Broad Advice for Students…

TwmTwmClub

TwmTwmClub

New Member
Hello fellow skinsmen! On myriad occasions over the years I have casually browsed this forum and gleaned a broader understanding of so many aspects of the drum set. From history, technique, gear reviews and instrument maintenance/construction. So with that in mind, I thought I would stop by and draw from the well again.

What advice would you give to a student who was preparing to play jazz in an ensemble for the first time? Anything from repertoire, rehearsing, performing, band room politics… whatever.

Cheers in advance,

Twm
 
ah Listen to (and emulate) some Swing from Count Basie to Count Basie with Frank Sinatra to some choice Duke Ellington to Gene Krupa tracks.
Get the Swing. Have the Swing down , Concern with "figures' can come and be sussed out later. Learn the basic Swing. What the four limbs do. Have someone show you

Also have AABA 32-bar song form explained to you in addition to 12-bar blues form
absorb and understand when where and how -song forms act

other than that play nice sticks
maybe get called on for brushes too
maybe someone can show you that too

oh you'll have to learn a Latin cross-stick to tomtom things call it a rumba.
~
Subtly remind " jazz swing also has a back beat'
that manifests itself as a finger-snap

I was going to mention something about broad advice but another subject altogether
 
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another thing it's Good to know how
Better to know Why
 
toddbishop said:
I like something Tom Grant said to me once-- it was a complaint about another drummer-- "Try to sound like you've heard a jazz record."

Pretty good guideline. Listen a lot, play as much as you can, learn something every time you play.
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YES! Listen, listen, and listen some more. If I could go back in time and tell my younger self a single thing to make me a better jazz player, it would be to listen more. And not JUST to what the drummers are doing, but to what everyone else is doing. "Sound like you've heard a jazz record" is good advice, and I'd clarify that to me it means playing as if you're paying more attention to what the rest of the band is playing than to what YOU are playing.

Inexperienced jazz drummers sound like they're so caught up in what they're playing they never really HEAR the other parts so they never really figure out how to support the tune as a whole. They're so caught up in the mechanics of playing what they think "sounds jazzy" on the drums they never hear themselves as a part of the whole band.

A good friend/teacher/mentor once played me a tune and told me to listen to how hard the drummer was swinging. "All he's playing is 2 & 4 on the hi hat with his foot" I said. "Exactly" he said. I was too young at the time to really understand it, but now I totally get it. Knowing when "more is more " and when "less is more" comes from having the experience to feel which one is the right way to play it.
 
1. Be ready to drum. Being on time to gigs and rehearsals. Patiently wait at rehearsals while the others talk about notes (yawn). For newbies it's easy to see time between songs as practice time.

2. Do your homework. If it's standards your playing listen to different versions and get to internalise the melody. This helps for counting in and knowing where you are

3. Have a shared plan for endings and hit those endings with committment and confidence
 
jda said:
ah Listen to (and emulate) some Swing from Count Basie to Count Basie with Frank Sinatra to some choice Duke Ellington to Gene Krupa tracks.
Get the Swing. Have the Swing down , Concern with "figures' can come and be sussed out later. Learn the basic Swing. What the four limbs do. Have someone show you

Also have AABA 32-bar song form explained to you in addition to 12-bar blues form
absorb and understand when where and how -song forms act

other than that play nice sticks
maybe get called on for brushes too
maybe someone can show you that too

oh you'll have to learn a Latin cross-stick to tomtom things call it a rumba.
~
Subtly remind " jazz swing also has a back beat'
that manifests itself as a finger-snap

I was going to mention something about broad advice but another subject altogether
Click to expand...
This!

I was there once and did just this. Just remember you're still there to mainly keep time as you would for any other gig. Nail the basics, keep it simple and stay out of the way until it's your spot (if you get one) and you'll be fine.

Work on feathering the bass drum on the pulse and a strong left foot chick. I always say the mechanics of jazz drumming are the opposite to rock/pop drumming.
 
Jazz, like rock, has certain standards so be familiar with a few arrangements of stuff like Autumn Leaves, Misty, My Favourite things etc. Then listen to everything and be prepared to dip right down in volume. And no rimshots. As I found out the hard way!

Here's a nice masterclass in swing, dynamics and listening. Might be an idea to learn this number too.

 
piston broke said:
Jazz, like rock, has certain standards so be familiar with a few arrangements of stuff like Autumn Leaves, Misty, My Favourite things etc. Then listen to everything and be prepared to dip right down in volume. And no rimshots. As I found out the hard way!

Here's a nice masterclass in swing, dynamics and listening. Might be an idea to learn this number too.

Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice and sharing. I’ve always found Krupa to be a little bit too bombastic and showy for my tastes though, same goes for Buddy Rich (is that sacrilegious to say here?). Currently learning the subtleties of Kenny Clarke’s ‘less is more/funky as hell’ comping style and Elvins wild and complicated ballet of triplets.
 
TwmTwmClub said:
Hello fellow skinsmen! On myriad occasions over the years I have casually browsed this forum and gleaned a broader understanding of so many aspects of the drum set. From history, technique, gear reviews and instrument maintenance/construction. So with that in mind, I thought I would stop by and draw from the well again.

What advice would you give to a student who was preparing to play jazz in an ensemble for the first time? Anything from repertoire, rehearsing, performing, band room politics… whatever.

Cheers in advance,

Twm
Click to expand...

Repertoire - Listen, A LOT. Especially to the rep you're playing, but it's important to listen around your subject as well.
Rehearsing - Again, listen, but in a different way. Listen to the director, listen to the other musicians. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but otherwise keep your mouth shut, and don't tap while the director is talking or working with other musicians.
Performing - Keep listening and have fun. Just do what you rehearsed and everything will be great!
Band room politics - Stay away. Be prepared, show up early, be cool and friendly, and just play the drums. Leave everything else at the door.

And remember, the drummer's creed starts the same as the doctor's creed, the Hippocratic Oath. "First, do no harm"
 
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