Thanks 🙏 really appreciate your feedback - love your channel as well! Btw. Please have a look at artofdrumming.com where we also have a couple of courses with John Riley. It’s completely for free- curious about your Feedback
I listened to Dolores from the Miles Smiles album. And yes, if you only listen to the right channel, you will hear that Tony Williams is featering almost all the time. Great advise.
Superb lesson of feathering the bass drum. I listened to Dolores by Miles Davis, it was so hard to hear the bass drum, only after a few minutes I could distinguish a very weak pulse in the low frequencies. It really is super quiet, and definitely a blend, don’t cut, type of sound.
Thanks for your feedback Carlos. If you haven’t already make sure to sign up at ArtOfDrumming.com - it’s completely for free and you get access to all John Riley courses.
Hey Drakaus, thanks for sharing this. But still how do you like his explanation? Btw I am a Jazz Drummer but totally enjoy the explanations about foot technique which George Kollias gave us when we filmed courses for ArtOfDruming.com in our studio ...
Actually these different types of music (jazz, metal, blues, country, classical, folk, Afrobeat etc etc) are much more closely related than we sometimes think. I’m a jazz player but I hear interesting things in metal … to my ear, modern metal usually sounds like blues played much harder and with more double pedal (or 2 BD) chops 😎 - and remember …. The pioneers of double kick setups were jazz drummers like Louie Bellson.
Right, not to question John at all, that would be highly inappropriate. But isn't that the matter of preference and style? I see drummers like Joe LaBarbera and Willie Jones III feathering all the time. I don't see Dave Weckl in his jazz playing (all the more that he only plays heel up, can anyone feather heel up?) or Jack DeJohnette feathering at all. Neither Bill Stewart. Am I wrong with these guys? Did Elvin Jones feather at any time? What I like listening to is the bass drum as an equal participant in the conversation with the other voices within the drum kit and with the other instruments. Always ready to play on the beat, off the beat, anywhere, on the two trip-let notes, etc. I gather you can lock the bass drum on the quarter note and then unlock it when you want. For me locking the bass drum on the quarter notes then unlocking it to play something very syncopated, and then locking it again is a bit strange. I rather want to develop the ability to use the bass drum melodically, just like the snare drum, to play full phrases, bass drum - snare drum combinations, use the bass for counter point, etc. Very active rather than static bass drum use. But just seeing what Willie Jones III does is well, amazing.
Uhh I think you should thump loud enough for the rhythm section can hear it but the not the audience! Hide it isn,t enough blend to the bass. Equal partner in the thump. I think the term listen can be misunderstood by drummers! The drummer should never ever adjust the groove to where other people want it!!! Drive the bus! The lead counts it off . Grab that then your job is to hold down the fort!!! Conservative players don,t like that sometimes but players will look at you and give you the yeah man nod!
Time and place for various approaches. But be open minded... you're trying to correct one of the world's top performers and teachers on the topic. Riley hits on it in the video a little bit: time is often controlled by the upright bass in a jazz setting, not the drummer. The drummer communicates other things like form, volume, etc. If time is coming from drummers, cymbals are very effective for communicating time. The bass drum is a) occupying a similar frequency range of the bass so it covers them up or makes things muddy and b) used to reinforce hits. Using it as a time keeper in addition to that is just asking for a muddy mix. Theres also the whole collaborator vs dictator dichotomy when it comes to time. Again, time and place. If you are only ever one or the other, you drastically limit your abilities and opportunities.
Bassplayer: Yeeees amazing . Drummer, What is this ??? Boring!!!!. My advive to the boring drummer - ( by the way ou sucks) Play only the cymbal and go to sleep and let the bassplayer do his fantastic job!