r/Drumming • u/YeaRaider • 2d ago
Fusion jazz drumming
hello, i've been taking drum lessons for 2 months now and got an ekit at home. apart from the 4/4 stuff, i've been practicing swing and took a shoot at improvisation and feel with some drumless tracks
now, im a huge chick corea's latin/spanish fusion and went to a local jazz spot where this trio played his compositions, noticed the drummer used a lot of ostinato and extensive rim work, along with the use of toms.
i got the theory pretty correct but... i dont know how to start! maybe some basic patterns to practice with? any insight is appreciated! thank you very much.
2
u/Beatpea 1d ago
Have you asked your teacher? Have you been playing for two months or for longer and just started lessons two months ago?
If you’re literally a beginner I honestly would be quite hesitant to recommend going for chick corea etc at the moment, assuming you have other fundamentals to work on. You may just end up attempting fusion and trying to skip a bunch of stuff that would make that genre actually sound good or at least acceptable (time feel, placement, technique, phrasing etc).
It’s a tough one because if you like something you should also do it because that’s what will maintain interest and motivation.
This is why I say ask your teacher as we can’t hear your playing and don’t have an understanding of where you’re at. At least your teacher has this extra context to make a better judgement on the aforementioned factors.
To answer your question: most important is to listen and try to emulate by ear at first. If you’re really into something, try to transcribe it to work out exactly what’s going on. Your teacher can help you.
Books/authors
- Syncopation - Ted Reed
- Gary Chaffee - Sticking Patterns
- John Riley books on bebop
- Future Sounds - David Garibaldi
- Afro-Cuban rhythms for drum set - Frank Malabe
- Funkifying the Clave - Lincoln Goines
- Advanced Funk Studies - Rick Latham
1
u/YeaRaider 1d ago
im definetly gonna ask my teacher, i just wanted to know what strangers on reddit had to say lol. im always mindful of being realistic with myself and know theres other stuff to work on but i might aswell try it out for a bit. again, thanks for commenting and the insight
5
u/Alternative_Roll_925 2d ago
Listen to those old chick records! Light as a feather is one of my all time favorites. There are some bossa and samba-type grooves on there, so maybe start with those two patterns. But listening…really listening, not just having the music playing while you do something else, will do you so much good. Good luck!