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I currently gig with a Yamaha stage custom bop kit that has served me very well. As the gigs have picked up though, setting up and tearing down the kit every time I want to practice has become less practical and I’m thinking of buying a second kit with the same drum sizes to use as a practice...

I’ve been obsessed with his playing on that album recently and I would love to know what cymbals he used or at the very least what cymbals y’all know of that replicate that sound on that album. I’m hearing a very light and washy crash/ride and then a ride with good stick definition.

Last year there was a post about “making your quarter note swing”, and aside from all the drama in that thread, I think the main point was genius. Some examples given were Jimmy Cobb on “So What” and Grady Tate on “Killer Joe”. I would love to hear other examples of this type of playing. I can...

Came across this video a while back and it was an interesting take to hear. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. As drummers it seems we have a tendency to get bogged down with practicing “drum stuff” when we really should just be listening to the music we want to play and working to...

There are some modern jazz drummers such as Brian Blade who almost never sound like they’re playing a groove or pattern. They’re constantly reacting to what’s happening around them. Obviously Brian is playing the jazz swing pattern here, but the focus is on accompanying Kenny during his...

Thanks John. Excited for the new book.

It seems like John Riley's Art of Bop Drumming/Beyond Bop drumming and the various ways to interpret syncopation (such as those found in John Ramsay's Alan Dawson book) are the two most often recommend written resources for developing the facility to play jazz. My question is, do either of...

There is a common sentiment I have heard when it comes to rudiments: "Everything you play is either a single stroke, double stroke, flam, or a combination of the three". I'm not sure who this originally said this, but I have since heard many drummers say the same thing. What does it mean though...

Anyone on here have experience with Skip's book "Broken Eighth note feel"? I haven't found a lot of information about it online, so I want to make sure its what I'm looking for before I purchase it. Did anyone here use the book and find it helpful in developing that eighth note feel à la Tony...

Up to this point I've used coated Evans G2 for everything from funk to rock to jazz (I would obviously tune the heads for the particular gig). I want to try a more classic bop sound with the all the drums tuned pretty high (stuff like Art Blakey on Moanin, Roy Haynes on We Three, etc.), and...

Well fast single strokes apply to many styles of music, not just basie shout choruses… I just like to have a musical context in mind when I’m trying to develop a technique, so that was just an example.

I've been listening to a lot of Sonny Payne recently and his use of single strokes has captivated me. I am able to nearly reach his speeds comfortably with my "American grip" but i'm still not totally there yet. From watching many drummers play, it seems like when someone wants to play a fast...

I am having trouble understanding/hearing what Blakey is playing throughout this tune. I can tell its some sort of triplet vibe sort of like Elvin, but when I try to play along it just doesn't make sense. He seems to be placing the hi hat on the third triplet partial or something, but I don't...

My traditional grip isn’t terrible, but it is nowhere near my matched grip, and I can’t decide whether or not I should just put in the time to improve my traditional grip for jazz. I’ve heard guys like Kenny Washington say that there are certain things that traditional grip is better for in...

Well he was just explaining his process when he was coming up. He had nothing but good things to say about books, as many of his heroes partly used books, it’s just that he never really got into any of them beyond learning how to read. I think his point is that if you immerse yourself in the...

I'm not referring to the amount of time it takes to develop technique. I am more referring to the method for developing technique as it relates to jazz music. I know this shit takes time, but I am just trying to determine what the best way to develop technique if my ultimate goal is to be a...

I was having a conversation with a mentor of mine who is an acclaimed, internationally touring jazz drummer, and the topic of books had come up. He has very great hands and knowledge of the rudiments, so I had assumed that he had probably gotten into some book like Wilcoxon during his...

If I am trying to really internalize say, Art Blakey's ride groove on Moanin', is there any reason to practice to a metronome in addition to the recording? If the ultimate goal is to replicate that feel, it seems like the metronome isn't going to help me with that.

I'm particularly asking about Gary Chaffee's books. These books are DENSE, and I'm eager to get to the stuff I'm truly interested in, but I'm wondering if it would benefit me to take it slow and go through each page. I've started looking at Sticking Patterns, and the part of the book that I'm...

my intent is to see how others have approached studying the influences of their influences. I know there are no rules. I was just curious about others experiences with studying the lineage of the instrument. No matter what anyone says, I'm gonna end up doing what I want to do anyway, but I...