Happy Birthday to Elvin Jones! I remember a moment upon hearing Elvin Jones on John Coltrane’s “Transition” when I was in college. My roommate had just put on the record (yes, the LP), and I started to listen, really listen...
Read moreNatural Talent
I started playing the drums when I was twelve years-old. I had very little “natural talent.” Basically, everything I can do today on the drum set is because I practiced – a lot. Starting off, I learned snare drum technique, some...
Read moreDeveloping Your Voice
One thing I enjoy is listening to recordings with which I am not familiar, and trying to guess who is on the recording. Many of the great players have developed their own “voice” on their instrument. E.g., when I hear a certain ride...
Read moreSeeing Is Believing
I love going out to hear music. Part of the fun for me is to watch the musicians and the way that they interact with each. One thing in particular that I enjoy, is watching the drummer! It can be so much fun – watching, listening and...
Read moreListening While You Drum
I played three very different gigs this past weekend. The first one was with a blues/R&B band. At the second gig, I was the sub for a smooth jazz group. The third gig was with a 10-piece big band playing Brecker Brothers tunes as well as some...
Read moreWhere Do You Feel the Beat?
At a gig recently, the guitarist started pretty much every song by himself and then the band would join in. He was playing an acoustic steel string guitar and had a piece of wood on the floor with a microphone on it. He would tap his right foot...
Read moreThe Swing Era and the Drums
In my previous post, I briefly mentioned a few different styles of music that drummers should be familiar with when playing a big band gig. I mainly talked about the feel of a tune. I have used the terms “feel” and “style”...
Read moreAt the Gig with Your Metronome
I played a big band gig last night that was lots of fun. It was my first time with this band and there were no rehearsals. I sight read the entire gig. There was a set list with not only the names of the tunes (and their corresponding numbers in...
Read morePlaying with a Metronome or a Click Track
My students learn early on that I value playing with a metronome or a click track during their lessons. I encourage them to continue this during their practice sessions away from my teaching studio. There are many options to make this happen: a...
Read moreRunning on Empty
Sometimes, life gets busy between late night gigs, early rehearsals, family commitments, etc. I find that going and going for days on end can be draining and I can feel as if I’m running on empty. I don’t like this feeling, but I have...
Read morePlaying What You Do Not Practice
I love to practice drums! Sometimes, it’s frustrating and other times invigorating, and sometimes it’s somewhere in between. Regardless, I enjoy being on the drum set. The actual feeling that comes from striking a drum is very...
Read moreJazz Drumming
I just had the opportunity to play a nice jazz gig in a great venue backing up a jazz pianist. It was a classic jazz piano trio – piano, bass and drums. We played standards and one original composition. There was no rehearsal for this gig!...
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