Musical Phrasing on the Drum-Set By: Paul Delong

#902 | All Skill Levels Musical Phrasing On The Drum-set By: Paul DeLong

Three-Beat Ideas

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 > > > > > x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x œœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ R L L Rx L R L L R Rx L L R L R Lx L R R L L Rx L R L L R Rx L L R L R xL L R R L L Rx L R L L R Rx L L

B. Same rhythmic motif with jazz ride.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x œ œ ‰œ œ œ‰ œ œ œ‰ œ œ ‰œ œ œ‰ œ œ œ‰ œ œ ‰œ œ œ‰ œ œ xœ œ xœ œ ‰ x œ œ xœ œ xœ œ ‰ x œ œ xœ œ xœ ‰ ‰ 3 ‰ ‰ 3 ‰ ‰ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3> 3 > 3 3 > 3 > 3 3 > 3 2)

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 x x x >x x x >x x x >x x x > x x x >x x œœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ R L R xL L R L R L Rx L R L L R xL R L R L R xL L R L RL Rx L R L L R xL R L R L R xL L R L RL Rx L R

B. Same rhythmic motif with jazz ride.

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x œ œ‰ œ œ œ‰ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ‰ œ œ œ‰ œ œ‰ œ œ œ‰ œ œ œ‰ œ œx œ œ xœ œ œ x œ œ œ x œ œ xœ œ œx œ œ œx œ œ xœ œ ‰ 3 ‰ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 > 3 3 > 3 > 3 3 > 3 > 3 #902 | All Skill Levels Musical Phrasing On The Drum-set By: Paul DeLong

Three-Beat Ideas In A Funk/Fusion Style

1) =150 q > > x x x x > x x x x > x x œ eeœ œ eeœ œ œ œ eeœ œ eeœ œ œ œ eeœ œ eeœ > > > x x > x x x x > x x x x > x œ œ œ e e œ œ e e œ œ œ œ eeœ œ eeœ œ œ œ eeœ

2) =138 q >> > > >> > > >> > > œ x x x x x x x x x x x x x x  Œ‰. œ œ eeœ œ e œ œ œ œœœ eeœ œ e œ œ œ œœœ eeœ œ e œ >> > > >> > > >> x x ex œx x x x ex œx x x x œ œ œœœ e œ e œ œ œ œœ œ e œ e œ œ œ œœœ eeœ

3) =90 h xj z x z xjz x z xj z x z œœœœ œ œœœ œœœœ œœœœ œ  Œ‰œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰œ œ œœœœ ‰œ œ ‰œ œ ‰ œ œ

4) =120 q 3 3 3 3 x x x x x x x x x œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 3 3 3 3 3 3 x x x x x x x œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #902 | All Skill Levels Musical Phrasing On The Drum-set By: Paul DeLong

Rhythmic Transposition

When I listen to my favorite drummers play, the thing that pleases me the most is their ability to play musical phrases on the drumset. This is something that I strive for constantly in my own playing, as I try to weed out all the meaningless "licks and tricks."

One way to develop this sense of phrasing is by using a device called rhythmic transposition, where a basic idea is shifted so that its beginning note occurs in different locations within a bar or across the bar line. The following examples serve to illustrate this technique.

The first example is by Ricky Sebastian, from Herbie Mann's Opalescence disc. On "Comin' Home," Ricky plays a very simple but effective break based on quarter-note-triplets, which fits the reggae feel of the tune perfectly. This is a three-beat phrase starting on the last triplet partial of beat 3 in the first measure.

1) =144 q 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 > >3 >3 > >z > > > > j > > > j > > > j œ œ ‰ œ Œ ‰‰œœœ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œœœ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ‰œœœ‰œ‰œ ‰œ œ œ ŒŒœ On Los Lobotomys' self-titled first release, Vinnie Colaiuta plays the following solo in the tune "All Blues." This example is the first four bars of one of the eight-bar breaks that Vinnie plays near the end of the tune. Although the tune is played with a reggae feel, he plays this three-beat phrase in a 16th-note linear style. This contrast is again very effective.

2) =120 q > x x x x x x x x x > x x x x x > œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ≈ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ≈ œ œ 3 > 3 3 x x x x x x x x œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ The next example is again by Vinnie, from his excellent self-titled solo disc. On "Slink," he reacts to a rhythmic figure that the trumpet plays, and then builds the idea from there. This is an example of playing phrases within the time feel without disturbing the groove. This is a five-beat phrase beginning on beat 3 of the third measure.

3) =200 q 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 x x x x x x x x x x œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ 3 3 3 3 3 3  3 3 3 3 3 3 > > > >> > x x x x x x x x x x x z z œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ > > > > #902 | All Skill Levels Musical Phrasing On The Drum-set By: Paul DeLong

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 > > 3 > > 3 3 x x x z z x x z z z œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ ‰ œ œ The next example> is> of Steve Smith with Steps Ahead, from a >video >of the band's performance at the Stuttgart Jazz Festival. On "Well In That Case ...," Steve plays the following as a lead-in to the repeat of the first A section. Since it's a more broken phrase, make sure that you are playing it accurately and that you can count the basic quarter-note pulse through the figures.

4) =120 q > > > x x x x x x x x x x x x x x > > xj > > œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ R L R L ‰ œ œ ‰ 3 > > > j > > z x œ œ x œ œ x œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ Now that you understand the concept, try creating your own ideas by transposing some of your favorite phrases. Here's one of my creations taken from a great David Garibaldi groove. David's pattern is the first measure, and my transposed version is in measures two and three.

5) =96 q > > > > > > tx tx tx t tx tx tx tx tx t x tx tx tx tx œœ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œR L œ R L R Lœ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ.

Remember to always play phrases that sound and feel good musically! #902 | All Skill Levels Musical Phrasing On The Drum-set By: Paul DeLong

Other Phrasing Ideas

1) Gadd "5"

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ R L R œ R L R L R œ R L R - - - -œ ------œ------œ- - - - 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ------œ ------œ------œ ------œ------œ -

2) Same Idea As Sixteenths

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ Etc.

3) Gary Novak "10"

>> > > >> >> > >> > x >> x > >> > x œœ œœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœ RLœœRLRRL LRL œœRLRRL LR LœœRLRRLLRL œœRLRRL LR LœœRLRRL LR LœœRLRRLLRLLœ

Also try this as a jungle-type fill by putting the right-hand on the hi-hat and the left on the snare. Etc.

4) Blushda "7"

œj œœœœ œj œœœœ œj œœœœ œj œœœœ œj œœœ œ œj œœœœ œj œœœœ œj œœœ œ œj œœœœ œj œ R L R R L R L R R L œ R L RR L R L R RL œ R L R R L R L R R L œ R L R R L R L R R L œ R L R R L R L Play as triplets as well. Etc.