This is a straight library piece: some syncopation exercises in 3/4, similar to the one-measure exercises in the middle section of Ted Reed’s Syncopation, for doing all of the usual things you do with that […]
Author: Todd Bishop
Al Feldstein 1925-2014
A bigger cultural milestone than most people know has been passed today: Al Feldstein, the editor of Mad Magazine for many years, has passed away. From Huffington Post: Before “The Daily Show,” ”The Simpsons” or […]
Groove o’ the day, plus fills: Mandrill — Tee Vee
There was a period in the 70s when funky music had a kind of unbridled quality you don’t much hear any more— there was a lot of screaming, and everyone seemed to be fully embracing […]
Locking with clave — 01
This is derived from an idea discussed by David Peñalosa in his book Rumba Quinto. In rumba, an Afro-Cuban genre, the quinto is the highest-pitched conga drum; the quinto player is the lead player, improvising […]
Page o’ coordination: hihat splash in 3/4 — 02
Hey, I kind of like these things— we’ll see several more pages o’… with hihat splashes, in the near future. This format has become one of the major things we do here, as I’ve had […]
Now offering: Skype lessons!
OK, it’s formal announcement time: I, your blogger, Todd Bishop, am now offering live online lessons, via Skype. I’ll be happy to work with you on single lessons— say, if you’d like help with something […]
Three Camps in first inversion paradiddles
2024 UPDATE: This page looks really awful. I’ve just posted a much nicer looking version of it. Here’s an adaptation of the traditional snare drum piece Three Camps, played with first inversion paradiddles— the very useful […]
Site update!
Normally I try to make big site changes at the beginning of the year, but, the heck with it, I was getting tired of looking at the old design. The big template change is self-evident, […]
Page o’ coordination: hihat splash
Here’s a relatively easy jazz waltz page o’ coordination, with a minor twist— we’ll be incorporating an open sound on the hihat, played with the foot. This is a jazz feel, so swing the 8th […]
Son clave basic coordination
Here’s a companion piece to our page of Rumba clave coordination, this time using Son clave. The format is basically same: the first patterns are logical, and the later ones build a few common Afro-Cuban […]