So…..you want to be a drummer?!
Start with the drum kit, also called a drum set. A total beginner? Then scroll to the end of the lessons, otherwise just keep reading. Drumstutor is not just for kids, anyone who follows the lessons may easily waltz into playing the difficult stuff!
A standard modern kit :
A snare drum, mounted on a specialised stand, placed between the player’s knees and played with drum sticks (which may include rutes or brushes).
A bass drum, played by a pedal operated by the right foot.
A hi-hat stand and cymbals, operated by the left foot and played with the sticks, particularly but not only the right hand stick. One or more tom-tom drums, played with the sticks. One or more cymbals, played with the sticks, particularly but not only the right hand stick.
The single stroke roll is the most common drum rudiment used on the drum set. It’s often played in beats, fills, and drum solos. It doesn’t matter if you are new to the drums, or if you have been playing for years, the single stroke roll is absolutely essential. Here is how the single stroke roll is notated:
As you can see, it’s played with simple alternating single strokes (R, L, R, L). It is best to start practicing this on a practice pad, and then eventually take it to the kit. Once you can play it in perfect time with a metronome, begin to speed up the tempo to increase your overall speed and endurance.
Focus on keeping all the strokes at an even volume. Watch how your sticks come up for each stroke, and be sure they reach an even height. If one stick is coming up higher than the other, it will typically create a louder stroke. Practicing in front of a mirror is highly recommended, so you can keep an eye on both hands while first developing this rudiment.
BECAUSE THOSE DRUMS AREN’T GOING TO PLAY THEMSELVES….
Drummers are also expert guitarists:
Drum languages
In Africa, New Guinea and the tropical America, people have used drum telegraphy to communicate with each other from far away for centuries. When European expeditions came into the jungles to explore the primeval forest, they were surprised to find that the message of their coming and their intention was carried through the woods a step in advance of their arrival. An African message can be transmitted at the speed of 100 miles in an hour.
Among the famous communication drums are the drums of West Africa. From regions known today as Nigeria and Ghana, they spread across West Africa and to America and the Caribbean, during the slave trade. There they were banned because they were being used by the slaves to communicate over long distances in a code unknown to their enslavers.
Talking drums were also used in East Africa and are described by Andreus Bauer in the ‘Street of Caravans’ while acting as security guard in the Wissmann Truppe for the caravan of Charles Stokes.
The traditional drumming found in Africa is actually of three different types. Firstly, a rhythm can represent an idea (or signal). Secondly it can repeat the profile of a spoken utterance or thirdly it can simply be subject to musical laws.
Drum communication methods are not languages in their own right; they are based on actual natural languages. The sounds produced are conventionalized or idiomatic signals based on speech patterns. The messages are normally very stereotyped and context-dependent. They lack the ability to form new combinations and expressions.
ON THE LOUDNESS OF DRUMS, AND THAT A GOOD THING
Reading drum notes: (click to enlarge images)
The note and rest chart
Time signatures and Measures:
How the notes appear in a measure:
The Drum key and Reading drum notes:
Reading Drum Notation
This lesson is intended to give you a quick-overview of all the drum notation symbols used on this website. You can think of this page as a drum-key or legend for all the different drum set voices that you play within beats, fills, and solo patterns. You can refer back to this page if you are ever uncertain about what is to be played within certain sheet music exercises.
Note: Each measure includes four quarter notes that repeat the symbol used to notate various drum set voices. Keep an eye on the vertical position and note-shapes. They are the main differences between symbols.
Use this lesson in conjuction with the lessons on counting quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, eighth note triplets, sixteenth note triplets, thirty-second notes, and rests if you want to master the ability to sight-read drum notation. It’s an extremely valuable skill to have as a drummer!
Learn How To Count Quarter Notes
In this lesson, you will learn how to count quarter notes within 4/4 time. This will lay out a foundation for learning other sub-divisions of time, including: eighth notes, eighth note triplets, sixteenth notes, sixteenth note triplets, and 32nd notes.
Quarter Note Exercises
This first line of sheet music includes four quarter notes in one measure. The counts are listed above each note, so you would simply count these: one, two, three, four (re-starting at one for each measure).
The second exercise includes two measures of quarter notes (separated by a vertical line). This demonstrates how quarter notes are locked to each measure, and NOT to each line or row. It’s important that you understand the difference. Always focus on the “notes” and how they relate to the “measures”.
Exercise three has four measures of quarter notes. This is similar to the earlier exercises, except that the notes are indicating a variety of drum set voices. As explained in the drum notation chart article, notes in different vertical positions represent different parts of the drum kit.
Now, even though these notes have different vertical possitions, they are still quarter notes. As you can see, they have solid notes in the measure with a single stem coming up from each. You’ll learn in future lessons how other sub-divisions have a different appearance.
If everything makes sense after you watch the video lesson at the top of this page, you can move on to learning other sub-divisions. Take a look at the eighth notes drum lesson next. It will explain how quarter and eighth notes relate to each other, so you can begin to count beats that incorporate both.
Learn How To Count Eighth Notes
In this video drum lesson, you are going to learn how to count eight notes. More importantly, you’ll learn the relationship between quarter notes and eighth notes, so you can understand how sub-divisions work. This is an extremely important concept that you must learn before moving on to other theory lessons. Be sure you re-watch the lesson until everything makes sense.
Eighth Note Exercises
This first example shows a measure of eighth notes with the counts written above each note. As you can see, there are eight within 4/4 time, and they are to be counted: one, and, two, and, three, and, four, and (re-starting at one for each measure). Note how eighth notes include a horizontal line connecting the stems in groups. This is quite different to how quarter notes appear on sheet music.
This second example shows a measure of quarter notes leading into a measure of eighth notes. This is an important exercise, as it shows how to transition from one sub-division of time into another. Watch the video lesson on this page for a demonstration of this exercise.
Basically, you want the one, two, three, and four counts to remain consistent and even through both measures. Then, in the second measure, the “and” counts get added into double the speed of those notes. This way, you are able to play double the speed while keeping steady time.
The third exercise mixes quarter and eighth notes in four measures. You’ll also note that the bottom two lines include notes in different vertical positions. These indicate different notes around the drum set, but are still just quarter and eighth notes.
If everything in this lesson makes sense to you, it’s time to move on to the sixteenth notes video lesson.
Can’t read music? No Problem! Learn how to read drum notation here!
Learn How To Count Sixteenth Notes
In this video lesson, you will learn how to count and play sixteenth notes. They are to eighth notes what eighth notes are to quarter notes. In other words, sixteenth notes are a sub-division of eighth notes. One quarter note is equal to two eighth notes – which is also equal to four sixteenth notes.
Sixteenth Note Exercises
In this first example, you can see a measure of sixteenth notes. The note stems are connected with two horizontal lines (in groups of four). As you can see, these are counted: one, e, and, a, two, e, and, a, three, e, and, a, four, e, and, a (re-starting at one for each consecutive measure).
Te second exercise has a measure with quarter and eighth notes leading into a measure of sixteenth notes. Watch the video lesson on this page to see how to transition between these three sub-divisions. Jared explains the pattern step-by-step, and demonstrates the exercise on the drum set.
This third exercise includes quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes in four measures. This can be a little tricky to count at first, so be sure you practice with a metronome. The point here is to learn to count the sub-divisions, not to actually play the pattern on the kit. So, just practice counting out loud with a metronome.
Once you are finished this video lesson – you can move on to eighth note triplets. They are somewhat similar to eight notes, but are “triplet” sub-divisions. Go check it out for more step-by-step training.
Counts in a measure:
Here is how you might incorporate the single stroke roll shown above into a drum beat:
Exercise three incorporates the single stroke roll into a drum set fill:
Some More Descriptions:
Learn How To Play The Single Stroke Four
The single stroke four is a simple rudiment based on the single stroke roll pattern. The primary difference is that instead of continous singles, the single stroke four is played as groups of four notes. It’s great for use within drum fills, hand-to-feet combinations, and simple solo patterns. Here is how it looks in drum notation:
As you can see above, the single stroke four can be played with both right and left hand lead. You can start by working through it on a practice pad, and then eventually take it to the drum set. Just be sure you use a metronome to keep the note groups in steady time.
You can transition between this and the single stroke roll to mix up your practice pad routines. Both rudiments are similar enough that you’ll have a focused practice, but different enough that it will keep things interesting.
Single Stroke Four – Drum Set Exercise
This pattern is a simple drum beat that incorporates the single stroke four:
Exercise three uses the single stroke four within the context of a drum fill:
Always be sure you are practicing rudiments with correct drumstick grip. If you aren’t holding the drumsticks properly, you could be forming bad habits that will hurt your playing over time.
STICK CONTROL EXERCISES
STICK CONTROL VIDEO (MOST USEFUL ITEM)
More Stick Control:
Learn How To Play Lesson 25
Lesson 25 is an interesting rudiment because the title doesn’t appear to have a special meaning. Nobody seems to know why this drum rudiment is called “Lesson 25”. It would seem more appropriate to call it “Drag Tap-Tap”, or something else that is a little more relevant. With that said, it’s still an important pattern that you should learn.
Here is how it is written out in drum notation:
This rudiment starts with a right handed drag followed by left and right handed singles. Then, this same pattern is played with opposite sticking (left hand lead). Put it all together, and you have lesson 25. Watch the video lesson above to see it demonstrated for you.
Lesson 25 – Drum Set Applications
Exercise two includes the lesson 25 rudiment being played within a drum beat:
Exercise three uses this rudiment within the context of a drum fill around the tom-toms:
Once you are done with this drum lesson, you can move on to the single dragadiddle.
by Steve Fidyk
Welcome to the third installment in our series on drumset applications of George Lawrence Stone’s classic book Stick Control. The variations in the article utilize the “72 Single Beat Combinations” found on pages 5–7.
In this article, we cover 5/4 variations, including swinging the stickings and moving the hands around the kit, phrasing the stickings as 8th-note triplets, mixing combinations of triplets and 16th notes, playing the right-hand stickings over different left-hand ostinatos, and phrasing the stickings as quarter-note triplets with the feet.
Be sure to check out the complete article in the December 2013 issue of Modern Drummer for notation, exercises, and additional insight.
The Drum Set Legend
You will need the drum set legend in order to read drum tablature for songs:
As you might guess, in drum set notation, the lines and spaces of the staff
symbolize drums and cymbals. Due to the fact that the drum set contains
indefinite pitches, the clef you use for the drum set is neutral like other
indefinite pitched percussion instruments. The following figure shows a legend of drums
and cymbals as they appear on the staff. Keep in mind that drum set notation is not 100 percent standardized, although
most composers and authors use the system shown here give or take
some minor variations. One common notational variance is the indication of a
ride cymbal on the space above the top line (where the hi-hat is also
written).shaped note heads are also used to indicate cymbals (including the hi-hat)
while traditional circles are used to indicate drums. The rim shot notation can vary. Cross-sticks (a type of rim shot) are usually written with an “x” on the snare drum line.
A rim shot is created when the drummer strikes the head and the rim of the
drum at the same time. A cross stick is created by placing the stick on top of
the batter head in a perpendicular fashion. Then, using a snap of the wrist, the
drummer strikes downward.
THIS FOLLOWING DRUM KEY IS GOING TO HELP YOU TO READ ALL KINDS OF DRUM NOTATIONS:
The four drum patterns below make it easy to learn the drums progressively. They start out with just one part of the drum kit, and eventually include all the voices that make up a simple drum beat. This way you can learn how to play the drums with baby steps.
The Basic Drum Patterns
Take a look at the first exercise below. It has a single measure of eighth notes. The count is listed above each of the eight notes in the measure. The “x” symbol above the top line of the measure indicates that these counts are to be played on the hi-hats. Start by counting out loud (one and two and three and four and), and then play the hi-hats along with your counting. Loop this a few times, and focus on playing at a consistent pace.
In exercise two, you’ll learn how to play the bass drum on the one and three counts. As you can see below, the bass drum is indicated with a solid note in the bottom space of the measure. You can watch the video lesson for tips on how to play the pedal with control.
Next, exercise three includes the snare drum on counts two and four. The snare drum is indicated by a solid note on the middle line of each measure. As with the bass drum, you want to focus on playing these right with the hi-hats. The strokes should line up perfectly, so it sounds like one complete sound.
Finally, exercise four brings everything together. The previous patterns were all leading up to this. As you can see below, this beat includes the hi-hats, snare drum, and bass drum – all together in one complete beat. This is how to play the drums in a real band setting.
Be sure you really focus on playing this beat steady and in time. It is highly recommended that you play along with a metronome – especially when first learning how to play on a drum set. Everything needs to sound even and consistent. Just loop the pattern over and over until you are feeling very confident.
If you are having any difficulty with this last beat, you can always go back and practice beats 1 – 3. That will help you focus on timing and limb-ind
Learn How To Play The Single Stroke Roll
The single stroke roll is the most common drum rudiment used on the drum set. It’s often played in beats, fills, and drum solos. It doesn’t matter if you are new to the drums, or if you have been playing for years, the single stroke roll is absolutely essential. Here is how the single stroke roll is notated:
As you can see, it’s played with simple alternating single strokes (R, L, R, L). It is best to start practicing this on a practice pad, and then eventually take it to the kit. Once you can play it in perfect time with a metronome, begin to speed up the tempo to increase your overall speed and endurance.
Focus on keeping all the strokes at an even volume. Watch how your sticks come up for each stroke, and be sure they reach an even height. If one stick is coming up higher than the other, it will typically create a louder stroke. Practicing in front of a mirror is highly recommended, so you can keep an eye on both hands while first developing this rudiment.
Single Stroke Roll – Drum Set Exercises
Here is how you might incorporate the single stroke roll into a drum beat:
Exercise three incorporates the single stroke roll into a drum set fill:
Learn How To Play The Single Stroke Seven
The single stroke seven is less common than most rudiments, but it is still an excellent pattern to incorporate into your drumming. It is similar to the single stroke roll, but is played in groups of seven strokes (as the name suggests). Here is how it looks when written out in drum notation:
Start by developing the pattern slowly on a practice pad, and then move it to the drum set. You can use a metronome to be sure the groups of seven are played within proper time. Then, when you are ready to try something more creative, you can move on to the exercises below.
Single Stroke Seven – Drum Set Exercises
Here is a simple drum beat that incorporates the single stroke seven:
Exercise three uses the single stroke seven around the kit as a drum fil:
Once you are finished with this lesson – you can move on to the multiple bounce roll or the double stroke roll.
How To Play Drums
Are you ready to learn how to play drums? You can get started by watching Jared Falk’s video lesson above. It includes step-by-step training that will show you exactly how to play the beginner exercises on this page.
The four drum patterns below make it easy to learn the drums progressively. They start out with just one part of the drum kit, and eventually include all the voices that make up a simple drum beat. This way you can learn how to play the drums with baby steps.
The Basic Drum Patterns
Take a look at the first exercise below. It has a single measure of eighth notes. The count is listed above each of the eight notes in the measure. The “x” symbol above the top line of the measure indicates that these counts are to be played on the hi-hats. Start by counting out loud (one and two and three and four and), and then play the hi-hats along with your counting. Loop this a few times, and focus on playing at a consistent pace.
In exercise two, you’ll learn how to play the bass drum on the one and three counts. As you can see below, the bass drum is indicated with a solid note in the bottom space of the measure. You can watch the video lesson for tips on how to play the pedal with control.
Next, exercise three includes the snare drum on counts two and four. The snare drum is indicated by a solid note on the middle line of each measure. As with the bass drum, you want to focus on playing these right with the hi-hats. The strokes should line up perfectly, so it sounds like one complete sound.
Finally, exercise four brings everything together. The previous patterns were all leading up to this. As you can see below, this beat includes the hi-hats, snare drum, and bass drum – all together in one complete beat. This is how to play the drums in a real band setting.
Be sure you really focus on playing this beat steady and in time. It is highly recommended that you play along with a metronome – especially when first learning how to play on a drum set. Everything needs to sound even and consistent. Just loop the pattern over and over until you are feeling very confident.
If you are having any difficulty with this last beat, you can always go back and practice beats 1 – 3. That will help you focus on timing and limb-independence. Then, when you feel ready, come back to beat 4.
SEE IF YOU CAN’T PLAY AC/DC, BACK IN BLACK BY READING THESE TABS:
Back In Black (Use this youtube audio to play along with:
AC/DC
Back In Black
Entry on HH Pedal
HF |x—x—x—x—|x—x—x—x—|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
Verse 1
|— repeat 1x—|
C |X—————|—————-|—————-|X—————|
H |–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o-o-o—o—|—-o——-o—|
B |o——-o——-|o——-o——-|o—-o-o-o-o—-|o——-o——-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
C |—————-|—————-|——–x-x-x-x-|X—————|
H |x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x———|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o-o-o—o—|—-o——-o—|
B |o——-o——-|o——-o——-|o—-o-o-o-o—-|o——-o—–o-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
C |—————-|—————-|—————-|X—————|
H |x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o-o-o—o—|—-o——-o—|
B |o——-o——-|o——-o——-|o—-o-o-o-o—-|o——-o——-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
C |—————-|—————-|—————-|
H |x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x—|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o-o-o—ooo-|
B |o——-o——-|o——-o——-|o—-o-o-o-o—-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
Chorus
|— repeat 5x—|
C |X—————|X—————|—-X—X—X—|—————-|
H |–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x————-|—————-|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o———–|————o—|
B |o——-o——-|o——-o-o—o-|o—o—o—o—|—————-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
Verse 2
|— repeat 1x—|
C |X—————|—————-|—————-|X—————|
H |–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o-o-o—o—|—-o——-o—|
B |o——-o——-|o——-o——-|o—-o-o-o-o—-|o——-o——-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
C |—————-|X—————|—————-|
H |x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x—|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o-o-o—ooo-|
B |o——-o——-|o——-o——-|o—-o-o-o-o—-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
Chorus
|— repeat 5x—|
C |X—————|X—————|—-X—X—X—|—————-|
H |–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x————-|—————-|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o———–|————o—|
B |o——-o——-|o——-o-o—o-|o—o—o—o—|—————-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
Interlude/Guitar Solo
|—————————- repeat 2x—————————–|
C |X—————|—————-|X—————|——X-X—–X-|
H |–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x—–x-x—|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|
B |o——-o-o—–|o——-o—–o-|o——-o——-|o——-o—–o-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
C |X—————|—————-|X——-X——-|X——-X—X-X-|
H |–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x—x-x-x-|–x-x-x—x—–|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|
B |o——-o-o—–|o——-o—–o-|o——-o——-|o——-o——-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
C |—-X-X-X——-|
H |———-x-x-x-|
S |ooo———o—|
B |—-o-o-o——-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
Chorus
|— repeat 4x—|
C |X—————|X—————|—-X—X—X—|—————-|
H |–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x————-|—————-|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o-o-|—-o———–|————o—|
B |o——-o——-|o——-o-o—–|o—o—o—o—|—————-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
Interlude/ Guitar Solo 2
|———– repeat 1x————|
C |X—————|X———–X—|X—X—X—X–X|X—X—X—X–X|
H |—————-|—————-|—————-|—————-|
S |————–o-|——–o-o-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|
B |o—————|o——o-o-o—-|o——-o——o|o——-o——o|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
C |X—X—X—X–X|X—X—X——-|
H |—————-|—————-|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-oooo|
B |o——-o——o|o——-o–o—-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
Chorus
|— repeat 5x—|
C |X—————|X—————|—-X—X—X—|—————-|
H |–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x————-|—————-|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o-o-|—-o———–|————o-o-|
B |o——-o——-|o——-o-o—–|o—o—o—o—|————o-o-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
Interlude
S |—————-|———–oo-o-|
B |—————-|———-o—–|
Hf |x—x—x—x—|x—x—x——-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
|—————————- repeat 2x—————————–|
C |X—————|—————-|X—————|——X-X—–X-|
H |–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|–x-x-x-x-x-x-x-|x-x-x—–x-x—|
S |—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|—-o——-o—|
B |o——-o-o—–|o——-o—–o-|o——-o——-|o——-o—–o-|
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + )
Practice:
Lesson in Jazz Drumming
Jazz Drummer’s Workshop: Approaching Standards, Part 1 (September 2013 issue)
– July 31, 2013 Posted in: Education, Jazz Drummers’ Workshop, Multimedia, Videos
September 2013
Jazz Drummer’s Workshop
Approaching Standards
A Framework for Musical Practice, Part 1: Phrasing
by Steve Fidyk
Jazz musicians spend a considerable amount of practice time learning standard tunes in a variety of keys. By doing so, they become versed in the tradition, while developing a repertoire of music to be played with other musicians. Many choose to learn these songs from The Real Book, which is a compilation of dozens of lead sheets that outline the melody and chord changes, while others transcribe music from the original recordings. (Transcribing can be especially beneficial because it teaches structure, chord voicings, harmonic movement, phrasing, articulation, and melody all at once.)
Tunes from Miles Davis, Jimmy Webb, John Coltrane, Lennon/McCartney, George Gershwin, and Thelonious Monk have become “standards,” because musicians continue to call them on the bandstand years after they were written. It’s a canon of music that has withstood the test of time, and we drummers should give it some attention. This article series is designed to expose you to different ways to apply the rhythmic material of the melodies of these standards.
When asked to play the melody of a tune on the snare drum, most drummers tend to lead with their strong hand and alternate. This is one way of playing, and it produces a specific feel and sound. To alter the phrasing, I suggest mixing in combinations of singles and doubles, while strictly adhering to the rhythm of the melody. (You should begin by limiting the instrument choice to the snare, because it’s more challenging to create different inflections of sound on one source as opposed to many.) By mixing up the sticking, you’re able to phrase the melody more accurately to match that of the original recording. In general, double strokes can help bring a sense of legato (smoothness) to an instrument that is naturally staccato sounding, like the snare.
In the video below, various sticking examples are applied to the standard twelve-bar blues tune “Straight No Chaser” by Thelonious Monk. As you get comfortable with the melody, experiment by employing different sounds and articulations, such as press rolls, to better replicate the actual length of each note.
Continue to work on “Straight No Chaser” until it’s firmly ingrained in your memory, while also beginning the process with other standards. In the next installment, we’ll explore ways of using a standard melody as a vehicle to comp and improvise around the drumset.
For notation and additional insight, be sure to check out the complete article in the September 2013 issue of Modern Drummer.
Jazz musicians spend a considerable amount of practice time learning standard tunes in a variety of keys. By doing so, they become versed in the tradition, while developing a repertoire of music to be played with other musicians. Many choose to learn these songs from The Real Book, which is a compilation of dozens of lead sheets that outline the melody and chord changes, while others transcribe music from the original recordings. (Transcribing can be especially beneficial because it teaches structure, chord voicings, harmonic movement, phrasing, articulation, and melody all at once.)
Tunes from Miles Davis, Jimmy Webb, John Coltrane, Lennon/McCartney, George Gershwin, and Thelonious Monk have become “standards,” because musicians continue to call them on the bandstand years after they were written. It’s a canon of music that has withstood the test of time, and we drummers should give it some attention. This article series is designed to expose you to different ways to apply the rhythmic material of the melodies of these standards.
When asked to play the melody of a tune on the snare drum, most drummers tend to lead with their strong hand and alternate. This is one way of playing, and it produces a specific feel and sound. To alter the phrasing, I suggest mixing in combinations of singles and doubles, while strictly adhering to the rhythm of the melody. (You should begin by limiting the instrument choice to the snare, because it’s more challenging to create different inflections of sound on one source as opposed to many.) By mixing up the sticking, you’re able to phrase the melody more accurately to match that of the original recording. In general, double strokes can help bring a sense of legato (smoothness) to an instrument that is naturally staccato sounding, like the snare.
In the video below, various sticking examples are applied to the standard twelve-bar blues tune “Straight No Chaser” by Thelonious Monk. As you get comfortable with the melody, experiment by employing different sounds and articulations, such as press rolls, to better replicate the actual length of each note.
Continue to work on “Straight No Chaser” until it’s firmly ingrained in your memory, while also beginning the process with other standards. In the next installment, we’ll explore ways of using a standard melody as a vehicle to comp and improvise around the drumset.
For notation and additional insight, be sure to check out the complete article in the September 2013 issue of Modern Drummer. (Click on the link below)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9JWkyRgg3c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFlNo1NjAEQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qESekH-Z1E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us69CkPQaoU
Know Your Cymbals:
XS20 Combat Hats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GILvfIomsKg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-80BGWneI8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hRmwrqiuYQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65-5CEQGRT8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vwX3PLAFqE
Note: The basic practice lessons are on the top. So why play drums….?….Everyone says that music is therapeutic. But it is in your practice that you will find some therapy as well. At least that’s what the picture says:
- They’re therapeutic!!
This is a standard five-piece drum kit used by most beginners.
A standard modern kit (for a right-handed player), as used in popular music and taught in many music schools,contains:
A snare drum, mounted on a specialised stand, placed between the player’s knees and played with drum sticks (which may include rutes or brushes).
A bass drum, played by a pedal operated by the right foot.
A hi-hat stand and cymbals, operated by the left foot and played with the sticks, particularly but not only the right hand stick. One or more tom-tom drums, played with the sticks. One or more cymbals, played with the sticks, particularly but not only the right hand stick. Breakables, shells, extensions, hardware: The drum kit may be loosely divided into four parts: The breakables: Sticks, cymbals, snare drum, and sometimes the bass drum pedal, stool, hi hat or other cymbal stands. The shells: Bass drum and tom toms. Extensions: Cowbell, tambourine, any other instrument not part of the standard kit. Hardware: The rest.
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Steve Fidyk has performed with Terell Stafford, Tim Warfield, Dick Oatts, Doc Severinsen, Wayne Bergeron, Phil Wilson, and Maureen McGovern, and he’s a member of the jazz studies faculty at Temple University in Philadelphia. For more info, visit stevefidyk.com.
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