Making Ride Patterns Easy
If there’s one thing that makes a jazz drummer amazing, it’s their approach to the ride patterns. Besides the basic swing beat, jazz drummers often alter the ride cymbal pattern to adjust for the tempo.
Jazz Play Along
Playing along is one of the best things you can do to rapidly improve as a drummer.
The act of imitating a sound that you desire is a really powerful tool in becoming a good drummer. Personally I think that the best way to learn anything is to immerse yourself in it, and in this case it applies to playing jazz as much as possible. I’m not talking about practicing either. Immerse yourself in jazz music by playing with as many groups as possible and by playing as many styles of jazz as possible. It’s because of the this constant immersion in music that children who were brought up in musical families generally have a head start when compared to children from no musical background. Read the rest of this entry »
Roy Haynes
Right now i’m listening to the Roy Haynes Trio with Danillo Perez, and John Pattitucci. If you haven’t heard this band, you are lacking a tremendous experience! Just now while listening I had an epiphany about Roy Haynes, especially about how he plays the ride cymbal! Read the rest of this entry »
Elvin Jones
Although Elvin Jones has been a lot of people’s most influential drummer, he had reached a level among master drummer where they no longer compete to be ‘better’ than anyone else. Its apples and oranges after a certain point with great musicians. Its like having a list of ice cream flavors that you love so much that they don’t even compete with each other. There simply is no getting better, no competition beyond that point. For me, this is true for Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Tony Williams. Read the rest of this entry »
Bossa Nova, Samba
The Bossa Nova
From Brazil, this beat is similar to the common Latin Jazz beat, the Samba. The difference is in the ride cymbal pattern. The Bossa Nova has straight eighth notes on the bell, and the Samba is broken up into groups of three eighth notes. Since there is no break in the bell pattern it can limit you to how fast you can play the Bossa Nova. Read the rest of this entry »
Latin Jazz – The Bembe
Among the many fascinating Latin styles of drumming is one that sticks out because of its time signature. Common to West Africa and Cuba, 6/8 time signature created the bembe tradition of drumming. This Afro-Cuban style was created from religious gatherings and ceremonies. Read the rest of this entry »
Brushes
This lesson is devoted to one of the most rewarding areas of jazz drumming. A long time ago, the brushes were invented initially as a fly killing devise. I can’t even imagine the circumstances that led up to sweeping a flyswatter across a snare drum, but I’m not complaining. I’m glad someone found a better use for these things. Read the rest of this entry »
Riffing
One of the fundamental elements of jazz is the riff. Most melodies in songs are composed around a basic rhythmic riff. Knowing the riff in any song should be a top priority for any drummer, because the riff is a melodic and rhythmic phrase that can be developed. Read the rest of this entry »
The Jazz Ride Cymbal
Just like the ambusher defines how a horn player sounds, the ride cymbal, or more specifically how you play the basic jazz pattern, defines the sound of a jazz drummer.
What is the jazz ride cymbal pattern? Read the rest of this entry »
