I had the pleasure of playing a jazz trio gig last night – piano, upright bass and me (drums). There’s a fun thing that can happen when playing music, and that’s when the players show up and just have some fun! We tried a few...
Read moreLearning Tunes – More Thoughts
OK – So, learning tunes is a great idea and all. However, there are plenty of times when I simply do not have the extra time to go through charts for an upcoming gig. There are also times when I don’t see the music until right before...
Read moreLearning Tunes and Being Prepared
I’m working on learning some tunes today. Over the next few days, I have three very different gigs. I get to play some jazz, some blues & rock, and then play with a 10-piece big band playing just about everything! There are charts for...
Read moreOther drummers
After hearing a group with a drummer who is on fire, there have been times when I have felt like selling my gear! In the past, I tended to focus on the things that that drummer could do that I couldn’t do. I would come away from that...
Read moreFollow-up to Jams
My previous post talked about music jams, but I feel I left out something pretty important – knowing styles. Whatever jam you end up at, it’s really helpful if you are somewhat familiar and comfortable with that style. Blues jams...
Read moreJam Sessions – Sitting In
For those who don’t know, a jam session is a fairly informal night of music. The jam is usually organized around a specific style of music – jazz, blues, country, etc. There’s a host band which will open up the night by playing...
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