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On "open-handed" drumming

Fine, now spend another hundred years learning to do it almost as well with your left hand. This is a discussion I have to re-litigate- helplessly, predictably- on…

First-inversion paradiddles around the drums

This came up in my own practice today, and I went ahead and wrote it up. I’ve been doing a fair amount of this kind of thing lately-…

Getting lost

Or not. Here are a few pointers on a subject with which I am all too intimately familiar: getting lost while soloing over over a form, and while…

Odd meter books

Even in the Odds by Ralph Humphrey This is the king of odd meter books. See my earlier review for details. The method is very interesting- it sets…

Bass drum variations for bossa nova

Bossa nova can be a very static style for novices- I’ve noticed in teaching that they have a hard time getting away from the standard, repetitive pattern. And,…

Putting together a jazz drum set

The Gretsch Catalinas on my 2010 Europe tour. A good point in the comments of the How to be a jazz drummer post- the sound of your instrument…

Coordination "kernels" – further examples

You may have noticed I’ve been on rather light posting this last week. Expect that to continue for the next several days; this week I’ll be recording my…

Transcription: James Gadson – Use Me

I guess we could also file this under Groove o’the day. While I’m getting some longer posts together, here are James Gadson’s drum breaks from the song Use…

Coordination "kernels"

Here’s one for the teachers. This is an approach I’ve found helpful with students having difficulties with coordination on written patterns in jazz and Latin, and a good…

Todd’s methods: Afro-Cuban in 6/8 and 3/4

Here’s something I wrote strictly for my own use, which I thought I would share for you to make of what you will. The Afro 6/8 has been…