In the last few months we’ve done a number of tweaks to the basic right hand lead method used with the book Syncopation, and I thought it would be good to summarize them on one […]
Category: Reed interpretations
Bishopdiddles – 02: double paradiddles to swing 8ths
Listen: do not show these to somebody and call them “BISHOPDIDDLES.” You’re going to get both of us beaten up. One thing I like about this double paradiddle inversion is that it’s possible to accent the […]
Reed tweak: alternating cymbals on rock drill
Incrementalism is the word du jour around here— lately we’ve been all about supplementing/altering some basic Reed systems in small ways, to make a living, evolving thing out of it, and not just pure formula. […]
Sidebar: it’s things you do with rhythm
It is funny, I find myself typing the words SYNCOPATION and REED an awful lot, but this entire category of thing is not owned by that one book and that one author. We really talking […]
Reed tweak of a tweak: ending a solo phrase
Here’s a very small but useful tweak of a tweak: remember the Reed system with alternating triplets, hitting the accents on cymbals + bass drum… except we’d leave out the LH cymbal hits? It’s a good […]
RH lead triplets – useful excerpts from . 38
This is a little bit of a half baked item, illustrating something we did in a lesson. Should be useful for teachers, may not make a ton of sense if you’re not familiar with this […]
Reed tweak: RH lead with a backbeat
Another real simple tweak to a basic right hand lead method used with Syncopation: adding a half time feel backbeat. We’ve been doing a lot with this lately, and it’s turning into a very robust […]
Basic 8th note rhythms with variations – two bar phrases
Item for one of my students. I generally have people learn their rock beats through Syncopation— once they can do a few basic beats reading them in the conventional way, we go over to my […]
A basic waltz vocabulary – 01
I was working with a student on a jazz waltz, played at a brighter tempo than he was real comfortable with, so we needed to come up with some easy things to add to his […]
Subtractive method: one practice approach
A lot of commitments right now, and posting will continue to be light through next weekend. Congratulations to Justin in Omaha for getting the 22″ Extra Special Janavar “Emilia”— there is now one of those […]