Practising Jazz

[nkf31]

Haha ooo ok thanks guys for the advice!
another thing i wanna ask is the bass drum - how do you guys personally use it? do you feather?
probably on more upbeat tunes the bass drum would make its appearance on beat 1(with the pickup on the 'a' of the previous beat 4) every 2 or so measures? how about comping?

 

[blurred]

first off man, there is no right or wrong way to play something. and the answers to ur questions is in the music, do an analysis of what ur looking for in jazz. its a fine line between bad and good playing sometimes.
generally -
feathering the bass drum is a big band thing. its to give the bass line a push
1 is sometimes played on the bass drum, but generally it is anticipated.
bebop has no 4 on the floor, "bombs" are dropped generally to act as part of a fill or to punch an accent.

 

[RudimentalDrummer]

I bought the Play-Along Jazz CD at Music-Lab...It's very good (mean't for Drummers) and the CD starts from songs that are slow to very fast metronome speed and it has Empty-Clicks to guide drummers to do a Trade-Four......no regret...

It's call: - "Turn It Up 4" - Try It - I love it !

 

[nkf31]

haha oooo... sounds good. haha i reserved slots for lessons at musiclab

 

[blurred]

which days did u reserve? u know who ur teacher will be

 

[marcdadrummer]

if everything goes well im gonna get lessons from the lab!! woo

 

[blurred]

yup sign up sign up.

 

[beboptang]

Haha ooo ok thanks guys for the advice!
another thing i wanna ask is the bass drum - how do you guys personally use it? do you feather?
probably on more upbeat tunes the bass drum would make its appearance on beat 1(with the pickup on the 'a' of the previous beat 4) every 2 or so measures? how about comping?

I also agree that feathering the bass drum is generally used in big band situations, but a few times when I was playing in small bebop band settings in the US, different musicians, told me they needed to "feel" the bass drum on all 4's and hear the "bombs" accented; that makes the bass drum rather active. I noticed that the late Max Roach would do that when I saw him play live. And also Elvin Jones sometimes did that. I guess there are different schools of thought out there.

Now I feather the bass drum in a small band setting if the bassist isn't very strong, or if I want to establish a more emphatic groove feel.

 

[plainsman]

Just to add on to what the rest had prescribed previously:

- books are very encouraged. buy a couple, and work through them. buy somemore. you'll find yourself improving significantly.

- play along CDs. some books come with them (like the grading course books)

- find and form a jazz band. work through standards, experiment a little. maybe take a song that is not often covered and try it out.

- get lessons from a teacher. different individuals have different perspectives on what they've learnt.

- listen to as much music as you can. Take the time and go through an artiste's material, especially the seminal ones: Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck and so on. For example, you can hear differences in style and approach to jazz drumming from the different drummers miles davis used over the years:

birth of the cool (max roach, kenny clarke)
kind of blue, sketches of spain (jimmy cobb)
live at montreux festival '63, seven steps to heaven etc. (tony williams)
bitches brew (cobham, lenny white, jack dejohnette)


maybe you'll find yourself having an opinion and liking a particular drummer's take more so than others.


- go down to local jazz places and listen to them as much (JSB, regent hotel, barfly etc.)
if you have questions, i'm sure the drummers (boon gee, tama, audrey) would be happy to answer. ask intelligently and be aware they need some breather and rest from playing of course!



cheers

 

[nkf31]

haha that's a lot of stuff to do!

btw blurred to answer your qn my teacher would be you(?)

Hurry up hurry up - can't wait for my first lesson

 

[blurred]

hey nkf31, if ur on monday or weds yup it wld be me.

hey audrey wats emphatic mean

 

[beboptang]

Hiya,

Emphatic comes from the word emphasis. It means showing or giving emphasis, expressing clearly...

 

[blurred]

ahhhhhh, thanks. i'd be at the labs mon and wed. we shld get together and u kick my ass abit, i'd get alfie as well.

 

[beboptang]

Haha! I'm sure there'll be no ass-kicking necessary, we all learn from one another ya?

 

[Blofeld]

haha that's a lot of stuff to do!

btw blurred to answer your qn my teacher would be you(?)

Hurry up hurry up - can't wait for my first lesson

Learning is a life long process and taking lessons is always a positive thing...but only if one follows thru with practice and hard work.

Your drum teacher can show you a particular lick or exercise but in all probably you will need to work very hard to master each one.

There is also a need to keep your rudimental techniques in top shape. Keep working on those super smooth pressed rolls, open rolls and controlled rolls...practise your simple and double paradiddles around the set with accents in different places.....hand foot coordination and 4 limb independence + voice you keep improving for your lifetime.

Jazz drumming is much more demanding musically than anything pop and rock can come up with. You must develop the facility to hear your drum part and execute with your limbs what you hear in your mind. You have to be constantly monitoring what the rest of the band is doing inorder to provide the right musical accompaniment and create the feel and direction of the music being played.

An arm chair drummer is of little use to himself or anyone. You have to just play play and play somemore.

 

[RudimentalDrummer]

Blofeld

Learning is a life long process

You have to be constantly monitoring what the rest of the band is doing inorder to provide the right musical accompaniment and create the feel and direction of the music being played.


So true. I have only been jamming and playing Jazz seriously for about 6 months only now. The Bossa and Bebop Swing was the 1st-thing I have to nail by keeping good timming. Then after that I have to try my best to get the nice-chick sound from my left foot Hi-Hats and the right hand Swing to sound good (here already not easy) - but I have improved through Rehersing and rehersing (and also because I ave a good Jazz Drumming Instructor). Then come trading 4 and whenever the band says (Trade 4) my blady hand was sweating cause I am scared and I play alot around the kit (leaving very little space) dunno how to breath...Now I try to be more calm, learning to play it more musically - but still not dynamical and able to speak or talk musically in my drumming ....(not easy though now I will stop at the 4th Bar accurately and pass it to the next player)

Everytime I went for my rehersing - I learn something New in Jazz, improved a little by understanding a little-bit more about what Jazz is really all about.

Last week - while doing a Solo (guess they want me to do a 40-Bar Solo - the whole Song - they were training me - I get nervous again) so I close my eyes - count my bars while soloing...then Hahahahahaha ! so...funny - they say "Eric you must not close your eyes - you must look at us - wait we say Go Back To The TOP give you signal - you never see) and keep soloing how?.......hahahahaha !) ...so true how can I not be observing my other Band Members....and now I never close my eyes anymore.

My excuse was "You say must play with Feel mah - so I close my eyes and play with feel- they say Feel Your Head lah like that" kekekeke ... they all laugh - and I learn a new thing.

Jazz is not easy, have to listen to the songs, try to know the structure, melody etc....I didn't so I have to look at Song-Sheet so that when they start Trading, I dont get lost ... and when I look at song sheet I still get lost hahahahaha ! ...plenty for me to catch up man...

But - It's nice and I am really enjoying Jazz now.....

PS: - Kekekeke paiseh paiseh...last time remember Bro Frank, I went Thompson CC, people playing Jazz tune - I was doing a Basic Rock Beat and playing it so loud till the Band stop hahahaha,,,what a joke and Daren tells me - Swing Swing It (I said Har ..Swing har? What's Swing, I dunno ley?...that was the beginning for my drumming....but it's not call Jazz-Rock...I just screw up the Band and the Music.

 

[Blofeld]

Blofeld
So true. I have only been jamming and playing Jazz seriously for about 6 months only now. The Bossa and Bebop Swing was the 1st-thing I have to nail by keeping good timming. .

Jazz bebop is NOT about learning a beat and then repeating it thru a song. The beat (or feel) is the underlying rhythm over which you must be able to comp or play figures that accentuates or compliments the music. Just playing the jazz ride or the 2-bar Bossa beat and not having the facility to improvise over the music is really a beginner's exercise and does not get you far in a real playing situation. There are hardly any books that can teach you how to do it properly. Only using your ears, listening more listening, acquiring and practising indepence, and lots of real playing experience...will get you there.

You can master several pop/rock styles "beats" in a short time and actually more or less "tembak" with your band after a few months lessons....but jazz requires much more. I am sure you appreciate the degree of technique, understanding, and musicality required to even begin playing this genre.

Keep working at it...The pleasure of arriving is well worth the journey !

 

[Blofeld]

Blofeld


Last week - while doing a Solo (guess they want me to do a 40-Bar Solo - the whole Song - they were training me - I get nervous again) so I close my eyes - count my bars while soloing...then Hahahahahaha ! so...funny - they say "Eric you must not close your eyes - you must look at us - wait we say Go Back To The TOP give you signal - you never see) and keep soloing how?.......hahahahaha !) ...so true how can I not be observing my other Band Members....and now I never close my eyes anymore.

40 bar solo ? Hey bro..you don't consciously count bars when you go into an extended solo...you will sure to get lost after a few bars and the conscious mental counting will also screw up your solo...unless of course you are reading a complete drum chart for the extended solo in front of you....which almost never happens.

The normal way is to internally feel the 4-6-or 8 bars solo break and concentrate on your phrasings, articulation and content. For soloing over the entire song form, it is essential you have the song in your head while you solo over it...some drummers actually sing it or at least hum along with their solo. It's definitely better than than counting 1-2-3-4/2-2-3-4/...13-2-3-4/14-2-3-4....24-2-3-4 hahaha !! Crazy man.

And if you get lost somewhere in an extended drum solo..try not to show it but carry on as if you know what you are doing. Your band members are unlikely to be counting bars either...play until you feel shiok enough then count your band back in. Use visual cues or incorporate an obvious climax in your final bars so that the band can sense you are ending your solo. It's all about experience, bro.

 

[Blofeld]

PS: - Kekekeke paiseh paiseh...last time remember Bro Frank, I went Thompson CC, people playing Jazz tune - I was doing a Basic Rock Beat and playing it so loud till the Band stop hahahaha,,,what a joke and Daren tells me - Swing Swing It (I said Har ..Swing har? What's Swing, I dunno ley?...that was the beginning for my drumming....but it's not call Jazz-Rock...I just screw up the Band and the Music.

Thomson CC ?? That must be some years ago. I transferred the jams from Thomson to Tanglin more than 3 years ago . Thompson only have their 3 Big Bands nowadays..if you like to play charts, check them out. If you like to play improvisational jazz come to Tanglin.

 

[nkf31]

wow what gatherings are these? when are they?