Accenting with left hand brushes?

pt3407

Senior Member
I’m working on the ‘basic brush pattern’ from the art of bop drumming but I’ve heard that you need to accent with the left hand, as in giving in more pressure on beat 1. But in the book it says to not push into the head and just let the brush sweep across. It doesn’t mention accenting and it says ‘aim to have a consistent sound’ but if I were to accent with the left hand then it would be consistent. Which one is it? Accent or no accent?
 
Hi PT,

Glad you find the Art of Bop Drumming helpful. Regarding your question: There are no left hand accents in that pattern. This pattern I consider a fundamental pattern that can be varied to create different levels of energy in the music. When playing brushes I think of my tapping right hand as providing the points in the time - like the tip of the stick on the cymbal - while my sweeping left hand connects those points just like the sustain of the cymbal.

If one choses to add an accent there are several ways to do it: the most obvious way to accent is to lift the brush off the head and then play it either as an accented tap or as a kind of dead stroke into the head. The first will create a brighter sound while playing into the head will be a darker sound. I prefer the darker sound. Other ways to add more subtle accents include adding pressure, as you mentioned, or accelerating your movements. The most common places to add left hand accents, using any of the methods mentioned, are on the + of beat 1 and the + of beat 3.

Hope this helps and good luck,

John
 
Hi PT,

Glad you find the Art of Bop Drumming helpful. Regarding your question: There are no left hand accents in that pattern. This pattern I consider a fundamental pattern that can be varied to create different levels of energy in the music. When playing brushes I think of my tapping right hand as providing the points in the time - like the tip of the stick on the cymbal - while my sweeping left hand connects those points just like the sustain of the cymbal.

If one choses to add an accent there are several ways to do it: the most obvious way to accent is to lift the brush off the head and then play it either as an accented tap or as a kind of dead stroke into the head. The first will create a brighter sound while playing into the head will be a darker sound. I prefer the darker sound. Other ways to add more subtle accents include adding pressure, as you mentioned, or accelerating your movements. The most common places to add left hand accents, using any of the methods mentioned, are on the + of beat 1 and the + of beat 3.

Hope this helps and good luck,

John

Hey John, thanks for the info, didn’t know you were here on drummerworld!

So I would like to just clarify, after being able to play that basic brush pattern with the left hand circling with consistent pressure and no accents and the right hand playing the ride pattern, then it should be good for me to move onto the next pattern?
 
Hey John, thanks for the info, didn’t know you were here on drummerworld!

So I would like to just clarify, after being able to play that basic brush pattern with the left hand circling with consistent pressure and no accents and the right hand playing the ride pattern, then it should be good for me to move onto the next pattern?

I know you asked John, but, IMO, you should probably not wait to master one pattern before moving on to the next. Learn a few at a time, practice not one pattern, but many of them, to make your learning more efficient.

In short: learn the basic pattern, and then learn to accent on the upbeats. As John recommends, accent the + of beat 1 and the + of beat 3 with the left hand (with either a sweep or a hit), and the + of beat 2 and the + of beat 4 with the right hand.

Art of Bop Drumming definitely has a good section on brushes, but Ed Thigpen's brushes book systematically walks you through what you're asking about.
 
I know you asked John, but, IMO, you should probably not wait to master one pattern before moving on to the next. Learn a few at a time, practice not one pattern, but many of them, to make your learning more efficient.

In short: learn the basic pattern, and then learn to accent on the upbeats. As John recommends, accent the + of beat 1 and the + of beat 3 with the left hand (with either a sweep or a hit), and the + of beat 2 and the + of beat 4 with the right hand.

Art of Bop Drumming definitely has a good section on brushes, but Ed Thigpen's brushes book systematically walks you through what you're asking about.

By “either a sweep or a hit”, do you mean like putting in more pressure into the head or by doing a tap stroke? And for the pressure accenting, do I do it abruptly or am I supposed to sort of sink into the head gradually and then gradually sink out of the accent? For example I want to accent the + of 1, do I gradually increase pressure into the one and then gradually back out?

And when you guys says the + of whatever beat, do you mean in swung time? So then in straight time the + will actually be the third note in a triplet?
 
By “either a sweep or a hit”, do you mean like putting in more pressure into the head or by doing a tap stroke?

A "sweep" would mean an acceleration of the brush, usually combined with a sudden, but small, increase in pressure. A hit would be a tap, yes.

And for the pressure accenting, do I do it abruptly or am I supposed to sort of sink into the head gradually and then gradually sink out of the accent? For example I want to accent the + of 1, do I gradually increase pressure into the one and then gradually back out?

Yes. In general, you'll find the pressure technique better suited to slower tempos -- so, ballads, mostly.

And when you guys says the + of whatever beat, do you mean in swung time? So then in straight time the + will actually be the third note in a triplet?

In general, 8ths swing, which is covered in the first few pages of Art of Bop, or pretty much any text on swing. Don't just open a book and go to the exercises -- the words are there for a reason.

Of course, there will be moments, or even entire songs, when it's appropriate to play straight 8ths, or a dotted 8th feel. But, in general, swinging 8ths is the best place to start.
 
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