How to NOT Get Lost in a Drum Solo
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- learnjazzdrums...
In this lesson, I talk about what you can do as a drummer to make sure that you don't get lost when playing a Jazz drum solo.
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So as we know from last week, it’s important to know the form, the sections, the melody, and the lyrics to whatever song we plan to play. Granted, many standards don’t have lyrics, but the vast majority of them do. So learn them! It will only help you stay in the form.
Drum solos in Jazz are different than most other styles. When soloing on a standard, it’s the drummer’s responsibility to keep the time, and the form. And as it so happens, the drum solo is usually last, which means that if the drummer messes up the form, getting back into the melody could severely suffer.
Step 1: Know the Form!
If you don’t know the form like the back of your hand, how can you keep your place while improvising? It won’t be easy. So make sure to learn the form. If you play a gig and don’t know a song, write it down. Add it to the list of songs to learn.
If there was a particular song you thought you knew but messed up the drum solo form, practice it, and make sure you truly know the form.
Step 2: Clearly Mark the Sections.
When you’re first learning Jazz and playing a solo on a standard form, don’t be afraid to mark the sections. If you’re a beginner, play a big beat one every 8 bars, and note which section it is in your head.
If you’re more advanced than that, try some other options to clearly mark the form, as you sing the melody in your head.
Keep in mind that, even as an advanced player, a band is going to appreciate a clearly marked form. If your entire solo is non stop, over the barline stuff, no matter how clean and perfect it was, the band might get lost. If they get lost, it’s most likely your fault.
Step 3: Reference the Melody
If you’re a beginner, try referencing the melody at the beginning of each section to keep you on track, and make sure that you’re always keeping track of where you are.
Step 4: Hi-Hat on 2 and 4
As a beginner, keep the hi-hat on 2 and 4 going at all times during your solo. This is important to make sure the time is solid and ensures that no matter what you play on the drums, your foot is keeping time, and keeping you locked into the form.
So even if my solo gets crazy, or wonky, the hi-hat is going right on time, for the band to track.
If you’re more advanced, playing the hi-hat all the time might be a little overkill, but just as I mentioned before, it can help the band stay with you, and ensure that your time is solid, no matter how clear your solo was.
Step 5: Clarity
Clarity is important in all levels of playing. When you’re soloing, if your ideas aren’t clear, not only will the band get lost, you’ll get lost as well. You need to be sure that the ideas you go to play come out clear on the drums.
Now keep in mind, clarity is different than cleanliness. In my opinion, some of the best drummers played less clean but had great clarity. Their intention as to what they were playing was clear, but their ideas were less “clean”
Both are great! But I’m just pointing out that to have clarity, you don’t have to necessarily play “clean”.
Make sure your ideas speak on the drums and come across clearly. This will develop over time as you progress and get more comfortable improvising, and will simultaneously help you to not get lost. If your ideas come out clear, then you’ll know where you are, and the band will as well.
So those are the 5 steps for not getting lost in a drum solo. The first is the big one, know the form. Then, clearly marking sections will help you keep your place, along with referencing the melody. Keeping the hi-hat on 2 and 4, and playing with clarity will ensure that your time stays solid, and you have a consistency to rely on when playing a solo.
So as a beginner, think about the form, mark every section, play the melody on the drums if you need to, keep the hi-hat going, and make sure your ideas are clear, no matter how simple they have to be. It takes a lot of time, but it’s worth the work in the end.
There’s nothing better than playing a well-crafted drum solo that followed the form, brought something new to the table, and leads the band right back in perfectly for the melody.
And as a more advanced player, you’ll probably be able to keep your place, but it’s important to keep the band with you. So mark sections creatively and as often as musically fits, reference the melody when it fits, keep the hi-hat going when necessary, and play with clarity so that everyone can hear what you played, as opposed to “what you were going for”.
I hope this, along with the last video will help you on your path to not getting lost playing Jazz. It’s a vital skill to learn as a Jazz drummer, and well worth your time.
so well done ... concise and full of quality information
Anthony Amodeo much appreciated! Thanks so much for watching 🙌🏻
Man this channel is an absolute gem! You’re a fantastic teacher and can really put your money where your mouth is. Such clarity and fluidity in your playing. Thank you!!
I've spent the last 12 months working on this and it has been super helpful. For me starting with simple ideas and thoroughly being able to hum the melody were game changers. Now I'm focusing on the clarity of my ideas and slowly getting more advanced ideas mixed into my soloing.
Very awesome lesson, thank you for sharing.
Thanks for both your lessons. This has been the best jazz drum lessons I’ve ever found on You Tube. I’ve been hearing the terminology AABA etc, being thrown around with some more advanced musicians than me and no one ever explained it fully during our practice sessions. Being predominantly self taught, your lessons will help me no end. Thanks again for great explanations , tips and teaching skills. 💫
9:30 pm (eastern) I really like the way you present your topics. Very to the point and easy to understand. I will keep studying! Thanks!
All of me with some Max roaching In it!
good lesson and nice shirt
This is good also for the non drummers who tend to get lost during the drum solo
Real good, great way of explaining and great playing too.
Yeah... I need to learn the basics and come back to this lesson... this is WAY over my head. 🥴
Awesome video and lovely playing man!
Fantastic descriptions and explanations! Just subscribed.
Really helpfull video!! clean and clear
🤯 I'm lost... I need a beginner version of this! 🤦♀️
"So that's really obvious"
Me, a non jazz player: I'm lost
Really helpful. Thanks a lot for putting in the time to make this video. I struggle with creating solos that contain more advanced ideas that I can normally play well because I'm too busy singing the melody or keeping track of the form in some way. Is that a case of not knowing the tune well enough or not having chops and licks that have been mastered as muscle memory?
Very helpful, thanks!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
What size and type of your three drums?
Incredible lesson!!
Glad to hear, Thanks for watching!
Hi can u do a lesson about paradiddle diddle
Hello, thanks for this very useful video ! Do you have any tips for ''feeling'' these 8 bars ? Maybe singing in the head and improvising over this ?
Yeah, singing in your head to start is good. Over time, you'll be able to feel 8 bars inside your soul! haha
Experienced but weaning decades of bad habits, I constantly get lost in full chorus drum solos (never lost in 4 or 8 bar trading.) This is because I don't read music sheets. What then, can I do?
I think following the steps I laid out is the best option, and to really make sure you know the melody. You can also play over a recording of a melody, and try improvising on top of that while hearing both
Hmmm looks like a 24 ride? 🤔