I began to understand, while listening to Elvin Jones in a club, what coordinated Independence was all about. I happened to be seated in the "Catbird seat" behind Elvin where I could see his feet as well as his hands. Elvin was splaying triplets all over the set when I realized that his concept was groove based and that all of his stuff was fully integrated.

Independence had often been taught as an enhancement to a groove not an integrated part of it. Elvin used triplets as his ground rhythm to subdivide and orchestrate what he heard in his head. This was miles ahead of anything that had been written or taught since the appearance of The Chapin Book.

Coordinated independence has always been a stumbling block for young drummers, it was for me. I went through all the books and still struggled but I soon discovered that my approach was all wrong. I realized that I did not understand what I was playing. 

Every musician has to play off something, a melodic line, a harmony and in our case, a rhythmic ostinato. The quarter note is the foundation because you are using its subdivisions to create coordinated independent motion. This is the one step that many drummers overlook when trying to nail some lick.

The only real way to achieve a polyrhythmic approach is to have a firm rhythmic
foundation where you can hear and play the other rhythms inside the groove your playing. This is apparent in the work of Elvin, Roy Haynes, Steve Gadd and
Jack De Johnette and was the central concept in Gary Chester's "New Breed" books.

Coordinated independence is not only misunderstood but it is often abused. I was at a Jazz Festival listening to a well known Fusion drummer, teacher and author. It was also some of the worst playing I ever heard in my life. He was all over the place with several rhythms going on at once and not one was connected to the music.

Coordinated Independence is a prominent tool of our trade. How you use it, for the good or ill, of the music is entirely up to you.

                                              
                                           The groove continues...





  

If there were such a title as "The Fifth Beatle" it would belong to their producer George Martin. He not only signed them, he created the production techniques necessary to realize their musical vision.

In the early days of recording the word producer meant anything from getting the musicians to the studio to fully scoring and recording the session. Martin, a classically trained musician was placed in charge of comedy and pop records at EMI. He would soon transform recorded music when he took a chance on the Beatles.

Martins vast recording and musical experience along with his penchant for taking risks was a perfect fit for the Band. He soon recognized the talent he had signed was no ordinary "Beat" group and that the usual production would not work. He did this by getting around and defying EMI's rigid recording guidelines, the limitations of four track technology and a cavernous recording studio that would soon become a temple.

Martins great gift was his taste and his ability to keep the musical picture in focus. The Beatles decision to stop touring triggered a musical sea change that would create unheard of production challenges. The Beatles were no longer hemmed in by what they could produce onstage. They could now take the music to the limits of their imagination.   

Martin was particularly skilled at leveraging the Beatles considerable financial clout to get the recording budget necessary for their later work. He would also contribute unique instrumental scores that highlighted the songs instead of smothering them. His major innovation was making the studio his instrument. He is largely responsible for the reputation and sound of Abbey Road.

Martin was by no means perfect. What made him different was that he consistently strived to correct mistakes with subsequent reissues.The latter part of their career became a production nightmare as the group began to battle amongst themselves over a variety of issues. The biggest problem was trying to satisfy everybody, sometimes it showed. 

George Martins career with the Beatles and many other artists too numerous to mention has become the stuff of legend. His status and Knighthood are well deserved. Music and the craft of recording are better for his contributions.

                                             The Groove continues...

When Ed Sullivan said "The Beatles". It was a night that I and many other aspiring musicians will never forget. Where many people saw four charming Mop Tops, I and many others heard a real band.

The Beatles first performance on Sullivan was by no means flawless. They were nervous and in the middle of a publicity whirlwind. What got them through was their skill as ensemble musicians. 

The Beatles were an overnight success that took years of hard work. They played every gig they could lay their hands on. Hamburg, Germany was the place where the band we know came together. Stu Sutcliffe left and Paul took over the bass spot. This was an important change that many people overlook. 

Paul was born to be a bass player, He not only had all the necessary tools but he would bring a guitar like fluidity to the electric bass. George and John no longer had to double rhythm parts. Freed from having to cover for Sutcliffe, John And George developed clearly defined roles that became a big part of the Beatles sound. John's powerful rhythm Guitar and George's lyrical approach provided the contrast that had been missing.

Ringo would be the final addition to the Beatles sound. He had a great groove and his remarkable consistency both live and in the studio gave the Beatles the solid foundation they needed to push the musical envelope.

1963-1966 are the the Band years. Their cohesion and sound were forged by constant live performing. They took full advantage of that by recording their first album Please Please Me in a long ten hour session.

The albums fourteen tracks were recorded "Live" in the studio. The band vibe that permeates the record would continue with their other recordings until the release of Rubber Soul. From that point on the music would grow beyond what guitars, bass and drums could produce.

                                          The groove continues...  

When I listen to or play music the first thing my ears pick up is the bass line. Every song has a bottom that has to be supported rhythmically and harmonically.  

The bassist performs the most critical function in any ensemble. They are a bridge between the rhythm section and the rest of the band. Recent music documentaries have featured the bass players who played on many of our favorite records. James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt, Carol Kaye, Duck Dunn along with many others are finally getting their due.

When I think back to my best nights as a musician. I must admit that the bass player had a great deal to do with it. The indefinable connection between bass and drums is what makes a successful gig. A good groove is only part of the picture, Note selection is another. Jazz players like Paul Chambers, Percy Heath and Ron Carter (pictured) have turned note selection into an art form.

Creating a bass line is no easy task, it requires musical sense, big ears and most of all; humility. Remember, the bass permeates the tune from the bottom not from the top. It really isn't an instrument for glory hounds.

Jimmy Blanton was one of the greatest bassists of his time who set the standard for melodic playing. His work with Duke Ellington is still highly relevant. Blanton changed the role of the bass from the usual "boom, Boom" to a more melodically involved instrument. There would be no Scott La Faro or Jaco Pastorious without him.

Jimmy Blanton was a young man when he died in 1942. The amplification did not yet exist where he could be really heard. Amplifiers, the electric bass and acoustic pickups would come later and allow the bassist to be heard rather than felt. 

Paul McCartney would bring lyricism to Rock and Roll, his rich bass lines freed rock players from strict time keeping. The Sixties was a "Golden Age" for music and for bass players whose role was greatly expanded. Bass players like Bootsie Collins, Sting and Christian McBride have become stars in their own right 

What makes these players so good is their understanding of and absolute commitment to the role of their instrument. Hopefully, younger players will continue that tradition.
 
                                         The groove continues...
 

Many drummers read music well but reading a chart is a lot different than a snare drum etude or a melodic line. Writing for drums ranges from a page black with notes to a part that has nothing but bar lines. 

 A sparse "chart" with the form and some figures or a master rhythm part are different than a fully scored drum part. The first two require a lot of interpretation and addition. The fully scored part may in some instances require subtraction.

All arrangers and composers have different approaches when it comes to drum writing. Drummers have to use their taste and editing skills in making an arrangement work. One of the major issues for a lot of players is keeping their place and knowing where to go in a chart.

Many times a drummer will have no written chord changes or instrument cues to guide them. I usually keep my place by the harmony and form of a tune. Nashville has used a "number" system where the corresponding number of a chord in the progression is written into the part.

This allows the drummer to see and hear the progression. This kind of writing emphasizes the phrase which relieves the drummer of counting bars. A master rhythm part has all the rhythm section written into one or two clefs which provides the drummer with entrances and cues of what the other instruments are playing.

Reading a chart is a balancing act between interpretation and overplaying. It is critical to use your ears as well as your eyes. Here are few suggestions for reading a drum chart.

Learn to feel a four bar phrase, The Reed Syncopation book is written in four bar phrases, play three bars of time and hit the figures in bar four. Most Music is constructed in a four or eight bar phrase, big ensemble figures and transitions usually occur at the end of those phrases.

Learn musical form such as a twelve bar blues, AABA song form (32 bars) and the extended form of verse- chorus-bridge that is common in Rock. Listen to Music, the more tunes you know the easier it will be to sight read something. 
 
Learn to scan a part by looking for repeat signs, first and second endings, DC,  DS and coda's.

Last but not least is to remember the code. Nail the time and the form (road map) first and the ensemble figures second.

I would recommend getting a play along book to practice chart reading. The best one that I know of is Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials. It has all the different
charts that I described and a band recording. 

Following these simple concepts will put you on the road to being a more self assured reader. If you have any further questions you can contact me through my website.

                                           The groove continues....





 

Nearly twenty years have gone by since this recording debuted but like most things my feelings about it have evolved. I don't consider it a classic by any stretch of the imagination but I no longer consider it a silly vanity project. 

When the recording first came out, I didn't like it. My reevaluation has to do with the spirit of the recording. Neal Peart's status in the drum world allowed him to get the recording made and to cast a wide net, bringing in some of the best drummers in the business.    

Many of the contemporary drummers didn't understand the music. This is a major flaw. The performances were, for the most part, acceptable. The really great moments were provided by the Jazz Players. The arrangements in Buddy's book are challenging for any drummer outside the Big Band genre, doubly so if you only have a couple of passes at getting a track.

The drummers came well prepared and they did their very best to shine their particular light on Buddy's legacy. They weren't always successful but they played with passion. This was not apparent in the tracks recorded by Simon Phillips who sounds like a marching band run amok. Dave Weckl was clearly bored and it shows.   

Neal Peart could have done a better job of matching arrangements to the drummers but when the match ups clicked it was magical. Matt Sorum,then the drummer for "Guns and Roses" was stunning on "Buleah Witch". The tune was right in Matt's wheelhouse and he tore it up.

Steve Gadd's interpretation of "Love For Sale" has become a classic. He played the arrangement like he wrote it, a skill that I admired most in Buddy. Steve played a loose small group style that brought an interesting color to the arrangement. It is the outstanding track.

Tributes are tough, especially when the honoree is an icon. What this recording has is edge and spirit, the kind of emotions you have when you play a piece of music for the first time. Spirit coupled with awesome ability was Buddy and for that we have to give our thanks to Neal Peart.

                                               The Groove Continues...

 

Man, Just play it as it lays and it will sound fine. Its old school advice but it still applies. The pulse, beat or inner rhythm, if you want to be fancy about it all mean the same thing. It's what carries music from place to place in a flow.

When you find the inner pulse of a song and bring it out thats when real music occurs. I still don't get why we spend so much time trying to put the pulse of a song into a box. Way too much time is spent on trying to control and construct a pocket (play up on the beat etc). Monitoring the time, creates insecurity in the rhythm section which ultimately hurts the music.

Great players know that every tune has its own inner pulse and that the feel will die if we don't connect with it. The great bandleaders and producers let the music dictate the groove and not the other way around. Composers don't think metronomically when they are writing, all they consider is a range where their music will sound best.
 
What matters is the rhythmic sweet spot. All music regardless of style has it. How do you find this? Listen for it and adjust the pocket to the tunes natural pulse. This is called playing it as it lays. When a doctor says "no pulse" you are in serious trouble well the same thing goes for music.

Music has to breathe in time for it to have any effect. Selecting the different spots on the quarter note doesn't help. That has to be felt rather than discussed verbally. This laser like focus on parsing the time has hurt music badly in the past 30 years. Perfection in time has become the focus much to the detriment of melody and groove.

Analysis paralysis is a disease that affects too many musicians, particularly bandleaders and producers who are married to the idea of machine like time and then complain that it doesn't feel right. Well Duh? Analysis is great for musicologists but not for performing musicians. Rhythm is a natural force that can't be specifically defined it has to be heard and felt.


                                            The Groove continues...



 

I have always had a love/hate relationship with technique even though I had a considerable amount of technical ability when I was younger. I had what many would consider "classical" training from my first teacher who was an orchestral percussionist. The technique I learned from him did stand me in good stead. I got into All State bands and was recognized for my ability but I had a lot of problems when I played drum set.

To this day, my eyes glaze over when I think about Stick Control, the Moeller method or the physics of a stroke. Drummers are still being taught the same arcane Civil War system of rudiments and the dead language that goes along with it. Do you think a bandleader knows or cares what a paradiddle is.  

Stravinsky said "Technique is the whole man" and thats the truth. I could play the snare drum parts for Love For Three Oranges or Scheherazade with ease yet I could not get into a local rock band to save my life. Why? Because I was never taught to use my feet and coordinated independence wasn't discussed.

Enter Larry Rosen who was the teacher that got me playing the entire set. I was 14 years old and Larry helped me find the other half of my chops by emphasizing the integrated technique and musicianship necessary to becoming a proficient drummer.

Larry also freed me from the tyranny of the practice pad. I could play on the drums and get a true sense of what kind of sound I was making. I learned to hear all of the set and the tones between the different drums. That was when I began to progress. 

Teaching drums on a practice pad is patently absurd and it hurts more students than it helps. Does a piano teacher mute a piano for the student ? Seating a drummer behind a practice pad deprives the student of hearing the sound and it creates a false impression of what that person sounds like.

What should be emphasized is integrated practice that has a musical frame of reference. What I'm discussing is a version of english grammar: learn a word then use it in a sentence. Its a slower method but more efficient. Drum technique should be all of you and always practiced as a means to a musical end.

                            The Groove Continues And Merry Christmas...

All musicians have game changing moments. These moments become part of a musicians DNA as we pursue that new sound. I have had many of these moments but one in particular stands out in my mind.

In my music school days of the early 70's when I wasn't playing I was in the clubs hanging out. On this night I found myself in front of a long forgotten Jazz club called Boomers. I walked in, got a seat at the bar and taking the stand was Steve Gadd. I had never heard of or seen Steve Gadd until he was introduced at the beginning of the set.

What followed blew my mind and changed how I thought about and played the drums. He was totally inside the music, He didn't hit ensemble figures he played them as music without being obvious about it and that groove, whew! I had never heard anything so settled or integrated.

What really got me was a tune with a Mozambique rhythm. I knew the pattern from playing in Latin bands as a hand percussionist. The Mozambique is driven by the timbales and the Bombo or bass note (in a 2-3 clave, the Bombo is the second beat of the clave). This was the first time I heard the rhythm played by a single player on the drum set.

Steve's most celebrated performance of the Mozambique would come later on Paul Simon's "Late in The Evening". Truth Be told, the Mozambique is not that hard to adapt to the drum set, getting it to feel right is a totally different issue.
The ability to play all the parts of a latin groove on drum set was unheard of before Steve.

This is what a game changer does, he upsets the balance of the status quo and creates a new direction and possibilities. I know that he knocked me for a loop, after hearing him I seriously began thinking about a new line of work. How could I learn to play like that. The truth was and is that I would never be able to, 

What it did do was inspire me to hear the infinite possibilities of the drum set and you can't ask for more than that.

                                                The Groove Continues...

 

My ear training began with radio and records not with lessons or a book. My formal music education began later, by then I was much better equipped to study because of having listened so much. The inverse happens today where a student takes lessons on an instrument without having heard anything.

Listening to music is the first step in the development of a musician. The more you listen, the basic principles of your instrument and of music will become clearer to you. It is a rudimentary but very effective form of ear training.

What ever success I've had as a teacher was based on the principal of listening to certain recordings. I've had many students come in asking to learn to play something. They would ask me to write it out for them, I would and they would be happy. 

I realized later what a disservice I was doing by transcribing. I then began telling them to listen to the recording to get a feel and understanding of what ever they wanted to play. Once they did this then I would step in and refine what they heard. Suffice it to say that this didn't make me very popular but I felt that this was the way to develop a musician and not an instrumentalist.

Drummer Kenny Washington once stated That a teacher can't teach you to hear. It's a somewhat blanket statement but there is a lot of truth to it. Technical skill without listening to music is no skill at all. You can't play something if you don't understand it and you will not understand something if you don't hear it.

Listening to music is an aural textbook. You are increasing your knowledge every time you hear music. Understanding makes the seemingly unplayable on paper, playable. This aural information is retained and stored in your "inner ear". It is the development of the inner ear that will you lead you to being a better and more aware musician.

                                       The Groove Continues...