The Frugal Drummer | Pt. 1 | Heartbreaker

Hey folks, Darren Scorza here. This is the first of a series of articles featuring a common theme. I’m calling it “The Frugal Drummer”. Throughout these articles, I’ll show you some of the ideas that I’ve developed using just “Syncopation” and “Stick Control”.

I still remember the day that Prof Lane started showing me the Alan Dawson method of using Syncopation to develop jazz independence. Ever since then I’ve been trying different ideas, and trying to come up with other challenges using these methods. Of course, Stick Control can also be used at the drumset. And this is nothing new, all kinds of drummers have come up with cool exercises using these books. Gary Chester’s New Breed takes these concepts even further.

Books with very specific applications are very useful, but I don’t seem to find a lot of uses for what’s in them, beyond a purely technical proficiency. However, many of the exercises I’m gonna display were created to fix a certain technical problem I was having. One day’s new exercise was yesterday’s screw-up on the bandstand. I hope you enjoy working through them, and please contact me with an comments or questions.

Please go along with me on these titles. My third favorite book is Charles Wilcoxon’s “Modern Rudimental Swing Solos” book. I always loved the weird titles. Enjoy!!

So here we go with part one of “the Frugal Drummer.”

The Heartbreaker:

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I’m sure many of you caught this year’s superbowl, which featured Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. There was good old Steve Ferrone laying it down like he always does. I’ve always been amazed by his easy going, huge pocket.

I’m particularly impressed by how he plays these up tempo, 2&4 rock numbers like “Running Down a Dream” or “You Wreck Me”.

Anyhow, I stumbled upon a little exercise that’s helped me to get closer to Ferrone’s groove. The basic beat is just 1 &3 on the kick, and 2&4 on the snare. Hihat is playing quarter notes on the studio versions, but he also plays 8th’s with a slight accent on the quarter note pulse. Please check out the tunes, or type ‘em into YouTube for some live footage.

This is way more bass drum than you would play on a tune like this, but it will be quite a workout. Better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it, I like to say. Also, try to keep the snare hits as relaxed as possible, perhaps you’ll have to sway to-and-fro in a “faux-ferrone” style!

For these exercises we will use the tried and true “Syncopation” book, Exercises One thru Eight, page number 37 or 38 depending on which printing you have. Come on… you know which ones I’m talking about.

Heartbreaker #1:

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Hi hat plays quarters, snare on 2&4. Bass drum reads the line. Be careful to line up the unison snare and bass hits that will occur. As my audio file shows, this is harder than it looks.

Heartbreaker #2:

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Now we use what my students and I call “Beat Replacement”. Any note in the written line that falls on 2&4 is now “replaced” by the snare drum. I also tell my students that we are “orchestrating” the line. This is really closer to what you’d play on a gig.

Heartbreaker #3:

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Now we’ve added 8th notes in the Hihat. You can play ‘em real straight, or with a slight push on the quarter pulse.

Heartbreaker #4:

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Of course getting out of this little right foot nightmare is tricky, so we need to work on some fills. I usually have my students work out a fill in bars 7-8, 15-16, and so on.

1. Left hand on the Hihat
2. Right hand on a floor tom playing the 8th’s, kind of a Green Day thing with chops.
3. Play the 8th’s on a ride or x-hat, and stomp quarters on the hihat.

If anything, you’ll get up from the stool and feel like you just did about 500 leg curls.

Next time “Stick Control ala Pietro”. These are some Latin exercises stolen from great Latin drumming talent Dafnis Prieto.

Darren A. Scorza

http://www.darrenscorza.com/

Tags: darren scorza, drums, Exercises, stick control