One skill that I like to work on is creating musical transitions from one section of a song to the next. This may a song with vocals or an instrumental tune. There are times when a very simple drum fill seems like the right thing and then other...
Read moreStudent Recitals
I had the pleasure of being part of the rhythm section that backed up a number of student performers this past weekend at a student recital. For some of these young students, this was their first time in front of an audience other than their...
Read moreTranscribing Drum Parts
Transcribing music is the process of writing down (in musical notation) something that has been played – either by you or someone else. I have found that transcribing my own drum parts greatly benefits me in a few ways. The first cool thing...
Read moreReading Music and Counting
When I was first learning how to read music, my drum teacher made sure that I could count while playing. I got used to playing snare drum rhythms and counting at the same time. This started with fairly simple rhythms and also with the drum...
Read moreGroove and Playing in Time
At a rehearsal today, we recorded a song that’s going to be tracked and recorded in a nice studio next week. This was just a reference recording – some people refer to it as “pre-production.” Before the song started, we...
Read moreJazz Song Forms: AABA
In many jazz tunes, there is a common form that occurs: 32 bars in the form of AABA. Each section is typically 8 bars in length, thus giving the total of 32 bars. The “A” sections form the main melody with the harmony generally...
Read moreSight Reading Drum Music
I had the benefit of a good high school band program and also a private teacher. My teacher, Ted Fulte, and the various ensembles in school exposed me to music that was outside of my comfort level. I was required to start to understand what swing...
Read moreHaving Some Fun
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 more