I've got two months to learn Jazz drumming.

Aleksandr

Member
I will try and keep this short and to the point.

I've been drumming for eight years now. I am currently drumming in two hardcore punk bands. I have been playing in hardcore punk bands for around four years now.

In two months I will be trying out for my colleges Jazz band. I have always wanted to be able to consider myself a Jazz drummer, and I believe this to be my first step toward achieving that goal.

I think of myself a pretty decent drummer as is. I have never played in a Jazz band before, and I don't know enough of Jazz currently. I also need to learn how to read music. I was thinking that picking up a couple books would be a good starting place, could anyone recommend any? Is there a premier Jazz drumming book?

I was told by the Jazz band instructor that I needed to demonstrate efficiency in rock and swing jazz.

Two months is a short period of time, but I think I will be able to pull through with enough practice. Wish me luck.
 
More than anything else, listen to tons of jazz. A book that might help a lot is John Riley's "Art of Bop Drumming".
 
A hardcore punk drummer, who needs to learn how to read music, and be a convincing jazz drummer in 2 months? I don't know of any book that can do that. Good luck. Seriously. Good luck. Not that you CAN'T do it, but it's going to take almost every minute of that two months to accomplish something that takes years to do.

Here I am wishing you luck. I hope you are able to pull it off. Let us know.
 
Listening to jazz is the most important thing to get the swing feel. Also, look up recordings of different drummers playing your audition materials, and use some of the stuff that they play for your audition, as well as create some of your own ideas to make the piece sound great. Also, the Riley book is great, I have been using it for quite some time with my private lesson teacher and it is a really good book. I wish you the best of luck on your audition.
 
Sure you CAN do it, but that's like saying i can lift a car over my head. Sorry man, some things just don't work out. Keep us posted though, this'll be interesting
 
Most people (myself included) would say that the place to start is "The Art of Bop Drumming" by John Riley. Plus, study with a jazz teacher. However, it seems impossible to learn jazz in two months. Good luck.
 
...

Have you heard a lot of jazz over the years? Because if you haven't, thats gonna be a problem you cant fix in two months.

I find the expectation amazing. How can anybody learn anything meaningful in two months? And why?!

I wish you all the luck you can get and I hope nothing more is required from you than to learn and demonstrate a basic swing pattern.
When some people say they can play jazz, that sometimes is what they mean.

Allabest!

...
 
Start listening, but in 2 months... do NOT get your hopes up. Jazz drumming is in no respect as simple as rock drumming, it's like learning a whole new instrument.
 
Alexandr:

Go for it - it's possible!!

Start swinging, that means:

Listen to much Jazz-Music. Play Along - Concentrate on the cymbal rhythm and the Hi-Hat-Chick.

Don't accent the ONE.

Leave out the ONE.

Don't accent the ONE.

Leave out the ONE.

When coming from Rock: Keep the Snare quiet - just fill in...

John Rileys great books are much too much for only two months...

Bernhard

Check out the play alongs below, if you want more, send me mail...
 

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Get with a teacher. Seriously. Find someone, explain the situation and study with them as much as possible in the next two months.

Don't listen to ANYTHING that's not jazz for the next two months. Here's a great list of stuff to pay attention to. Listen to them day and night. Absorb it. As Bernhard pointed out: FORGET ABOUT "ONE". Your time will have a weird lope to it that doesn't swing. Listen to the steady pulse that is created, that just keeps moving.

Don't try and do the Elvin or Tony thing in two months. First get your swing together, get the feel right and the balance of elements right. (Remember, your ride cymbal and hi-hat drive the time - not kick and snare). As that's coming together, work on basic triplet independence against your time.

It's a very tall order; you need to focus on making sure you can provide a good feel vs being able to blow out these incredible solo ideas. And again - for the next two months, listen to jazz only.
 
Oh, it's possible my friend. I had a kid make jazz band after two months and he had never played drums before. You don't have to be Jack De Johnette. You just have to be better than everyone at your school or at least put in the work that shows you're the best drummer for the job. Of course, that was middle school.

Get a teacher. If not available:

I would recommend getting Al Miller's 1,000 Solos Around the Drum Set. Try to get through at least pp. 9-14 in the two months. The routines are on pp. 7, try #1 and 7 and then try 8. The book goes into the idea of jazz interpretation. the upbeats, 'and' of the beat, are played with a triplet feel so they fall on the 'let' part of the beat if you are counting the triplets one-trip-let, two-trip-let, three-trip-let, four-trip-let. The jazz cymbal pattern is one, two-let three, four-let. If you already know that you're on your way.

Get some jazz recordings and play the ride pattern with high hat on two and four:

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Moanin' is a good one.
Glenn Miller In the Mood. The older stuff will not have a prominent drum on it; but you can feel the swing.
Duke Ellington One O'clock Jump.

Don't try to do anything fancy. Just feel the swing and play the pattern. When you feel more comfortable you can add the stuff from the Al Miller book with the recordings. Just add some of the upbeats.

Good Luck
 
Hi.

Defenitly Art of bop drumming by John Riley. Just learn to keep a good time and swinging feel on the ride cymbal and hihat and do very soft four on the floor with bass drum. And learn to play some comp 1 examples from Riley's book. But don't force your self, just keeping time on the ride cymbal and hihat is lot of work to be done in 2 months. Take jazz drumming and jazz music as your life-time school, not some goal to be achieved in 2 months.

Good luck, and beware, once you get into jazz you will become a jazz addict. At this time you just can't imagine how beautyfull this music is.

Have a nice drumming time.
 
I agree with the overall feel of this thread...you can not really become a competent jazz drummer, with all that means, in two months. However, I also agree that you may be able to be good enough to pass your audition, depending on how good the other drummers at your school are. A good jazz teacher is your number 1 priority. Number 2 is listening. Number 3 is not playing or listening to ANYTHING else. Total immersion into jazz at this point is really your only option.

Some of the real basics:
- Ride and hi hat are your two most important tools. Snare and bass are used totally differently than in rock.
- The basic jazz beat is great, but one very simple way to show that you have a basic understanding of jazz is to change up where you drop the "spangalangs." In other words, you learn early on that a jazz beat is "1 2a 3 4a" on the ride, or "spang spang a lang spang a lang." A lot of immature jazz drummers stay there, as opposed to playing "1 2 3 4 1 2a 3 4 1a 2a 3a 4" etc, and mixing up the ride pattern. That may be an easy thing to learn to put you above any other beginner jazz drummers there.
- Most college jazz bands include a lot of latin jazz music. Along with the standard jazz stuff, you are going to have to get a good feel for bossa nova and other latin jazz music. It is almost standard for at least one latin tune a semester in many jazz programs.
- You are probably going to want different sticks than you use for metal. Lighter sticks will give you a better jazz sound.
 
Thanks for all the info, looks like I will be picking up a copy of Mr. Riley's book today.

I know this idea seems preposterous to the vet Jazz stiffs out there. Some of you even seem downright offended, which is hilarious. I still stick to my goal, this is what I want to do, and I trust enough in my ability to learn to at least avoid looking like a complete idiot during my audition.

Bernhard, I actually tracked down a good number of drumless Jazz tracks last night, but more the merrier. I PM'd you. Thanks!
 
I know this idea seems preposterous to the vet Jazz stiffs out there. Some of you even seem downright offended, which is hilarious. I still stick to my goal, this is what I want to do, and I trust enough in my ability to learn to at least avoid looking like a complete idiot during my audition.

Bernhard, I actually tracked down a good number of drumless Jazz tracks last night, but more the merrier. I PM'd you. Thanks!

I don't think that people are really offended... Point is, that learning to play jazz takes a lifetime of dedication. As Allan Carter (fantastic Jazzdrummer) once pointed out to me: If you want to be a jazzdrummer, you have to breath jazz in and breath jazz out. You have to listen to jazz and play jazz exclusivly for years and years, otherwise you're just faking it.

That said, like others, I believe it's possible to accomplish enough in that time to make the audition, just please don't consider yourself a jazzdrummer if you make it. You're on your way to becoming one at that point.

LISTEN! Play!

Art of bop drumming is a fantastic book and it will certainly help you! Good Luck man!
 
I will try and keep this short and to the point.

I've been drumming for eight years now. I am currently drumming in two hardcore punk bands. I have been playing in hardcore punk bands for around four years now.

In two months I will be trying out for my colleges Jazz band. I have always wanted to be able to consider myself a Jazz drummer, and I believe this to be my first step toward achieving that goal.

I think of myself a pretty decent drummer as is. I have never played in a Jazz band before, and I don't know enough of Jazz currently. I also need to learn how to read music. I was thinking that picking up a couple books would be a good starting place, could anyone recommend any? Is there a premier Jazz drumming book?

I was told by the Jazz band instructor that I needed to demonstrate efficiency in rock and swing jazz.

Two months is a short period of time, but I think I will be able to pull through with enough practice. Wish me luck.

Listen, LISTEN, LISTEN to as much jazz as possible. The John Riley book is good, as is the "Jazz Drumming Cookbook" put out by Mel Bay.

I would also heavily work on paradiddle-diddles (RLRRLL/LRLLRR...). Why? Because it will develop the "shin-a-ling" in a very tight way with each hand, which is particularly good because you need to develop solid time and technique to keep a band swingin'!

But really, don't EXPECT yourself to become a "jazz drummer" in a couple months. Expect yourself to improve and become BETTER.

If that's not good enough for this instructor than phooey on him. Do your best and maybe pursue some private instruction with a pro who's adept at jazz. It's always good to have input!

Best of luck to YOU!

BTW, to me the two "twin peaks" of jazz drumming technique are Buddy Rich and Tony Williams. Even if you just focused on these two guys for the next 2 months, you'll be on the right track and sounding good, in my opinion.

But most importantly, HAVE FUN!
 
Alek, a soft beater on your kick drum might help keep the volume under control. The toms are usually tuned fairly high with an open sound. I am a rock player who's now playing old Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald standards and my approach has been KISS And Swing ... or should I say, KISSAS :)

It depends on the standard of the band. If they are all hotshots then you're stuffed :) Maybe speak with the other players or auditioners and see where they are up to. If they aren't hotshots then if you make it easy for them by keeping clean and clear time and giving clear cues for the changes, the band leader will appreciate it.

Be interested to see how you go.
 
Hey, just a thought but you said you can't read music....

Look at the notation below. If what you see means nothing to you, then buying the Art of Bop Drumming (and pretty much every drum book ever published) is going to be useless to you as it relies alot on the ability to be able to read music.

riley.gif



If you don't understand it, then I would suggest starting at http://www.musictheory.net to get you on your way with basic rhythmic theory and reading skills whilst searching for "beginner jazz drumming" or something on YouTube. It won't be half as good as a book but it's better than buying a book you don't understand!





/1st post :)
 
Hey, just a thought but you said you can't read music....

Look at the notation below. If what you see means nothing to you, then buying the Art of Bop Drumming (and pretty much every drum book ever published) is going to be useless to you as it relies alot on the ability to be able to read music.

riley.gif



If you don't understand it, then I would suggest starting at http://www.musictheory.net to get you on your way with basic rhythmic theory and reading skills whilst searching for "beginner jazz drumming" or something on YouTube. It won't be half as good as a book but it's better than buying a book you don't understand!





/1st post :)



Ok, so heres the thing. I understand how to read each of those different exercises/measures that you posted. The problem is, I will start to play the rhythm and get a solid feel for the beat, then my mind fades away, stops focusing on reading the actual notation of the beat, and finally my mind focuses solely on producing the given beat. Thats why I say I currently "dont" know how to read music, because I concentrate on the beat, which subsequently causes me to lose my focus and grip on the notation on the actual page. I need to work on this.

Considering I can understand reading the notation, should I go ahead with picking up Rileys book? It was also brought to my attention that I should also consider purchasing Jim Chapins - Advanced techniques for the modern drummer.

A little tid bit I mistakenly left out in my earlier posts is, I was actually being taught bop/swing drumming by my instructor during my first three years or so of drumming. Since then I have lost contact with my instructor because I stopped taking lessons and I guess he moved out of my area for a good while. BUT, apparently he is back in town and teaching lessons at the music store I used to learn at. :) SO, I am going to go back to attempt to rekindle my relationship with him next week while seeking advice. He is super knowledgeable, and a great drummer to boot. I greatly regretted stopping my lessons with him.

On another note, I have a lot of music listening time during my daily routine. I have been listening to strictly Jazz (occasionally reggae as well, cant help it,) and will only be doing so from here until auditions. I suppose I will allow myself some leniency and listen to the occasional metal/hardcore/rock album; I have to at least allow myself that. Once a week?

Haha cheers and thanks for the help,

Aleksandr
 
I have both those books Chapin and Riley, as well as the Al Miller. You could spend your time thinking about buying the books, or you could click, buy and start getting to work.
The Riley book is a primo book. If you are going to learn how to play jazz, it is definitely a good investment. Working with it in tandem with the Al Mller book works well.

As Ian said, the only thing you can shoot for in two months is getting better. That is all any one can do, improve. Will you improve enough to make the jazz band? No one can tell you that.
 
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