Released in 1977, Elvin Jones’ “Time Capsule” album, on the Vanguard label, was a bit more fusion sounding than many of Elvin’s recordings. It’s definitely a jazz album, though, and Elvin’s swinging ride cymbal is very much on display (no pun intended) on the track “Digital Display.”
The section of Elvin’s performance transcribed here is his playing during Kenny Barron’s Rhodes solo. Milt Hinton is on bass.
Time playing transcriptions like this one can yield a lot of musical knowledge. In this case, we get to check out Elvin’s ride and comping patterns. I found the ride cymbal patterns very instructive. There are also some very nice little fills/turn-arounds. They are not particularly difficult to play, but they are very tasty. I am particularly fond of the patterns found in measures 32, 40, and beats 3 and 4 of measure 56.
To download a pdf of the transcription, click on the following link: Digital Display PDF
Also note that Elvin is playing the hi-hat on 2 and 4, but it is not written in the transcription. It is very difficult to hear whether Elvin is feathering or not, but I found that playing the transcription while feathering the bass drum added some needed weight to the playing, especially since the tempo is slow (122 bpm).
For some more detailed information on this album and it’s history, you can check out this link:Elvin Jones’ “Time Capsule”. The link will take you to a cool little jazz blog called “Never Enough Rhodes.”
I hope this is helpful and please feel free to make comments or share this with your fellow drummers.
Steve Gadd is one of the most imitated and revered drum soloists—and with good reason—his solos are always exciting.
Steve has a number of great signature licks, seven of which are included here. Click on the link to the right to download the PDF:Seven Gadd Licks
Take ‘em to the practice room, then to the bandstand. Enjoy!
Welcome back to the BANG! The Drum School blog. Today, I’m posting a worksheet of 7 fills from none other than the grandaddy of rock drumming himself, John Bonham. If you’re new to drumming and you don’t know about Bonham, I urge you to check him out. Most, if not all, of today’s rock drummers will profess a love for the groove, chops and fills of the great Bonham. I myself am a disciple.
Even if you’re already a fan, perhaps you don’t know all of the fills included here. These 7 fills are just a few of my favorites. Not all of them are super difficult, but they are all super musical. Don’t forget to check out the recordings….these fills are best learned by looking at the transcriptions AND by listening to the recordings….and then by trying them out.
Certainly a few of these licks belong in your fill vocabulary if they are not already in your “tool box.”
You can download the PDF of this worksheet by clicking on the link to the right: Seven Bonham Fills
Have fun, check em out, and please, feel free to ask any questions or make any comments.
Click to enlarge Nasty Lick #32
One of my favorite drumming ideas is that you should ”milk your licks dry.” A lot of great drummers and musicians rely on a limited vocabulary of ideas and patterns, but they play the shit out of those patterns and use them in many different ways. One player who has signature licks he uses over and over to great effect is Steve Gadd, one of my all-time favorite drummers.
Once you find an idea or pattern that you like, you can “milk it dry” by manipulating it in various ways. Here is a lick that I use a lot : RLRF. The link below will allow you to open a pdf file with full drum notation that shows you how to take this lick and play it in several key ways. Click on it…it’s called “Nasty Lick #32″:
The pattern we’re manipulating here is orchestrated as follows: right hand on snare, left hand on hi tom, right hand on floor tom, and finally, foot on bass drum. The pdf exercise /transcription simply shows you how to play the lick as eighth notes, eighth note triplets, sixteenth notes, and finally as sixteenth note triplets.
Try playing the exercises on the sheet. You should have a great new lick you can use after mastering the lesson. Perhaps more importantly, though, you should have a good understanding of how to milk your licks dry.
I love the drums and hope you do too.
-Mark Feldman