Teachers, speaking to students: I know everyone thinks we’re not being heard, but a lot of them are more engaged than we think they are, and a lot of things we say to them, particularly […]
Author: Todd Bishop
Reed interpretations: triplet feel R&B
This is a triplet-feel R&B groove practice method we did in a lesson with a student recently. It has a snare drum backbeat on 2 and 4, quarter notes on the cymbal, and some triplet […]
It’s suspect: nothing but singles, doubles, and flams
New recurring (maybe) feature, inspired by Modern Drummer’s It’s Questionable column. I’ll call it It’s Suspect, and say a few words about an annoyingly wrong but persistent drumming myth. This question was asked on a […]
Transcription: Jack Dejohnette – Gentle Rain
This tune shows you one way of opening up a Bossa Nova groove, in a modern jazz setting. It’s Jack Dejohnette playing on Gentle Rain, from George Benson’s album Beyond The Blue Horizon. I’m listening […]
Cymbalistic: new Reverb store!
CYMBALISTIC: I finally got around to setting up a Reverb store for Cymbalistic, my cymbal site, for those who wish to buy that way. It’s functional now; I’ll be adding the remaining cymbals I have […]
Very occasional quote of the day: a voice of their own
“There’s nobody who has a voice of his own that’s a fraidy cat.” – Lester Bowie, 1984 Downbeat Blindfold Test, posted on Twitter by @jazyjef
Reed tweak: filler options
Some filler options for a basic, very common right hand lead method used with the book Syncopation— the top line book rhythm is played with the RH/RF on a cymbal and bass drum in unison, […]
The state of the cheap real cymbal market
No, no, no True to my whiplash self-contradiction form, I’m following up my “THERE’S TOO MUCH PRODUCT INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET” rant with a dense informational post about shopping for cheap cymbals on the internet. […]
Groove o’ the day: Idris Muhammad – Last Train to Clarkesville
Idris Muhammad plays a hip train beat on George Benson’s cover of a Monkees hit, Last Train To Clarkesville, from his 1968 album Shape Of Things To Come. He’s playing rim clicks with a stick […]
Sidebar: Shopping in the YouTube age
Continuing a particular aspect of that why I hate videos post: information paralysis. It hits me whenever I have to buy camera equipment, or electronics, or computer related products. It’s always a manic descent into the […]