Another Groove o’ the day on steroids, from the studio drummer Roger Hawkins, of the famous Muscle Shoals rhythm section— we last checked him out on him on Aretha Franklin’s Chain of Fools. Here we’re […]
Author: Todd Bishop
The Lulu line
Here’s a little four measure phrase by Thelonious Monk, which has been a big influence on my thinking, in playing the drums. It’s a little microcosm of the way you develop a melodic idea in […]
2014 Book of the Blog now available!
2014 Book of the Blog Scroll down for new posts— I’ll keep this pinned near the top of the blog for a few days. All right, continuing our frenzy of new product, the 2014 Book […]
Page o’ coordination: anticipations
Here’s a set of exercises which will force you to really get to know the &s of beats 2 and 4, and, by their frequent absence, beats 1 and 3: Swing the 8th notes. Listening […]
Good lord, that’s a deep pocket…
Here’s Levon Helm— if the question on your mind after seeing this is not “my God, how do I make my time sound like that?”, you may need to reexamine your priorities as a drummer… […]
A few items for sale
Just FYI, I have a few things for sale right now: Pearl 12″x7″ snare drum — $150.00 It’s a “popcorn” size drum, but it’s a real drum, well put together, with a nice, fat (8-ply?), maple […]
Very occasional quote of the day: inspiration
“Inspiration is for amateurs— the rest of us just show up and get to work.” —painter Chuck Close (h/t to Michael Shrieve)
Snare drum workout in 5/4 — accented 8th notes with flams/drags
Another flam accent/flam drag-oriented snare drum workout, which is a good companion to this one in 6/8 and this one in 2/4— this will be a little difficult if you haven’t mastered those first, actually. […]
Transcription: Ivan Conti — Nome Dele E Joan
Here’s more from Brazilian drummer Ivan Conti, of the band Azymuth. The tune is a moderate-tempo samba, Nome Dele E Joan, from the band’s 2002 album Partido Novo. I just transcribed a few bars from […]
“How can I understand Elvin Jones?”
This is a question that came up on the Drummerworld forum— Elvin Jones’s playing is quite advanced in a way that inexperienced listeners may be slow to figure out, and that defies explanation. The way […]