Jazz Drum Solo Sheet Music for Beginners

R

ReallyOldGuy

Junior Member
Hello Folks

This may seem like a strange request but here goes:

Is there somewhere out there I can buy sheet music for jazz drum solos at beginners' level? Either sheet music for single pieces or a book will do. Folks in my local music shops tell me they've never heard of anything like this being available.

Specifically I am looking for maybe three minute or so - certainly not longer than four minute - solos I can work on all by myself. I work alone and I don't play with any group.

I'm really getting tired sitting up there in my attic banging out rudiments, grooves and fills. I'm looking for something with a beginning, a middle and an end I can work on and hopefully over time see improvement.

Thanks in advance.

Regards
Really Old Guy
 
Wilcoxon's modern rudimental swing solos is a great bridge to using the rudiments you are learning into more of a musical format.

There are about 40 or so solos in increasing level of difficulty.

The first few solos are pretty straight-forward. Take your time in going through them. As you progress you can add various foot patterns and/or a swing feel to augment the level of difficulty to the early solos.
 
Hello Hewitt

Thanks for your prompt reply.

I found one on Amazon.co.uk (I live in Scotland) but they wanted £999.11 + postage and this is a little out of my price range.

So I found one on Amazon.com for much, much less.

Thanks for your help.

Regards
Really Old Guy
 
ReallyOldGuy said:
Hello Hewitt

Thanks for your prompt reply.

I found one on Amazon.co.uk (I live in Scotland) but they wanted £999.11 + postage and this is a little out of my price range.

So I found one on Amazon.com for much, much less.

Thanks for your help.

Regards
Really Old Guy
Click to expand...

wow - 999? That's crazy. It's an indispensable tool that you will take with you wherever your drum journeys take you, but 999 is a ridiculous price.

I am glad you found a copy. As you start to build proficiency with the solos, you should regularly record yourself and also check out the many online clips of others who did the same. Listen for the differences between your playing and those of others, not necessarily to critique yourself or others but to understand the variances and perhaps to get a sense of what works and what doesn't.

Good luck!
 
ReallyOldGuy said:
Hello Folks

This may seem like a strange request but here goes:

Is there somewhere out there I can buy sheet music for jazz drum solos at beginners' level? Either sheet music for single pieces or a book will do. Folks in my local music shops tell me they've never heard of anything like this being available.

Specifically I am looking for maybe three minute or so - certainly not longer than four minute - solos I can work on all by myself. I work alone and I don't play with any group.

I'm really getting tired sitting up there in my attic banging out rudiments, grooves and fills. I'm looking for something with a beginning, a middle and an end I can work on and hopefully over time see improvement.

Thanks in advance.

Regards
Really Old Guy
Click to expand...

You should also check out Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials. You can apply all the rudimental playing into the kit and play along with the tracks. All the songs are 3-5 minutes long, start to finish, and it covers basically everything form of drums kit playing.
 
@dmacc

I checked it out and I'll probably order a couple of them.

@jdsg

Maybe so, but my tired old left brain needs to see it written down.

Thanks to all for your help.

Warmest regards
Really Old Guy
 
Hi Hewitt,

I've taken a look at sample pages available at http://www.notenbuch.de/product.asp...he-advanced-drummer-wilcoxon-charlie&google=1

For instance, on the 1st sample page, how do you interpret the first bar in a swing context? Or do you play the whole thing straight?

LUDWIG10300203.jpg


Hewitt2 said:
Wilcoxon's modern rudimental swing solos is a great bridge to using the rudiments you are learning into more of a musical format.

There are about 40 or so solos in increasing level of difficulty.

The first few solos are pretty straight-forward. Take your time in going through them. As you progress you can add various foot patterns and/or a swing feel to augment the level of difficulty to the early solos.
Click to expand...
 
That piece isn't well suited for a swing interpretation-- in jazz you don't swing 16th notes, or 16th/8th combinations in the same beat. You can swing the 16th notes, so they function like 8th notes in normal jazz meters, but it's not really advised-- it's a very hokey way of swinging. I virtually never play swing 8ths RRLL RRLL. I play that piece 'in 1'-- one beat per measure, so the 16ths are at open roll speed.

ROG, RSS is a very advanced book. Wilcoxon's Drum Method has some rudimental swing style pieces (mostly written for snare drum) in it that might be more manageable. You might also check out some of Joel Rothman's books-- some of them have written out jazz solo breaks that are pretty basic. You could also look for some transcribed solos online-- there are a bunch on my blog, and elsewhere.

Two other things you might look into are Joe Cusatis's books, which have a lot of swing/bebop style drum set licks in them, and also book two of Ted Reed's Syncopation, in which he writes out some common interpretations used with book one. Neither of those things are solos per se, but working on them will give you ideas you can use to build your own improvised solos.
 
toddbishop said:
That piece isn't well suited for a swing interpretation-- in jazz you don't swing 16th notes, or 16th/8th combinations in the same beat. You can swing the 16th notes, so they function like 8th notes in normal jazz meters, but it's not really advised-- it's a very hokey way of swinging. I virtually never play swing 8ths RRLL RRLL. I play that piece 'in 1'-- one beat per measure, so the 16ths are at open roll speed.
Click to expand...

Thanks Todd. That's what I think. I just wanted to be sure because the book title implies everything is for swing. :)

While we are on this topic, could you (or someone else) explain to me how to swing this Second Line rhythm from Tommy Igoe's GE1:

igoesecondline.jpg


Am I right that you swing the 16th notes? If so, do you time the rolls in triplet time?

ROG, RSS is a very advanced book. Wilcoxon's Drum Method has some rudimental swing style pieces (mostly written for snare drum) in it that might be more manageable. You might also check out some of Joel Rothman's books-- some of them have written out jazz solo breaks that are pretty basic. You could also look for some transcribed solos online-- there are a bunch on my blog, and elsewhere.

Two other things you might look into are Joe Cusatis's books, which have a lot of swing/bebop style drum set licks in them, and also book two of Ted Reed's Syncopation, in which he writes out some common interpretations used with book one. Neither of those things are solos per se, but working on them will give you ideas you can use to build your own improvised solos.
Click to expand...

Prompted by this thread, I did a search and found this new book written by a student of Peter Erskine: "Jazz Drumset Etudes, Vol 1: A Guide for Developing Solo Techniques and Melodic Vocabulary"

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Drumset-...1428449424&sr=8-1&keywords=etude+jazz+drumset

It looks perfect for beginners. I've just bought a copy.

51-YIDOg4PL.jpg
 
toddbishop said:
That piece isn't well suited for a swing interpretation-- in jazz you don't swing 16th notes, or 16th/8th combinations in the same beat. You can swing the 16th notes, so they function like 8th notes in normal jazz meters, but it's not really advised-- it's a very hokey way of swinging. I virtually never play swing 8ths RRLL RRLL. I play that piece 'in 1'-- one beat per measure, so the 16ths are at open roll speed.

ROG, RSS is a very advanced book. Wilcoxon's Drum Method has some rudimental swing style pieces (mostly written for snare drum) in it that might be more manageable. You might also check out some of Joel Rothman's books-- some of them have written out jazz solo breaks that are pretty basic. You could also look for some transcribed solos online-- there are a bunch on my blog, and elsewhere.

Two other things you might look into are Joe Cusatis's books, which have a lot of swing/bebop style drum set licks in them, and also book two of Ted Reed's Syncopation, in which he writes out some common interpretations used with book one. Neither of those things are solos per se, but working on them will give you ideas you can use to build your own improvised solos.
Click to expand...

I'd have to go back through the book (it's been a year or so since I last used it), but I recall there being various solos that were 8th note based where it would be easier to swing.

I agree that the 16th note exercises should be played as listed, esp. for beginners.

Have a look at the book; I don't think that the solos, especially the first 10 or so, are out of reach for someone with a basic grasp of the rudiments. The extract above really is not that complicated, especially if you start slow and focus on getting a consistent sound out of both hands. This is a great way to start using the rudiments in a different and more musical setting.
 
Hewitt2 said:
I'd have to go back through the book (it's been a year or so since I last used it), but I recall there being various solos that were 8th note based where it would be easier to swing.

I agree that the 16th note exercises should be played as listed, esp. for beginners.

Have a look at the book; I don't think that the solos, especially the first 10 or so, are out of reach for someone with a basic grasp of the rudiments. The extract above really is not that complicated, especially if you start slow and focus on getting a consistent sound out of both hands. This is a great way to start using the rudiments in a different and more musical setting.
Click to expand...

I know the book well, I play and teach out of it almost every day. There are a few in there that aren't too bad for intermediate players, I just don't know if I'd recommend it for what the op wanted.

sciomako said:
Thanks Todd. That's what I think. I just wanted to be sure because the book title implies everything is for swing. :)

While we are on this topic, could you (or someone else) explain to me how to swing this Second Line rhythm from Tommy Igoe's GE1:

igoesecondline.jpg


Am I right that you swing the 16th notes? If so, do you time the rolls in triplet time?
Click to expand...

Right, the 16ths should swing slightly, like this-- it's not a full-on triplety swing. You can keep doing that rhythm for the rolls, swinging it, or smoothing it out. They don't need to be perfect orchestral rolls-- you can decide to emphasize the pulsations, or play them clean, whatever's to your taste.
 
toddbishop said:
You can keep doing that rhythm for the rolls, swinging it, or smoothing it out. They don't need to be perfect orchestral rolls-- you can decide to emphasize the pulsations, or play them clean, whatever's to your taste.
Click to expand...

Never thought of that! It makes it a lot easier. Many thanks.
 
ReallyOldGuy said:
I work alone and I don't play with any group.

I'm really getting tired sitting up there in my attic banging out rudiments, grooves and fills.
Click to expand...

You know that the drums are primarily intended to accompany other instruments, right? The "drum solo" is an occasional thing, and a featured, infrequent event. Moreover, in jazz it has become more common to "trade 4s" (or 8s): to take brief solo breaks over the form of whatever tune the band is playing, in between brief moments of ensemble playing.

All of this is to say why there aren't many "solos" that are conceived in the way that you describe (with a beginning, a middle, and an end). Not that it hasn't been done, of course. The idea of a drum solo as an unaccompanied, stand-alone, musical event was popularized by Max Roach. Check out:

"The Drum Also Waltzes"

"For Big Sid"

Also, here is Steve Smith's take on For Big Sid.

Max Roach's solos had a "beginning, middle, and end", but you could also say "theme, exposition, and conclusion". You can hear the influence of rudimental parade drumming, second line drumming, and big band rhythms. Notice the rudiments applied across the different voices of the kit (especially the single-stroke four and flam rudiments).
 
Hello Folks

I obtained a copy of Wilcoxon for much less than the £999 originally quoted. My problem is in very tiny print not visible on the thumbnail is the notation 'For the Advanced Drummer'. Ha-ha! Looks like a fantastic book. Maybe after I've been playing five years at the minimum of four hours every day I'll be ready for it.

However Houllif's Contest Solos for the Young Drumset Player is exactly what I'm looking for. Although at first glance it looks like baby stuff, it's not. It's properly notated musical scores with accents, crescendos and other interesting stuff. And even at Grade 1, it still provides me with a challenging workout.

The ten pieces range from Grade 1 to Grade 3.

I recommend it heartily.

There is a second volume that follows on from this one with more difficult pieces.

Thanks for all your help, folks.

All the best with your drumming.

Warmest regards
Really Old Guy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top