok, I'll be contrary. :)

I'd suggest Not starting with the Riley book. It gets pretty hairy pretty quickly.

I'd recommend starting with learning some basic jazz patterns out of a Styles book,
or from freedrumlessons.com, or from the jazz patterns in Igoe's Groove Essentials.
*Then* when you have those under your belt, second nature, and using those to Enjoy playing along a bit to some actual tunes, then start the Riley-level study.
 
Riley's books are good, but if I could only have one book, it would be the Alan Dawson book. The title is...The Complete Teachings of Alan Dawson or something like that. It's in my car right now...

Rudiments, the Rudiment Ritual (so fun!), and a TON of ways to interpret Syncopation - which leads to interpreting MUSIC differently, yes? It's not just about playing notes on a page. You play the notes on the page to train your limbs how to move in different ways, so you can play whatever's inside you. This is THE book to get you on that path. Then you can grab Riley's book or any other book and look at it in new ways. Create your own interpretations (I have about 20) that are either harder/more-challenging or just a different "language" on the set.

"Jazz" is a language - but there are many sub-languages. Think of it as "Chinese/Mandarin". That's the main language of the country but there are over 100 different dialects (I think 106 or 108...) that are so different that people from Shanghai could speak their dialect and people from the next city over would have no idea what they were saying. (Actually there are TWO dialects in Shanghai alone, but the different city analogy is less confusing, I suppose) It's like bebop guys sitting in with some avant-garde dudes and being a fish out of water. So learn as many languages as you can so you can be *international* man! ...or lady!
 
My earliest jazz lessons involved using Syncopation as a jazz resource as some others have already described here. I definitely recommend that. But I also had a teacher making sure I was swinging the notes and getting my dynamics between each limb correct. If you don't already know how to do those things, it's hard to know if you're doing them wrong without a teacher to point it out.

One book I've heard stellar reviews of is Blackley's Essence of Jazz Drumming. Disclaimer: I haven't read the book, but some people I really respect rave about it. The dude has you playing ride patterns at 40 bpm, so it sounds like the emphasis is really on getting the feel right. That said, it's hard for me to recommend a book I haven't used.

If you're just looking for creative patterns, one of the less-mentioned books I enjoyed was The Art Of Modern Jazz Drumming by DeJohnette and Perry.
 
I think im gonna get a teacher for a couple of lessons.... and look into that syncopation book a little deeper.

thanks for the tips
 
lol - if anyone knows what the deal is with Expert Village can they let me know? Sometimes I think it must be dry satire but, strangely, I don't think it is. Truly an online mystery.

Sorry for the digression ... please carry on :)

Hi Pollyanna,

Sorry, I just finally have to ask. Is that a big plastic cockroach on your lap? Please explain...
 
I think im gonna get a teacher for a couple of lessons.... and look into that syncopation book a little deeper.

thanks for the tips

Smart drummer! Now extend that to a year of lessons, and you'll have something. There is a lot of ground to cover, and so many rhythms and styles under the Jazz umbrella. I can't stress enough how important a teacher is at this stage in the game for you. I would recommend finding a very good jazz player in your neighborhood. Even once a month or every two weeks, if once a week doesn't fit your life.

A little more on teaching: we get all book and website crazy here on DW, and it tends to be understressed how important it is, especially in the beginning of a new journey, to have someone to get you in the right habits early. Playing jazz will be very different from your rock experience, and the technique and approach is likely different for all four limbs. Add to that how it's one thing to hear a thing, but entirely different to see someone doing it. A book won't give you that, but watching your teacher play will.
 
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