Basic Jazz Patterns & Drum Playing Styles

Part of the Video Series How to Play Drums

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Play jazz percussion patterns and rhythms on your drum kit; learn how with tips from our expert drum and percussion instructor in this free drum kit video music lesson.

Contact: www.bluehandpercussion.com

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Tags: drums, drums, instrument, instruments, jazz, jazz techniques, jazz techniques, music lessons, musical instruments, musical technique, percussion, snare drum
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Video Transcript

Basic Jazz Patterns & Drum Playing Styles
Hi! My name is Frank and what we’re going to look at in this clip is a very unique style: it’s the jazz style. We’re going to look at different patterns, but mainly the thing that sets it apart from most of the other styles we’ve looked at in other clips—you can go check them out; let’s see rock, there’s funk, some Latin things—but in jazz everything’s swinging 123 123 123 123 you can speed up that 123 but it’s all pretty much based in three. So if you count right now in three 1231231231231231231 then you’re going to find the basis for all the patterns you’ll play in jazz, 1231231231231231231231231231231231231231231231231231. So those subdivisions, which is what they’re called, are in triplets; that’s what we call them, triplet beats. So speed up the tempo and you got different patterns. That pattern there’s a big joke; it just sounds like, sping, sping-a-ling, sping-a-ling that’s what the right cymbal’s doing…you’ll notice that in another clip I go into much more detail; it’s a lot of French grip over here on the ride cymbal, especially in jazz music, where it’s not about power it’s about finesse. We’ve also started employing the hi-hat just doing chicks, loud two and four on the hi-hat…1 3 1 3 put them together; that’s the main part of jazz. The snare drum and the bass drum in rock, those are huge; in jazz, much lower down in the mix. Don’t be the drummer who goes up to a jazz gig and sounds like a rock guy like this…that’s just not swinging. So if you’re wanting to swing, keep it in the hands on cymbals, but everybody submits to that 123123123123123123, listen to a lot of jazz; that’s what’s going to get you swinging the hardest.

About the Expert

Expert: Frank Favacho is the 2004 & 2005 winner of the "Guitar Center Drum Off" and has performed and recorded with a large variety of groups. He currently teaches in Austin, TX. Read More