although i'm not a newbie, i am a newbie at jazz, and this is the dilemma i'm in: i've been asked to audition for a promising jazz quartet, and i see it as the perfect opportunity to buckle down and study straight jazz. what are your thoughts on crafting the most efficient practice routine to go from no jazz knowledge to digging in a jazz pocket at gigs? muscle memory training tips, rudiments, YouTube videos, comping principles, "knowing when to play a beat on the snare or ride or hi-hat," principles on using brushes, sticks, and rods, and anything else you guys can think of is helpful. i'm auditioning within the month, so time is of essence! please impart your wisdom on me

listen to tons of jazz. what type/era of jazz is this quartet performing?

get some books and practice practice. drummers cookbook, advanced techniques for the modern drummer(jim chapin), rhythmic patterns(joe cusatis) are a few.

tell me what era/style you're looking to explore and I'll suggest some drummers.








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www.myspace.com/alanselectronicmuse

i'm going to be playing vocal jazz standards along these lines:





these were the videos the quartet gave me as examples of what kinda jazz i'd be playing.

you're gonna need to learn how to play brushes most likely. playing with vocalists is going to mean you'll be playing much more simply than with an instrumental group. the role is more to act like a "cushion", make the music glide and flow, and keep the time.

here's a video of sarah vaughan with wynton marsalis:










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concentrate on making that ride cymbal beat glide smoothly, keeping the hihat going on 2 and 4. everything else is incidental. if you can get a trumpet chart for the tunes you're playing, it'll have the accents laid out for you. or a real book will as well. remember, don't overshadow the vocalist. LEARN BRUSHES.

like this: notice the swishing motion. this is key. I'll see if I can get around to drawing you some diagrams tonight or tomorrow to show the different directions you can take with swishing around on the snare drum head. YOU NEED A COATED SNARE DRUMHEAD TO MAKE BRUSHES WORK.

Check out Jeff Hamilton, guy's a brush master if ever there was one. last vid is him.



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also check out freedrumlessons.com for some more tips/








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I don't know, man. I'm a big fan of doing the audition, but I'm also a big fan of knowing where the reasonable boundaries are. Sometimes you just have to know when to say that you aren't right for the project.

That said, I'd say that you're going to need to practice nothing but jazz for at least five hours a day seven days a week. That'll give you 150 hours of practice time. It sounds like a lot, but it's just barely scratching the surface.








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Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:

Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.

http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive

i was actually just studying jeff hamilton before i read your post. i'm glad i'm looking in the right direction about brushes, i'm thinking of focusing on nailing just one or two "universal" patterns, just something that i know i can always rely on without sticking out. like you said, i'm a cushion, and i'm just there to keep things on track. i don't need to do anything fancy on the brushes. currently i'm having trouble swishing my brushes around in a consistent circle on the snare head. am i supposed to do a complete circle every time i count 1, 2, 3, and 4? in other words, if i start at 12 o'clock on count 1, should i be at 12 o'clock again on count 2?

being a "cushion," timing is ESSENTIAL, and i've been working on my grooves at 40-60bpm on click, counting in triplets out loud "1-tri-plet-2-tri-plet..." drilling the jazz ride, hi hat, and bass pattern into my head. after 15 min or so, progressively building up my tempo from 40-60 in 3bpm increments, i'll take a break to let that muscle memory settle in, then attempt the same pattern at 80bpm+. i take this approach to every groove i learn, starting slow, taking a break, then attempting the groove at a much higher tempo. i'm currently drilling a snare accent at the "plet" of 4, right before the 1 into my jazz ride, hat, and bass pattern. i'll tackle every imaginable snare accent the same way to become comfortable with comping, so i can add accents without breaking my smooth ride, hat, and bass pattern. thoughts on this approach and whether it will take too long to accomplish in the next 2 weeks? any more efficient ways to tackle these grooves?

SGarrett wrote:

I don't know, man. I'm a big fan of doing the audition, but I'm also a big fan of knowing where the reasonable boundaries are. Sometimes you just have to know when to say that you aren't right for the project.

That said, I'd say that you're going to need to practice nothing but jazz for at least five hours a day seven days a week. That'll give you 150 hours of practice time. It sounds like a lot, but it's just barely scratching the surface.

i understand what you're saying. at the same time, even if i don't get the gig, i still made leaps and bounds in my jazz playing within 150 hours. that alone is worth the effort, in my opinion. now, speaking of 150 hours, how can i spend that time most efficiently? if you had that kind of time, what would your practice routine be?

you can do a complete swish in 1,2, or 4 beats. usually you'll only utilize the whole-note-long swish on faster tunes. there's quite a few different patterns. you can have the hands doing small circles, and you could also have the hands where they trace the edge of the drum on opposite sides then come in toward the middle for a loop then back out toward the edge.

if you've only got 2 weeks, concentrate on simplicity, groove, simplicity, groove, touch and dynamics DYNAMICS!!!!

don't try anything fancy. don't think you have to hit every accent. leave space. remember, it's the vocalist's show. they will be much more apt to like someone who's simple and has swinging time than someone who has more capability but no ability to lay back. remember to play the bass drum MUCH softer than you would when playing rock unless you're hitting a huge accent.

you sound like you're on the right track. personally, I say go for it, but don't be disappointed if you don't make it. at least you've started yourself on a journey toward being a more versatile player.








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tell me more about expressing dynamics on a drumset for jazz. what are some techniques jazz drummers use to build up or slow down besides getting louder and softer? for instance, i've heard some jazz drummers throw in an extended triplet spaced evenly between two full counts (starts on count 1 and ends before count 3) to suddenly slow down a song to a slow part. i need a few more concepts to add to my bag of tricks.

SGarrett wrote:

I don't know, man. I'm a big fan of doing the audition, but I'm also a big fan of knowing where the reasonable boundaries are. Sometimes you just have to know when to say that you aren't right for the project.

That said, I'd say that you're going to need to practice nothing but jazz for at least five hours a day seven days a week. That'll give you 150 hours of practice time. It sounds like a lot, but it's just barely scratching the surface.

What he said might sound a little crazy. but if wanna do this you have no choice. five hours a day seven days a week should be minnimum. maximum should be 8 hours a day. Its not something i would even attemp, but if you wanna go through with it. thats f*%#kin awesome.








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xdoseonex wrote:

Its not something i would even attemp, but if you wanna go through with it. thats f*%#kin awesome.

thanks for the encouragement

also, spend every waking moment you can that isn't spent practicing listening to jazz.








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wow, alan your like my hero, my jazz band at school is just music so no vocals and we want a singer, so now i know what kind of thing i would be expected to play. teh thing they do with the left hand brush - swirling it around while playign other stuff with their right brush - is so coool, its like that game when you rub your stomach and pat your head. i'm going to invest in some brushes.
once again tahnks for the help alan, and of NeHe555 for asking that question.








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If you're determined and know what it'll take, more power to you man. Go at it full force and follow Alan's advice.

If you're just starting out, the jazz lessons on FreeDrumLessons.com are a good primer. Also, practice to a click so you can develop a solid meter. If you can swing to a click you can rock a band. There are a few posts on the site about practice routines that have good time break downs.








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Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:

Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.

http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive

i'm not really just starting out. i've actually been playing for 8 years, but i'm tackling this as if i'm starting from scratch so i rid myself of all bad habits. and i'm glad this post helped out some other fellow. maybe i'll throw a video up later of my progress and we'll see where i'm at in a few weeks!

just found an excellent article on brush playing technique: http://www.iaje.org/article.asp?ArticleID=87

I meant just starting out with jazz. And eight years isn't a long time, either.








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Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:

Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.

http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive

SGarrett wrote:

I meant just starting out with jazz. And eight years isn't a long time, either.

good point. i'm hoping to add a few years of jazz experience to my 8.

i'm trying to learn the hi-hat crash (a light stomp on the hi-hat to "crash" it and let it ring), and it always seems too loud. could it be that my hi-hats are too thick, and therefore project a lot? i guess it can be in my technique too, but i'm trying to cheat a little bit and make things easier for myself. thinner crashes project less than thicker crashes, and i'm hoping the logic carries over to the hi-hats as well. i'm thinking of purchasing thinner 14" hi-hats, so any advice would help me in my purchase.

What kind of hats are you using now? It could be a combination of both factors. Learning how to splash your hats with control takes a fair amount of work.








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Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:

Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.

http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive

12" sabian AAs. they're heavy little things!

i just auditioned an hour ago, and i got the gig. I GOT THE GIG!!!! thanks so much for all the help i got from this community. i am indebted to you all

Right on, man!








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Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:

Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.

http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive

i hope you can








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Nehe555 wrote:

i'm trying to learn the hi-hat crash (a light stomp on the hi-hat to "crash" it and let it ring), and it always seems too loud. could it be that my hi-hats are too thick, and therefore project a lot? i guess it can be in my technique too, but i'm trying to cheat a little bit and make things easier for myself. thinner crashes project less than thicker crashes, and i'm hoping the logic carries over to the hi-hats as well. i'm thinking of purchasing thinner 14" hi-hats, so any advice would help me in my purchase.

i always refer to that as a hi-hat splash








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