Jazz and Big Band Drumming

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Introduction to JAZZ and BIG BAND DRUMMINGBy Dr. Sherrie Maricle

READING and INDEPENDENCEREADING is a required skill for all serious musicians in most of today's musicalenvironments. One way to become a good reader is to read (sight read) a lot of musicduring your practice sessions (don't practice, just read) and if you make a mistake keegoing. Recovering from mistakes is an important aspect of being a successful reader. Tmusic you choose to read should be played in a predetermined style and tempo (i.e. lesnare drum, jazz feel, funk feel, etc.). A common ability shared by good readers is theimmediate recognition of rhythmic motives and phrases (groups of rhythmic figures).When you acquire this ability, your identification of and reaction to "the music" will be

instantaneous and precise.

Two excellent books for practicing reading skills are Modern Reading Text in 4/4 by LoBellson and Syncopation by Ted Reed. These books are also a primary source forINDEPENDENCE exercises. I suggest practicing these books within the context of a bas

jazz groove (see example 1), reading as follows:

1.) Snare Drum2.) Bass Drum3.) Eighth notes on the SD, quarter notes on the BD (Example 3)4.) Eighth notes on the BD, quarter notes on the SD. Tom-toms may besubstituted for the SD at your discretion.

If you want to expand further you can read:1.) Hi-Hat

2.) Quarter notes on the HH, eighth notes on the BD3.) Quarter notes on the BD, eighth notes on the HH

One of my favorite books for INDEPENDENCE is Stick Controlby George Lawrence StoWithin the context of a basic jazz groove, play everything notated with an "R" (right) aplay it on the BD or HH (example 2). Simultaneously take everything marked with an"L" (left) and play it on the SD or tom-toms.

ntroduction to Jazz and Big Band Drumming

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CHART READING requires you to follow the form (road map) of the piece being playedDrum parts are notated in many ways. There is no "standard" notation that you can stmemorize that will apply to every chart you encounter. Some charts are very clear, prand easy to follow with all necessary musical information included. Other times parts mbe nothing more than a sketch (play 8 bars at A, 16 bars at B etc.), a rhythm section lsheet or a copy of a horn part. Steve Houghton's book Studio and Big Band Drummingprovides excellent examples of several possible variations in drum charts. No matter wkind of chart you are given, drummers are expected to read the written music and, moimportantly to interpret, improvise, be creative and make the music feel good!!! Ultimthe goal is to memorize the chart(s) so you no longer have to read. Keep the music in head, not your head in the music.

*PRACTICE ALL EXERCISES WITH A METRONOME!

KICKS, SET-UPS, FILLS, HITS and PUNCHESTo kick, set-up, punch, hit, fill or "catch" a written figure means to accent, support andframe that figure in a musical and stylistically appropriate manner. Being successful atrequires going well beyond the notated figures. It requires creativity, improvisation,musical taste and INTENTION (what is your set-up suppose to accomplish?).

Figure interpretation can loosely be divided into 2 categories. Hits and punches usuallyoccur during light ensemble, soli or background sections and may be played as part ofon going beat pattern. Kicks, fills and set-ups occur during large tutti or shout sectionsYou may be required to "catch" figures from both categories simultaneously. It is up to

drummer to determine what type of kick, hit, punch, fill or set-up is required. Keep inmind that your job is to enhance, support and "set-up" ensemble entrances. The way iwhich the drummer sets up the "shout section" or catches the figures of a chart oftendetermines the phrasing, feel, dynamics and style of the entire chart. Good set-ups wimake the ensemble entrances powerful, clear and precise. A bad set-up may cause a"train wreck". All kicks, fills, set-ups, punches and hits should be IN THE STYLE of themusic you are playing (no heavy metal fills for a Duke Ellington chart) and executed wsolid time and a good feel.

Try practicing the following examples to work on your fill skills:

Students can often read the written figures, but don't know how to set them up. Learnthis skill is three fold:



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First- Find recordings of music for which you have the drum part, listen to them and cwhat you hear, even if it isn't 100% accurate.

Second- Aurally identify common figures, kicks, set-ups, etc. on recordings (without tdrum part) and memorize them. Make them part of your musical vocabulary

Third- Isolate a particular rhythmic motive or phrase (perhaps from a reading exercisand practice catching or setting-up that motive/phrase within a variety of tempi andstyles. Your ears are a major contributor to your musical development. Copying or ste

"licks" is not bad, it is a crucial and helpful step in your musical development. Some offavorite big band drummers are Mel Lewis, Buddy Rich, Jeff Hamilton and Dennis MackI also recommend anything by Count Basie, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, ToshikoAkiyoshi or Duke Ellington.

TIMEAll drummers know that their primary function is to keep good time. You may have all technique (chops) in the world, but if you can't lay down a solid groove that feels goodyou are not doing your job! As Baby Dodds (drummer for Louis Armstrong) said, "Youmust play for the benefit of the band.".\ Time keeping is a skill that should develop intintuitive ability. Good time creates a stability of feel and flow that should be establishethe downbeat and stop on the cutoff. It is not only an essential element of the basic be

in ensemble and solo sections, but also necessary for fills, kicks, catching figures and dsolos. The TIME should never stop, no matter what musical event is taking place.

Practice playing time in a variety of styles at various tempos. Also, practice alternatingphrases of varying grooves (example: 16 measures of swing into 16 measures of sambFinally, within various styles, practice alternating specific phrases at a set tempo anddouble time. You can also alternate phrases of time with phrases of solo (example: tra4's or 8's). Make EVERYTHING smooth and connected. The beats (notes and rests) shoalways be legato, seamless and flow together. I also strongly suggest practicing with ametronome for several minutes, not just several measures.

STYLISTIC INTERPRETATIONYou are expected to know, or at least be aware of the style in which you are playing. Iother words, always know what kind of groove is appropriate for the chart you are playStylistic interpretation can be as general as deciding if the music is jazz, rock or latin. drummer is hired to play jazz but plays "syncopated funk licks" every time a fill isrequired, they are not doing their job. The jazz, rock and latin categories are good stapoints, but the understanding of specific styles needs deeper investigation. Within thescategories there are literally hundreds of variations. For example JAZZ includes dixiela1940's swing, be-bop, shuffle, foxtrot and fusion etc. ROCK includes 1950's, rock-n-romotown, funk, hip-hop, etc. LATIN includes samba, bossa nova, baiao, bembe, rhumbmozambique, etc. This list does not approach being complete. Musical styles are constbeing invented and redefined.

The following books are excellent sources for studying prevalent styles of music:Afro-Cuban Rhythms for Drum Setby Frank Malabe and Bob Weiner, The Art of Bop Drummand Beyond Bop Drumming by John Riley,Advanced Funk Studies by Rick Latham, TheNew Breedby Gary Chester and Brazilian Rhythms for Drum Setby Duduka Da Fonsecand Bob Weiner. And of course the new Vic Firth/Tommy Igoe Groove Essentials postea great reference tool for a wide variety of styles!

The best way to learn, interpret and understand various styles of music is to LISTEN Das part of your daily practice regime. Once you can identify and play a certain style orgroove, check out the variations within. For example, play one of the reading exercisesfrom section one as Gene Krupa (swing), then as Philly Joe Jones (be-bop) and then a



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Elvin Jones (modern jazz).

SOLOINGThe two general types of soloing include soloing in time or out of time. An in time solobe any length of time from a 1 measure (solo fill) to soloing on the form of a tune, tosoloing on an unstructured form. The major requirement for an in time solo is that it bthe TIME of the chart/tune you are playing. In the freest situations the time can bemanipulated (double-time/half-time) and the groove can change (latin to swing to rockbut the under lying pulse should always be identifiable. If you are playing within a

particular style, structure or form, your solo should reflect and embody characteristicsspecific to that musical situation.

The out of time or "open solo" can be one of the most exciting, or scariest, moments fdrummer. You are given an empty space of indeterminate length (often indicated by afermata) and asked to play something interesting and effective. An open solo is the peopportunity for drummers to express their musicality (connectedness with the music bplayed), creativity (fresh ideas of sound and color) and technique (show-off your chopanyway they choose.

Ideas for soloing can be discovered through a lot of listening/transcribing of both drumand other instrumental solos. When you have the opportunity to "blow", you must liste

and react to the musicians and music you're playing. As a practice exercise (using sombasic elements of music such as rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, orchestration, fsound, phrasing, emotion, tension, release, color, technique..etc.) select ONE rhythmor other musical element and explore as many aspects of that rhythm or element aspossible within a specified solo form. Also practice playing jazz standards on the drum melody and all!

Try expanding on these simple rhythmic ideas to create a solo of your own:

TECHNIQUEPractice the standard 40 drum rudiments (and their variations) as a means to develop solid foundation for your technique (the Vic Firth Rudiment Poster and website featureexcellent for this). There are many ways to orchestrate and apply rudiments to the druset. For example, play all measured rolls (5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, and 17) in anorchestrated manner around the drum set while keeping a samba pattern in your feet

just straight quarter notes with the hi-hat on beats 2 and 4. You can play the rolls aseighth notes, sixteenth notes, triplets, etc. I recommend the following books for techndevelopment: Stick Control(Stone), Wrist and Finger Controland Swingin' the 26 byCharlie Wilcoxon andAccent on Accents 1 and 2 by Elliot Fine and Marv Dahlgren.



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For developing single strokes and a deeper understanding of basic rhythmic subdivisiopractice the following exercise. In 4/4 play the BD in quarter notes and the HH on beaand 4. Set the metronome between 60 -100 and on the SD play 4 measures of wholenotes, followed by 4 mm. of half notes, half note triplets, quarter notes, quarter notetriplets, eighth notes, eighth note triplets, sixteenth notes, sixteenth note triplets and32nd notes. Then repeat and orchestrate around the drum set. Notice you are going fr1 to 2 then 3, 4, 6, 8,12,16, 24 then 32 notes per measure. Keep all subdivisions evensmooth, connected, seamless and flowing. Increase the tempo as your chops develop.Eventually you can add quintuplets and septuplets in their sequential order.

Dr. Sherrie Maricle was born in Buffalo, New York andwas raised in Endicott, NY where she began playing jadrums at the age of thirteen. In addition to leading Dshe is also a percussionist with the New York PopsOrchestra and leads the jazz quintet, FIVE PLAY. Sheis the Director of Percussion Studies at New YorkUniversity, the Education Coordinator for the NY PopsSalute to Music education program, and a past Presidof New York State's International Association of JazzEducators. She received her B.A. from SUNY-Binghamand her M.A. and Ph. D. from New York University. ThDIVA Jazz Orchestra's 4th CD Live in Concertwill bereleased in January 2003.

For more information on Sherrie, visit her website, ww

divajazz.com. She can be contacted at smaricle@msn

com.

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Jazz and Big Band Drumming

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