Fundamentals for Jazz Drumming | Masterclass

Are you interested in learning about jazz music but unsure where to start? Or are you keen to take your technical abilities at the drum kit to a new creative level? If so, this one day course is for you!  We are now offering students an in-depth workshop to develop a solid foundation for playing and understanding jazz music. 

This course is designed to help students understand the theory of jazz (context, structure and development of the genre) and leave with a full tool kit of basic grooves and foundational technical concepts to get up and running. This will allow you to confidently get started with playing in a jazz setting and have a new set of skills to approach other styles that you might already have experience with.

The topics covered during the course will include:

• Playing “swing” time
• Four way co-ordination with the ride cymbal
• Basic Jazz grooves for keeping time using Ride, Hi-hat, Toms and Brushes
• Technique, Feel, Dynamics, Speed and Timing
• Off beat phrasing for interaction and expression
• Using rudiments in a Jazz context
• Soloing and Improvisation. Jazz song forms and structure. Reading “lead sheet” charts.
• Hybrid Jazz amd “Latin” concepts and approaching odd time signatures.

This workshop will emphasise playing as well as understanding how to listen and create. While the context will be solely jazz music, the skills which you will learn are applicable across any genre of music – coordination, use of the whole kit, developing a wide vocabulary, improvising and soloing, emphasising creativity.

Ability level – intermediate technical and theory ability required (approx grade 3/4 and above).