Conor Guilfoyle: Drum Lessons

Here are lessons or rather overviews of some of the concepts I use with my students of the Jazz Performance BA at Newpark Music Centre. The lessons are aimed at the intermediate to advanced student, who can analyse a concept and then apply it to their own playing.
There are plenty of sites out there showing paradiddles, rudiments, fills etc, so hopefully you’ll find something interesting and different here.
I will be updating this page regularly adding lessons on many topics from odd meters, sub-divisions and swing applications. Please feel free to email me with comments suggestions etc
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The Clave in 5 swing in seven five over two Latin Funk in 5 subdivisions Jazz Co-Ordination who needs it? Cuban Patterns for Kit






The Clave in 5
We are going to take the rumba clave in the 3-2 direction, and extending it to 5, and look at some of the rhythmic possibilities. I’ll make the presumption you already have a basic knowledge of clave.

For easier reading I have written it in 5/2 so that the clave and associated patterns are still written as quarter and eighth notes. What’s important is we are now playing our new clave over five pulses.

I add an extra stroke to the 3 side of the clave and leave the 2 side intact. So I now have four strokes over the first three pulses and two strokes over the last two pulses. This could be thought of as a 4-2 clave.

To see the pattern
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To hear it
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THE CASCARA IN 5
Once you are familiar with this, take any of the common clave based rhythms and adapt it to fit the new clave.
In this example I will take the cascara and add the extra stroke to the 4 side.

To see the pattern
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To hear it CLICK HERE

THE CASCARA AND CLAVE IN 5
Let’s add the clave to the pattern so we can see how they line up. I have added a bass drum on the bombo stroke of the clave. On the chart a second bass drum is written which is optional and not played on the audio.
To see it
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To hear it CLICK HERE
THE CASCARA AND CONGA TUMBAO IN 5
Now I adapt the conga tumbao to fit the clave. The slap sound is played on the rimclick and open tones on the toms, both played with the left hand. The cascara is kept with the right hand, and the bass drum plays the bombo note. On the audio there is a clave overdubbed.

To see it
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To hear it CLICK HERE


MAMBO FUNK IN 5
Now I’ll play and an adaptation of the bongo bell pattern in 5 and split the clave between the bass drum and snare, which gives it a funk feel. I call this pattern Mambo Funk.

To see it
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To hear it
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Let’s embellish the pattern with extra snare and bass drums. In the played example I will start with the basic pattern and then apply the embellishments, moving the pattern around the kit.

To see it
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To hear it CLICK HERE

Swing in 7

Let’s look at playing in 7 with a swing feel. There are some difficulties that need to be overcome. The first and probably the biggest issue is our dependence on “beat one”. If we have to play “the one” every bar it will feel chopped or stilted.

One way to avoid this is to practice using 2 bar phrases changing what I call the “targets” in the second bar. By a target I mean a beat used to resolve or finish your phrase. "Beat one" is the most common target, but we need to avoid using this continuously to keep the rhythm flowing.

For example a good target beat in 7 would be “beat two”, as this allows you play duple meter phrases. You could finish with a crash on your selected target and then change to a more subtle sound like a snare or bass, and then maybe not even playing it at all but just feel it.

The “ands” of the beat are good targets too, as these are very commonly crashed on in a typical jazz situation. I suggest you work methodically picking a single target point and stay with it till you feel comfortable. Start with beat two and when comfortable move to beats three, four, etc. then the “ands” of each beat.

In the meter of 7 you have fourteen targets points. While you may not need to play “beat one” all the time, you do always need to know where it is. Think of it as a stake in the ground, and that you are attached to by a rope. You can stay close to it for safety or you can be brave and move further away, but if you lose sight of that stake the rope has been cut and you are lost.

A question I get commonly asked is “What about the hi-hat?” The issue being if you are in 7 and you play the standard jazz hi-hat foot pattern on two and four it will become the one and three every second bar, and that as we know is a mortal sin. You could adjust the hi-hat every bar, but that would go against the flow. For me it’s fine to keep it even.

The hi-hat alone does not make a pattern swing. It’s what goes on above/around it that counts. If you have good cymbal time, fluid phrases that are well executed, then the hi-hat will fit right in regardless of the beat it falls on. At times I keep it even, while at other times I like move it about like a bass drum as I would in 4/4.

Counting is another issue. I don’t like to have to count at all if I can avoid it. Counting fills up the musical space needed for your creativity. Of course it's needed at the start, for accuracy and learning, but the sooner you dispense with it the better. A system I use for counting in 7, is called the "three and A half pulse concept". I count three half notes and a quarter note instead of seven quarter notes.

Straight away half the numbers are gone, and with practice you will stop counting and feel the pulse as an ostinato that underpins what you play.

To see the counting system
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To hear it
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One of the many musical qualities jazz has is a sense of forward motion. This is due to a number of factors, syncopation, walking bass lines, II-V harmony being some, even the crashes on the "ands" rather than the downbeats makes the music feel like it’s on the move. It's this quality that we need to maintain if we are to make an odd meter swing credibly.

This can be accomplished by following the above ideas, but you will also have to know the language of jazz to make it sound convincing. There is no point in me writing out a 100 jazz cymbal independence exercises applied to 7, they may help but won’t in themselves make you sound good.

You’ll need to listen, listen, listen,then listen again to the music and with a combination of practice and osmosis you will sound like a jazz drummer.

Here is an audio demonstration of some of the above ideas. First you will hear me play jazz time in 7, but with the three and a half pulse overdubbed. It will allow you hear how I play over the beat, around the beat and on the beat using the above concepts.

Then you will hear the same piece again but this time without the overdubbed pulse. Try to clap or count along with it. It may be tricky at first, but with time it will come. Also just listen to the playing without counting and it should sound natural. This is your goal. Good luck

To listen
CLICK HERE
To download a video (17MBs) of me playing Swing in 7

CLICK HERE


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Five over Two

In this lesson I’ll show you how to put five even beats over two. You’ll start by learning how to count it accurately, then move it onto the kit and finally hear how it can be applied in a jazz context.

Just seeing the number 5 over group of notes on a page can be enough to bring on palpitations. Why is this? Seeing triplets on a chart causes no fear, yet three doesn’t fit evenly over two either! The thing is you know how that triplet is going to sound BEFORE you play it, and that's the key. This is not the case with the fives, so we tend to guess at it, slowing down or speeding up trying to get it to fit evenly over the pulse.

Here's a system devised by my brother Ronan, that will help you get familiar with the sound of the fives, and how they relate to the pulse. Instead of setting up a pulse and trying to get our fives to work over it, we are going to use what I call the “reverse five method”. We start with the fives and then find our pulse against it.
STEP 1 Start by counting evenly to five and repeating. Add a clap to count one. Repeat this over until you have the sound in your head. When I say repeat I mean REPEAT, over and over until you are really familiar with the sound. This is the “feel” of five over one. When you are sure you have it accurately, stop counting but keep clapping on the one. When you stop counting you should still be hearing the sound of the fives as they relate to the pulse in your head. Return to counting after 4 claps. Alternate now, four counts on four counts off. Reduce this to two counts on and two counts off.

This is an abbreviated version, you should stay on each part for as long as it takes to be accurate.

To listen
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STEP 2 You will need to be absolutely sure of step 1 before moving on to step 2. By all means read on and listen to the audio to get an overview of the system, but really don’t try this step in earnest until you have completed the first.

We begin where we left off. Count to five while clapping on beat one. Drop the count after 4 claps. Continue clapping for 4 then return to counting the fives. Repeat.
When you have settled into it, double the speed of your clap as you stop counting. If you have spent enough time on step one, you should still hear the original fives in your head, except now you are hearing them against two claps instead of one. This is five over two.

Return to counting the fives aloud after eight claps (keep the clap going). I like to put an accent on the downbeats of my clap to help root the original pulse. Alternate as you did in step 1, between four counts of five on and four counts off. Reduce this to two counts on two counts off. This will take some time to perfect. Don’t get discouraged. Work at it any chance you get, you don’t need to be at your drums. Just be careful about practicing it in public.

To listen
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STEP 3 Now we bring it to the drums. We’ll follow the same system as above, starting with the fives played on the snare drum and playing the bass drum on the one. If you use single sticking the lead hand will alternate on every five. Once you are comfortable with that, stop playing the snare while maintaining the pulse on the bass drum. You should still be hearing the fives over each pulse before you play them again on the snare. Alternate four fives on four fives off, just as you practiced above.

To listen
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STEP 4 Play five even snare strokes with the bass drum on each downbeat (the one). Stop playing the snare while maintaining the pulse on the bass drum (as step3). Now, when you stop the snare drum play the hi-hat with your foot evenly between each bass drum. Bring back in the snare drum in fives, this gives you five over two. Practice, “four fives in” and “four fives out”. It will take a moment to get it feeling even and natural.

To listen
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STEP 5 This is the same as step 4 except we now add a bass drum to the hi-hat. This gives us a “four on the floor” feel with the bass drum and the hi-hat on beats two and four, both associated with classic jazz. I often use a heel-toe rocking motion, to help me maintain a steady pulse on the hi-hat.

To listen
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To see it
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Now we’ll apply the concept to swing. The jazz ride cymbal pattern is based on triplets, which is six over two, so when you go to the five over two, it feels as if you have inadvertently put on the handbrake. The slight slowing down has a drag effect, but you cannot let that tempo actually slow down. Use a metronome!
In the audio demo I play a basic swing pattern for four bars and then five over two on the snare drum. The bass drum is kept on quarter notes throughout while the hi-hat is on two and four. After a couple of cycles I play some doubles and then move the fives around the toms, all the time keeping a steady foot pattern. This is just an overview of some of the possibilities. Stay at each one till you are comfortable. Once you are, add your own variations. Flams will work well for example. Use your imagination.

To listen
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Now here is a demo of the fives in a jazz solo context. I mix them in with triplets and sixteenth notes etc. I try to make them obvious and you should by now be able to easily identify them. I don’t use a metronome here, because I want the overall sound to breathe a little. You should not go here until you can accurately play the fives against a metronome. Try to come up with your own applications, and as I said earlier feel free to email me with comments or send me an mp3 of your applications. I would love to hear them

To listen
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Latin Funk in 5


This is a groove that I have been playing around with recently, so I thought I’d put it up here. It’s not clave based but has its’ roots in Songo. It’s a two bar pattern, played between hi-hat, snare and bass. Each bar could be played as a pattern in itself, but when the two are played together, it has a very nice cyclical groove.

Here is bar one:
To see it
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To listen
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Here is bar two: The bass drum on beat one (in brackets) is optional and in the played example, I alternate between playing it and omitting it.

To see it
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To listen
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Now here is the complete pattern.

To see it
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To listen
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I also like to think of this as a one bar pattern with an even 5 pulses. To demonstrate this I have written the previous two bar pattern as one bar pattern using 8ths and sixteenths. I have modified it slightly. As well as being a slightly different pattern, I moved the right hand to the cymbal while playing the left hand around the toms. You will see the lines on the PDF that shows where the second group restarts. You will also be able to hear the metronome throughout.

Too see it
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To listen
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To download a video of me playing this groove (23MBs)
click here


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Subdivisions

In this lesson I’m going to look at subdivisions of the pulse and how to play them in different groupings. I will show how sixteenths, which, are usually played in groups of four, or triplets which are usually grouped in 3’s can be regrouped into 5 or even 7.

You won’t need to be at your drumset for this lesson. Let’s begin by learning a series of syllables taken from the carnatic rhythm system of South India and apply it in a very practical way. They may be tongue twisters to begin with, but with practice they will quickly become essential tools in the application of subdivisions.

Ok let’s start with the syllables representing the numbers 1 to 5. They are:
TA = 1
TAKA = 2
TAKITA = 3
TAKADIMI = 4
TADIKINATHOM = 5
To listen click here


These numbers do not represent any subdivision per se. For example TAKITA is a group of 3, though not necessarily a triplet. It could be 3 eighths, 3 sixteenths or triplets depending on how we apply it. Similarly TAKADIMI is a group of 4 but is not necessarily sixteenths, though it could be.

We can combine syllables to make longer phrases. To make a group of 7 we could combine syllables
4+3 = TAKADIMI-TAKITA

3+4 = TAKITA-TAKADIMI

5+2 = TADIKINATHOMTAKA
To listen click here

Similarly to create a group of 9 we could use the following combinations.
5+4 = TADIKINATHOM-TAKADIMI

4+5 = TAKADIMI-TADIKINATHOM

3+3+3 = TAKITA-TAKITA-TAKITA
To listen click here
I have put lines to separate the syllables, but this is for easier visuals. Do not put a space or pause there. Practice them aloud, while placing a clap at the beginning of each syllable. This reinforces the various subdivisions. The longer the group the more options you have with the syllables. Practice your own subdivisions. For example how many variations you can come with for a group 11?



Sixteenths in groups of 3
Let’s learn how to take a specific subdivision and regroup it. I’ll start with sixteenths in groups of 3.


Clap out your quarter pulse and saying TAKADIMI for each pulse. These are our sixteenths, (often counted 1e+ah). While maintaining the tempo of your pulse and subdivision, change your syllable from TAKADIMI to TAKITA. This will regroup the subdivisions into groups of 3.

We’ll need to do a little math to resolve them. Our total number of subdivisions per bar is 16. 3 goes into 16 five times with 1 left over, but for simplicity and musicality I will make it four groups of 3 and one group of 4.
3+3+3+3+4 = 16
This transfers to 4x TAKITA and 1 TAKADIMI to the speed of TAKADIMI (our subdivision)

To listen click here



Sixteenths in groups of 5
Using the same system we can put our sixteenths in groups of 5. I will extend it to two bars, which means we now have 32 subdivisions to work with before we resolve it. So 5 goes into 32 six times with 2 left over.
5+5+5+5+5+5+2= 32
This transfers to 6 x TADIKINATHOM and 1x TAKA to the speed of TAKADIMI.

We can of course put the TAKA anywhere within in the cycle, but in this case for ease of explanation I put it at the end.

To listen click here



Sixteenths in groups of 7
We will again use a 2 bar phrase. This time the 32 subdivisions are divided into 7’s.
So, 7 goes into 32 four times with 4 left over.
7+7+7+7+4= 32
This transfers to 4x TAKADIMI-TAKITA and 1x TAKADIMI to the speed of TAKADIMI.

To listen click here

You could also reverse the 7 groupings so they are now TAKITA-TAKADIMI, or place the extra TAKADIMI in the middle or at the beginning instead of the end. Use your imagination.


To listen click here



Triplets in groups of 4
The same system can be used for regrouping triplets (or any subdivision). I’m going to begin by putting eighth note triplets into groups of 4. We are now counting three groups of 4 per bar, instead of the usual four groups of 3.

Clap your quarter pulse and saying TAKITA for each pulse. These are our triplets. While maintaining the tempo of your pulse and subdivision, change your syllable from TAKITA to TAKADIMI. This will regroup your triplet subdivisions into groups of 4.
4+4+4=12
Which transfers to 3xTAKADIMI to the speed of TAKITA


To listen click here



Triplets in groups of 5

Let’s now put our triplets in groups of 5. I will extend it to two bars, which means we now have 24 triplet subdivisions to work with before we resolve. So, 5 goes into 24 four times with 4 left over.
5+5+5+5+4 =24
This transfers to 4x TADIKINATHOM and 1x TAKADIMI to the speed of TAKITA


To listen click here
Note: When I clap I like to place an accent on the “one” of each bar for reference.



Triplets in groups of 7
Finally we will put our triplets into groups of 7. Using the same counting system and two bars, here is the math. 7 goes into 24 three times with 3 left over.
7+7+7+3=24
This transfers to:

3xTAKADIMI-TAKITA and 1xTAKITA

To listen click here or
3xTAKITA-TAKADIMI and 1x TAKITA

To listen click here
Of course you could put that final TAKITA anywhere in the pattern, or divide the 7’s into 5+2 TADIKINATHOM-TAKA

These are just a couple of ideas to get you started. The possibilities are endless. As I said you don’t need to be at a kit to work on these. In the next Subdivision lesson we will look at kit applications, in the meantime get that metronome and start clapping and counting!!



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Jazz Independence?
One of the perceived difficulties in jazz drumming is the independence required. Drummers’ in general are wary of the amount of work required to play a syncopated pattern on the cymbal, hi-hat on 2+4, while playing endless variations between your snare and bass drum. This, perception is compounded by drummers telling everyone, just how difficult it allegedly is.

I have seen non jazz drum DVD’s that recommend you get Jim Chapin’s classic book on jazz independence, and work through it because it’s “a great workout”, or some such sound bite.

I would dispute the usefulness of a say a rock drummer working his way through it. It won’t help his rock playing and certainly won’t make him sound like a jazz drummer. Chapin didn’t write his book in a vacuum, he based it on what he heard being played. Sure the opening snare against cymbal exercises, are methodical, but after that he quickly gets into classic jazz drum phrases. The important thing is he used the music to create the exercises, not the reverse!

If you play the book through from A to Z, without any references it will sound musically empty. Listen to them again in the context of the music, and the playing of Max Roach or Philly Joe Jones’s, and it takes on a whole new dimension.

My point is, if you don’t know how it’s meant to sound, than you can’t possibly aspire to sound convincing as a jazz drummer, regardless of how many of the jazz exercises you learn.

Jazz students themselves get discouraged with the sheer volume of independence studies for jazz drummers. The other classic book “Syncopation for the modern drummer”, by Ted Reed has become a jazz bible. There must be literally 100’s of mind bending, limb twisting variations developed from the original exercises. I’m sure Reed had no idea when he wrote the book just how far it would go.

These exercises are useful, and if you want to get serious you’ll need to take some of them on. However, again independence does not in itself make the jazz drummer.

Understanding the music and knowing the feel and what to play and when to play it is essential. That comes with listening to the music, and no exercise books will ever replace that.

Let’s look at the basic differences between rock and jazz drumming. Firstly in jazz we have the accent or emphasis on beats 2 and 4, as against 1 +3. Then we have the eighth notes swung as against played straight in rock.

However the big difference in my mind is the cymbal. In rock the cymbal or hi-hat is the icing while the bass and snare is the cake. In jazz it’s the opposite. The ride cymbal drives the bus, while the bass and snare add flavour or inflections to the cymbal beat.

Remember these are just differences, not comparisons in difficulties. So forget what you heard about jazz drumming being more difficult it’s not, it’s just different.

I contend you don’t actually need any independence to play jazz.

To demonstrate I will play a swing feel, but every time I play the snare or bass drum I will also play the cymbal, in other words its always unison, no co-ordinated independence. It still sounds like jazz because the phrasing etc. is right. That’s what’s important, not the lack of co-ordination. Of course it is going to be limited and I would only play like this to show my point, but it comes across as acceptable jazz playing.

So forget the hype and superiority of us jazzers, get listening and swinging.

To listen click here


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Cuban Patterns for Kit
Here are drumset applications of the most popular Cuban rhythms. It’s an overview, rather than a detailed study. There are many great publications available where you can really go deep into the rhythms. The idea here is to show basic but accurate interpretations. Arrangers outside the idiom are starting to know their Songo from their Mambo and expect you to as well.

Some of the patterns are in 3-2 clave and others in 2-3. The clave can be reversed by starting the patterns from the second bar. I chose the clave direction, by what I thought was the most popular direction for that rhythm.
If you have issues regarding clave get a copy my “Odd Meter Clave book”, for an in-depth explanation.

There are no bells or clave blocks in the patterns, instead I have used the sounds of the kit to replicate them. The audio patterns are not always taken verbatim from the written pattern, but generally are very close.

At the bottom of this lesson you can download a bunch of patterns I transcribed from drummers while I was in Cuba. The majority of them can’t be found anywhere else, so download, print, learn and enjoy!


Cascara
Cascara is a stick pattern derived from the rumba, and can be used in many situations such as Mambo, Salsa, Latin Jazz etc. I play the pattern on the cymbal while replicating the sound of the congas on the rim click and toms. This is a very useful pattern and often used to portray a generic Cuban sound.

To see it click here
To hear it click here

Guaguanco
Pronounced “Wah-wahn-co”, it’s one of the styles of Cuban rumba and has a very distinct conga pattern, which I play between the floor and high toms with the left hand while the right hand plays the clave on side of the floor tom.

To see it click here
To listen click here

Guaguanco with Cascara
The title I think is self-explanatory.

To see it click here
To listen click here

Songo
This rhythm came to popularity in the 70’s, and has incorporated elements from folkloric to funk. In the following written example the bass drum strokes in brackets are optional.
In the played version the right hand plays the cymbals, while I move the left hand pattern around the toms.


To see it click here
To hear it click here


Mozambique
Mozambique is derived from the Cuban carnival rhythm called Comparsa. There are two versions, the original created by Pedro Izquierdo, which I’ll call Cuban Mozambique, and version played by Eddie Palmieri in the 60’s called NY Mozambique.

To see the Cuban Mozambique click here
To hear it click here

Here is a tom application of a bell pattern commonly used in the Mozambique. The left had plays the clave on the rim-click of the snare, while the bell pattern is played on the toms with the right hand, however if preferred this can be reversed.

To see it click here
To hear it click here

Now the NY version. The great Elvin Jones liked to use this type of pattern.

To see it click here
To hear it click here

Timba
This is a modern Cuban rhythm, and it’s a kit pattern rather than an application of conga or timbale patterns.

To see it click here
To listen click here

Afro-Cuban 6/8
Sometimes called Bembe. Again this pattern is a combination of traditional bell and conga parts, and very useful to create a generic 6/8 pattern.

To see it click here
To listen click here

Cha Cha
The Cha cha is a very popular dance, created in the 50’s by Enrique Jorrin and was supposed to imitate the sound of the dancers feet. The original percussion instrumentation was timbales, congas and guiro. In this drumset application I have included a couple of typical Cha cha fills


To see it click here
To listen click here
Cuban pattern download document
To download lots of original Cuban drumset patterns, many transcribed while I was in Cuba, Right-Click the link below and click “Save Target As”.


Cuban drumset patterns

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