Sherrie Maricles Tips for Jazz Drumming p.

TIPS for JAZZ DRUMMING

Dr. Sherrie Maricle
I) READING and INDEPENDENCE
II) KICKS, HITS, FILLS and SET-UPS
III) TIME
IV) STYLISTIC INTERPRETATION
V) SOLOING and TECHNIQUE

I) READING and INDEPENDENCE

A) READING is a required skill for all serious musicians in most of todays musical
environments. One way to become a good reader is to read (sight read) a lot of music during
your practice sessions (dont practice, just read) and if you make a mistake keep going.
Recovering from mistakes is an important aspect being a successful reader. The music you
choose to practice-read should be played in a predetermined style and tempo. (Ex: legit snare
drum, jazz feel, funk feel, etc.) A common ability shared by good readers is the immediate
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 Louis
Bellson and Syncopation by Ted Reed. These books are also a primary source for
INDEPENDENCE exercises. Independence allows you to respond freely to the music you are
reading and interpreting. To that end I suggest practicing within the context of a Basic Jazz
Groove while reading the written lines as follows:
1.) Snare Drum
2.) Bass Drum
3.) Eighth notes on the SD, Quarter notes on the BD
4.) Eighth notes on the BD, Quarter notes on the SD. Tom-Toms can be substituted for the SD
at your discretion.
If you want to further expand these exercises read the written line as follows:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)

Hi-Hat (you may double the ride cymbal and SD)

Quarter notes on the HH, Eighth notes on the BD
Quarter notes on the BD, Eighth notes on the HH
You may exchange any foot for any hand part in either a predetermined pattern or freely

One of my favorite books for practicing independence is Stick Control by George Lawrence
Stone. Within the context of a Basic Jazz Groove play all notes marked with an R (right) on
the BD. Simultaneously take all notes marked with an L (left) and play it on the SD or TomToms. You may also practice the R and L as BD and HH or exchange any L note (freely or
in a predetermined pattern) between the HH and SD/Toms.

To book Dr. Maricle as a guest soloist, clinician, in-school residencies, collegiate/high school jazz festival
adjudication or to commission an original composition or arrangement for jazz ensemble, percussion
ensemble, concert band, wind ensemble or orchestra please contact Jami Dauber at [email protected].

Sherrie Maricles Tips for Jazz Drumming p. 2

B) CHART READING requires you to follow the form (road map) of the piece being played.
Drum parts are notated in many ways. There is no standard notation that you can
study/memorize that will apply to every chart you encounter. Some charts are very clear,
precise and easy to follow with all necessary information included. Other times parts may be
nothing more than a sketch (play 8 bars at A, 16 bars at B etc.), a rhythm section lead sheet or
a copy of a horn part. Steve Houghtons book Studio and Big Band Drumming provides excellent
examples of several possible chart variations. No matter what kind of chart you are given, you
are expected to accurately read the written music and, more importantly to interpret, improvise,
be creative and make the music sound and feel good. Ultimately your goal is to memorize the
chart(s) so you no longer have to read. Keep the music in your head, not your head in the
music. Section II discusses the basic how to of chart interpretation.

II) KICKS, HITS, SET-UPS, FILLS, and PUNCHES

To kick, set-up, punch, hit, fill or catch a written figure means to accent, support and/or
frame that figure in a musical and stylistically appropriate manner. Being successful at this
requires going well beyond the notation. It requires creativity, improvisation, musical taste and
INTENTION (what is your set-up suppose to accomplish?). Figure interpretation can be loosely
divided into 2 categories. Hits and Punches usually occur during light ensemble, soli or
background sections and may be played as part of the on going beat pattern. Kicks, Fills and
Set-ups occur during tutti or shout sections. You may be required to catch figures from both
categories simultaneously. It is up to you to determine what type of kick, hit, punch, fill or setup is required. Keep in mind your job is to enhance, support and prepare ensemble entrances.
The way in which the drummer sets up a shout section or catches the figures of a given chart
often determines the feel, style, phrasing and dynamics for the entire ensemble, whether its a
trio or big band. Good set-ups will make 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 the music you are playing (no Virgil Donati fills for a Count Basie chart) and executed
with solid time and a good feel.
There are three basic ways to learn figure interpretation. First, find recordings of music
for which you have the drum part, listen to them and transcribe what you hear, even if it isnt
100% accurate. Second, aurally identify common figures and their accompanying kicks, setups, etc. on recordings or from live performances (without the drum part) and memorize them,
make them part of your musical vocabulary. Third, isolate a particular rhythmic motive or phrase
(perhaps from a reading exercise) and practice catching or setting-up that motive/phrase within
a variety of tempi, styles and musical situations. Your ears are a major factor in developing your
musical ability. Transcribing and stealing licks is not bad, it is a crucial step in your musical
development. Some of my favorite Big Band drummers are Mel Lewis, Buddy Rich, Jeff Hamilton
and Dennis Mackrel.

To book Dr. Maricle as a guest soloist, clinician, in-school residencies, collegiate/high school jazz festival
adjudication or to commission an original composition or arrangement for jazz ensemble, percussion
ensemble, concert band, wind ensemble or orchestra please contact Jami Dauber at [email protected].

Sherrie Maricles Tips for Jazz Drumming p. 3

III) TIME
All drummers know that their primary function is to keep good time. You may have all the
technique (chops) in the world, but if you cant lay down a solid groove that feels good, you
have very little hope for employment. As Baby Dodds said you must play for the benefit of the
band. Time keeping is a skill that should develop into an intuitive (natural) ability. Good time
creates a stability of feel and flow that should be established on the downbeat and stop on the
cutoff. It is not only an essential element of the basic beat in ensemble and solo sections, but
also necessary for fills, kicks, catching figures and drum solos. The TIME should never stop, no
matter what musical event is taking place.
Practice basic time in a variety of styles at various tempos. It is very important to
practice your TIME for several minutesnot measures! How many songs do you know have a
duration of 8-16 measures? Suggestions for practicing time:
1.) Within a select style practice your simple groove for 5 - 10 minutes.
2.) Alternate phrases between a set tempo and double time; 8 measure of Bossa Nova into 16
measures of Samba.
3.) Alternate phrases of varying feels; 8 measures of Swing into 8 measures of Baiao.
4.) Alternate phrases of time with phrases of soloing; trading 4s or 8s or entire choruses.
Make sure all components of your time flow together in a smooth and connected manner. The
beats (notes and rests) should always be legato!

IV) STYLISTIC INTERPRETATION

You have to know the style in which you are playing. This seems obvious, but this detail is not
always given the appropriate musical attention. Detailed, precise interpretation allows you to be
true to the style and intention of the music. As a general starting point stylistic interpretation
can be as simple as deciding if the music is Jazz, Rock or Latin. However, in order to achieve an
authentic interpretation, the understanding of specific styles within these general categories
needs much deeper investigation. There are literally hundreds of possibilities within each. For
example JAZZ includes Dixieland, 1940s Swing, Be-Bop, Hard Bop, Fusion etc. ROCK includes
1950s, Rock-n-Roll, Motown, Funk, Hip-Hop, etc. LATIN includes Samba, Bossa Nova, Baiao,
Bembe, Rhumba, Mozambique, etc.This list does not approach being complete. Musical styles
are constantly being invented and redefined. The following books are excellent sources for
studying prevalent styles of music. Afro-Cuban Rhythms for Drum set by Frank Malabe and Bob
Weiner, The Art of Bop Drumming and Beyond Bop Drumming by John Riley, Advanced Funk
Studies by Rick Latham, The New Breed by Gary Chester and Brazilian Rhythms for Drum Set by
Duduka Da Fonseca and Bob Weiner.
THE BEST WAY TO LEARN, interpret and understand various styles of music is to
LISTEN DAILY as part of your practice regime. Once you can identify and play a certain
style (music) or groove (drummer) check out the variations within. For example: play
an exercise as Gene Krupa (Swing), then as Philly Joe Jones (Be-Bop) and then as
Elvin Jones (Modern Jazz). I also suggest keeping a listening log or journal. This will
help you keep track of areas in your listening that may need more attention. It will
also generate an extensive listening list to share with others.
To book Dr. Maricle as a guest soloist, clinician, in-school residencies, collegiate/high school jazz festival
adjudication or to commission an original composition or arrangement for jazz ensemble, percussion
ensemble, concert band, wind ensemble or orchestra please contact Jami Dauber at [email protected].

Sherrie Maricles Tips for Jazz Drumming p. 4

V) SOLOING
The two general types of soloing include soloing IN TIME or OUT OF TIME.
AN IN TIME SOLO can be any length of time from a 1 measure (solo fill) to soloing on the form
of a tune, to soloing on an unstructured form. The major, obvious requirement for an in time
solo is that it be in the TIME of the tune you are playing. In the freest situations the time can be
manipulated (double-time/half-time) and the groove can change (latin to swing to rock), but 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 characteristics specific to that musical
situation. I also suggest playing Jazz Standards on the drum set, both the melody and soloing.
An excellent example of this style of soloing is Jeff Hamiltons solo version of Caravan on his trio
recording, Its Hamilton Time. Finally, it is extremely helpful for developing your soloing ability to
transcribe (and play) numerous solos of varying length and styles.
THE OUT OF TIME or open solo is often one of the most exciting opportunities for a drummer.
You are given an empty space of indeterminate length (often indicated by a fermata) and
expected to play something AMAZING. An open solo is the perfect opportunity for the drummer
to express their musicality (connectedness with the music being played), creativity (fresh ideas
of sound and color) and technique (show-off your chops) in anyway you choose.
IDEAS FOR SOLOING, as for an in time solo can be discovered (and hopefully applied) from
doing a lot of listening/transcribing of both drum and other instrumental solos. To further
develop solo ideas I suggest selecting ONE basic element of music such as rhythm, melody,
harmony, dynamics, orchestration, form, sound (color, touch and balance), phrasing, emotion,
technique, etc. and exploring as many aspects of that selected element as possible. As your
confidence and ability grows, combine the elements together as you choose. Although none of
these elements exist in a vacuum and often occur simultaneously, its important to begin
simple, remember this is an EXERCISE. Let your ideas grow slowly and naturally along with
your creativity and intuitiveness.

To book Dr. Maricle as a guest soloist, clinician, in-school residencies, collegiate/high school jazz festival
adjudication or to commission an original composition or arrangement for jazz ensemble, percussion
ensemble, concert band, wind ensemble or orchestra please contact Jami Dauber at [email protected].

Sherrie Maricles Tips for Jazz Drumming p. 5

TECHNIQUE
1.) Practice the standard 26 drum rudiments (and their variations) as a means to develop a
solid foundation for your technique. There are many ways to orchestrate and apply rudiments
to the drum set. Example: play all measured rolls (5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, and 17) in an
orchestrated manner around the set while keeping a Samba pattern in your feet. You can play
the rolls as eighth notes, sixteenth notes, triplets, etc. Although rudimental drumming is
primarily concerned with single and double stroke combinations, it is also important to practice
orchestral or buzz, crushed rolls. I recommend the following books for technical
development: Stick Control (Stone), Wrist and Finger Control and Swingin the 26 by Charlie
Wilcoxon and Accent on Accents 1 and 2 by Elliot Fine and Marv Dahlgren.
2.) For developing single strokes and a deeper understanding of basic rhythmic subdivisions
practice the following exercise. In 4/4 play the BD in quarter notes and the HH on beats 2 and 4.
As a starting point set the metronome between 60 -80 and on the SD play 4 measures of whole
notes, followed by 4 mm. of half notes, half note triplets, quarter notes, quarter note triplets,
eighth notes, eighth note triplets, sixteenth notes, sixteenth note triplets and 32nd notes. Then
repeat and orchestrate around the drum set. Notice you are going from 1 to 2 then 3, 4, 6,
8,12,16,24 then 32 notes per measure. Keep all subdivisions even, smooth, connected and
flowing. Increase the tempo as your chops develop. You can also play this exercise with double
strokes and paradiddle stickings. Eventually you can add quintuplets and septuplets in their
appropriate sequential order.
3.) Bass Drum and Hi-Hat technique can be developed by practicing the single stroke
exercise described above. As you orchestrate elements of technique exercise 1 and 2 make sure
to include either the bass drum or hi-hat as a component of the orchestration.
Please remember that technique develops simultaneously with independence, time,
reading, interpretation and soloing practice. The 3 suggestions listed above are
intended to help you create a strong technical foundation on which to build creative
musical ideas.
Finally, to be JAZZ DRUMMER it is important to practice with BRUSHES as well as sticks. Many
of the exercises listed here may be applied to brush playing, BUT brushes have unique
characteristics and technical requirements that must be studied separately.

To book Dr. Maricle as a guest soloist, clinician, in-school residencies, collegiate/high school jazz festival
adjudication or to commission an original composition or arrangement for jazz ensemble, percussion
ensemble, concert band, wind ensemble or orchestra please contact Jami Dauber at [email protected].

Sherrie Maricles Tips for Jazz Drumming p. 6

SELECT VIDEO LIST
INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO
South American, Caribbean, African and American Jazz for Drum Set Alex Acuna
Steve Berrios
Latin Rhythms
Ignacio Berroa
Mastering The Art of Afro-Cuban Drumming
Clayton Cameron
The Living Art of Brushes
Herlin Riley
Ragtime and Beyond
Ed Thigpen
On Jazz Drumming
Steve Smith
Drumset Technique/History of the US Beat
HISTORICAL VIDEO
BUDDY RICH - Jazz Legend, parts 1 and 2
LEGENDS OF JAZZ DRUMMING - parts 1 and 2

(DCI)
(DCI)

RELATED TEXT BOOKS

Drummin Men 1 and 2
Traps the Drum Wonder (Buddy Rich)

Burt Korall
Mel Torme
SELECT METHOD BOOKS

JAZZ
Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer
Rhythmic Patterns for the Modern Drummer
Studio and Big Band Drumming
The Art of Bop Drumming and BeBop and Beyond

Jim Chapin
Joe Cusatis
Steve Houghton
John Riley

LATIN
Afro-Cuban Rhythms for Drumset
Brazilian Rhythms for Drumset
Afro/Latin Rhythmic Dictionary

Frankie Malabe/Bob Weiner

DuDuka Da Fonseca/Bob Weiner
Thomas A. Brown

FUNK/CONTEMPORARY
The New Breed
Advanced Funk Studies
Contemporary Drum set Technique

Gary Chester
Rick Latham
Rick Latham

READING/TECHNIQUE
Modern Reading Text in 4/4
Accent on Accents (Books 1 and 2)
Syncopation for the Modern Drummer
Stick Control
Swingin the 26

Louis Bellson/Gil Breine

Elliot Fine/Marvin Dahlgren
Ted Reed
George Lawrence Stone
Charley Wilcoxon

To book Dr. Maricle as a guest soloist, clinician, in-school residencies, collegiate/high school jazz festival
adjudication or to commission an original composition or arrangement for jazz ensemble, percussion
ensemble, concert band, wind ensemble or orchestra please contact Jami Dauber at [email protected].