How to Drum Cover Confetti by Tori Kelly - The 80/20 Drummer

I'm not a hipster when it comes to my music tastes. I don't listen to much Mumford. I dig The National, but I'll usually skip over them to listen to Brotherly or Erykah Badu.

We musicians have two big biases: virtuosity and nuance. It's like chefs with sweetbreads. That's my theory at least.

Here's my point: I like Disclosure. I like Seal. And I like Tori Kelly. I guess she was on American Idol or something. I have no idea. But she can sing her ass off, and she plays the f*&% out of the guitar. She's a better drummer on the guitar than 99% of drummers I hear. And also, I first heard of her through the Guitar Center Drum-Off. That's enough to get you thrown off the hipster "force" on its own. ("Sorry, but I'm gonna need your shield and your weapon.")

Anyway, Tony Royster featured Tori at the 2015 Drum-Off finals, and they played the song that I'm going to feature in this lesson: Confetti. It's a great song to cover for a few reasons:

The original is drumless.

It's got a great pocket that's challenging to lock up with.

It's got an odd meter section you can pull out your chops over;)

A lot of people do drum covers, and a lot do lessons, but for this video I wanted to do a hybrid. It's kind of a "cover with commentary".

Anyway, here’s the transcription:

For the comments, are there any drum or music-nerd tracks on your playlist you’re afraid to show your hipster friends? Actually who am I kidding. You guys are probably all hipsters;)

Anyway, what’s on your playlist? What music are you getting inspired by?

N

The Dana Hawkins Lick - The 8020 Drummer

I work best when I absorb new vocabulary in small bits. Think of a house that’s finished, painted, and furnished. You want to build an addition: I prefer a small addition, that I finish before I add anything new on. Reason - you’re using that house for guests constantly, and don’t want six months of “down time” with missing walls and contractors using your bathroom.

It took me about six weeks after NAMM to return to a baseline from which I could improvise again. I’d bitten off a lot of new vocab from folks like Forrest, Chris, and Maison, and was digesting as quickly as I could. Long story (as it usually is) short, I surfaced some time last week, ready to get after it again, and one of the first things that piqued my interest was the floor-tom-hi-hat-lick from Dana Hawkins’ rendition of OC at the Christmas Shed.

He was doing something different. Something I couldn’t recognize right away. In other words, perfect fodder for a Lesson of The Week.

Anyway, here's the transcription:

For the comments, are there any licks stumping you currently? What are they?

N

Drum Q and A 2 - Nate Answers Viewer Questions

I can't take credit for the idea for this week's lesson.

As you may know I've started sponsoring the Drummers Resource Podcast. It's been fun to hear my ads over interviews with people like Mike Johnston, and it's been a nice kick in the pants to make sure my lessons are on point for a bunch of new eyeballs Nick's sending my way.

Anyway, it's not like I've never answered questions on the 8020 channel. I did a Q and A session last summer. But none since. And this week, with at least 3 collaborations looming and most of my energy spent reshooting some intro videos, I was wondering what I'd talk about on the weekly lesson when I happened to tune into Drummers Resource, and Nick was answering listener questions.

So, idea: stolen. Thanks Nick.

This time I took to Instagram, and folks there gave me plenty to talk about.

Wondering what I discussed?

Get the lesson Here.

For the comments, do you have responses to the viewer questions as well? Let's keep the discush going.
 

Three New Gospel...Licks...for Drums - The 80/20 Drummer

Whatever you call them, the things gospel drummers play are here to stay and we love them.

I recorded this week’s lesson the week after returning from NAMM. Let talk a little more about that experience -

The NAMM show itself, as I remarked to my buddy Mark, is like “The Guitar Center From Hell.”

But it was the group of new friends I made, not the event itself, that made an impression that’s still burned into my memory. The feeling of belonging to the Drum Dojo, even as a white belt. And I’ve been torturing drummers much better than I with iphone videos and “virtural sheds” ever since. (And they - to a one, and to their credit - have been humoring me.)

So this lesson is a direct side effect of that spirit. I would be experimenting with something I was pretty sure I heard Sean Wright do (but which was probably not exactly it, but that’s okay too cause invented something new and individual), then pull out the iphone and shoot it over to one of my new drum buddies. The best few made it into this lesson.

Anyway, here's the transcription:

Also, quick news item: I’ll be in Austin on Memorial Day weekend and would love to do a clinic. I’ll keep you posted.

What should the new name for Gospel @#$% be? Leave a comment below!

N

Play Like Nick Smith Featuring Nick Smith - The 80/20 Drummer

Remember that lesson I was super excited to present to you but I couldn’t reveal yet? This is it.

Three years, when I was just starting the channel, I used to drive to Williamsburg every day to practice, and to beat the boredom of sitting in Traffic, I made YouTube playlists. (That’s also when I got heavily into a channel whose name I’m as a rule no longer going to mention;) Of all my favorites, who soon loomed largest on that playlist, inspiring me to Get After It in the shed, even if I wasn’t feeling it that day?

This week’s guest, Nick Smith.

Nick kicked it into high gear when he started doing videos on the Soul Tone channel. I’d never seen anything like it. Super high-level arrangements, that were musical as well as technical, and drumming to match.

Last month in LA, I was at a church in Compton to watch my friend Chris Paprota do a clinic, along with Andre Montgomery and D’Mile. I was out back enjoying a quesadilla with some new friends, and what floated through the door, but the track The Rise, from one of Nick’s Soultone videos. A track I’d transcribed. Sure enough, there was Nick, and just when I thought my night couldn’t get any better, I met him.

So that’s the genesis of this week’s lesson. Nick and I mutually agreed on the track, and Nick, after watching the lesson, elected to bow out of offering any drumming and simply provide commentary and wisdom.

Anyway, for the comments, tell me about a time you met someone you’d admired for a long time. 
Was it everything you hoped? Was it more? 
 
See you next week, and get After It!

N

 

Two Drum Beats Inspired by Bill Burr - The 80/20 Drummer

Which is more difficult: drums or standup comedy? In comedy, there's nothing to hide behind. And people aren't judging your skill on an instrument - they're judging your personality. Of course, you don't have to learn a whole new language.

Bill Burr makes the comparison easy. He's not just one of the best standups of his time. He also plays the drums. Game, set, match.

"Be that as it may, what does a comedian who knows his way around a set of drums have to do with a drum channel dedicated to deconstructing the best drummers on Earth?"

Good question. Hence the technicality. This isn't a lesson about Bill's drumming per se. I'm sure he's excellent. I've never seen him play. Rather, it's a lesson inspired by Bill, and dedicated to two of his favorite drummers: Phil Rudd and John Bonham. Even so, isn't is a departure from my usual fusion-nerdy repertoire? Yes, but in a way that lets me get Back to Basics and talk about the foundational issues to the channel for a change: playing clean, playing in time, etc. And here's an open secret: making Back in Black feel great isn't easy.

Also, growth hacking. I'm hoping Bill will see this. Hey Bill!

In the next couple of weeks, I think you're going to be very satisfied with the offerings of the channel. Sorry to be cryptic.

For the comments, what non-drum or non-music sources do you draw inspiration from?

See you next week, and get After It!

N

Using Rudiments in a Jazz Drum Solo, Featuring Steve Pruitt - The 80/20 Drummer

Let’s talk about the 500-pound gorilla. I missed a week. I’m sorry. But I’m back, with a great one.

Why am I so confident calling my own lesson “great”? Because it’s not entirely my own. My friend Steve Pruitt joins me for this one, and drops enough value bombs for 3 lessons.

Steve Pruitt is a Drum Expat. A North Texas grad, and former Snarky Puppy regular, Steve moved to Korea a few years ago, and never looked back. If you’re wondering why, just check out his instagram feed. (Food, family, teaching gigs, performing gigs...and did I mention Food?)

I’ve been excited to collaborate with Steve ever since I started following his social media videos.

Steve’s posted his various solos over Youngjoo Song’s tune Yellowbrick Road on his Instagram, and they’re modern-jazz-porn at its best. One particular solo stood out for its cleanness. “It’s like he practiced it in advance.” But of course he didn’t. It’s the solo I hope I’d play in a similar situation. So I learned it.

Anyway, here's the transcription:

As you might have noticed, I’m taking a little break from doing videos of every drummer my audience requests, so I can focus on doing videos with drummers I’m a fan of, who I’m lucky enough to be acquainted with. I promise you this: I’ve got some great ones coming up.

For the comments, who wants to shed? I’ve got a new practice spot where I can 2-drum it. Only requisite? I expect to be shown no mercy;)

N

How to Hack Gospel Chops

So I met Nick smith this week. I'm glad I made the drive to see my friend Chris, even after traffic, exhaustion, and (yes) getting lost in Compton.

Anyway, Nick smith wants you to know a few things. First, that "gospel chops" are a myth.

Hang on...isn't this lesson called How to Hack Gospel Chops? Yes, it is. Very observant. Well, if Nick doesn't believe gospel chops exist, I'm not in a position to argue. But let's just say, like you guys, I want to learn to play what Nick plays, regardless of what we call it. Also, I shot this lesson before meeting Nick.

Anyway, not to worry. I'll learn you. At [not gospel chops], or whatever else you want to call it.

How to Play Jazz Drums with a Bassist

This week I'm excited to bring you another long-requested lesson. Actually, it fulfills two frequent requests: first, people asking for a lesson on how to play with a jazz bassist. Second, people asking for any footage at all of me playing with real musicians.

Who better to oblige me than one of my musical heroes? Remember that Tigran album Chris Paprota and I talked about last month? yea. Sammy played on that. Know who subs for Kaveh Rastegar in Kneebody? (Besides Nate Wood when Mark Guiliana plays drums.) Sammy.

Sammy's also one of the most down-to-earth people I've ever met, and I'm proud to call him a homie. I'm definitely getting the better part of that deal.

Anyway, Sammy was nice enough to swing by the Studio and record some takes with me. We approached it like a mini-group-clinic. We talked through some concepts, then turned on the cameras. What follows is How to Play with a Jazz Bassist.

For the comments, what questions does this lesson answer, and what other questions does it raise? We obviously took a 10,000-foot view.

N

What I Stole from Richard Spaven

So I'm pretty fired up this week. I get to bring you Richard Spaven, and I ought to be thanking You Guys for bringing him to my attention. Richard's my kind of drummer - somebody who demonstrates what musicality, playing clean, killer time, and upload speed are, all without resorting to "chop outs" except occasionally.

But that's not why I'm fired up. I'm fired up because I just off the phone with my bank. I had the conversation we've all had.

"I can't get this to work."

"Yes, I did go to the website and enter things properly."

"No, my mother does Not have another maiden name."

"Yes. I'll hold."

I'll save you the suspense. The actual problem had nothing to do with my Mom. Luckily it only took me 44 minutes to get to the bottom of it.

Sort of like Richard Spaven gets to the bottom of a groove. Told you I'd bring this home...

Anyway, here's the transcription:

For the comments, tell me what other Richard stuff I should check out! I've barely scratched the surface. Thanks for bring You, killaz.

N

How to Play Like Forrest Rice

Guitar center does something both asinine and hilarious at its yearly competition, the Drum Off: it asks the participants who their influences are. When this week's guest stepped up to the kit, the announcer read his influences: "Admiral Akbar, Obi Wan, and the Dark Side.”

I knew I had to get this guy on my channel.

"This guy" is Forrest Rice, and it didn't hurt that he proceeded to melt face with his drum solo, and win the regional round of the competish.

Continuing my attempts to feature next-level drummers you'll hear about soon if you haven't already after Chris Paprota (another guitar center regional winner), Forrest is barely 20 years old, and plays with a fury that belies his thoroughly laid back "west coast...ness".

In this lesson I'll show you how to play Forrest's guitar center solo, then let Forrest show you a variation on his Own lick.

And for the comments this week, does anyone have any drum-related New Year's resolutions? Finally get through the Rudimental Ritual, or buy that 26” kick? Talk about it!

See you soon killaz,

N

Anika Nilles Drummeo Lick

I might have gotten carried away. Fresh off the Chris Paprota collaboration, with plans to make group lessons with a who’s-who of my favorite drummers, many of whom have generously donated their time and ideas, I thought, “why not ask Anika?”

After all, in the recent Drummeo lesson, she did reveal we have a modern hero - Nate Wood - in common. I’d already been a fan of Anika’s, but our mutual esteem for Mr. Wood gave me the foolhardy idea to hit her up.

Not so fast, maybe. In the Drummeo lesson, she revealed it took her a year to find the time to collaborate with Drummeo, one of the biggest drum channels on Earth, but here comes Mr. 80/20, full of youthful bravado, thinking “what can possibly go wrong?”

Well, Anika hasn’t yet gotten back to me. But that doesn’t stop me from bringing her playing to you the same way I’ve done all along, for people like Chris Dave Mr. Guiliana: by Transcription.

In this lesson, I transcribe a fill from the Drummeo lesson that raised my eyebrows - it’s deceptively simple, but played in an unexpected corner of the beat. The, just for fun, I’ll give you a lick of my own. Practice them both, play them both over Anika’s track.

And for those of you still reading, I have four seats left for the LA clinic at the early bird price. If you’re going to be in LA the 20th of January, get them here!

See you soon killaz,

N

Two Licks to Play Over Gilad’s Eye In The Sky

Gilad Hekselman’s music is one of the only things that’s been in steady rotation on my iPhone since around 2010. I listen to One More Song if I want to get fired up in the mornings, or This Just In before I go into the shed. Often, I’ll end a jazz practice session by jamming along to Eye in The Sky. Last month I posted a Facebook video of me playing along, but the quality was low and you couldn’t hear what I was listening to in my headphones.

How do you get better at improvising and start to develop your own voice? In my Asia clinics (sometimes in front of a cadre of 4-5 hard-core fans, lest anybody think I’m bragging;) I spoke about the two “poles” we’re trying to join: at one end, there’s practicing only other people’s vocabulary, from transcriptions or books; at the other, there’s only working on abstractions like Stick Control. How to join the two together?

Listening back to my own playing in the Facebook video, I realized there were several licks I kept coming back to - a few that I was nailing, and a few that needed some work. From my own recording, I picked out several unique things I was doing that needed more work, and I started working on them. In essence, I transcribed Myself.

To bring the two threads together, two of those licks are the subject of this week’s lesson.

And for those of you still reading, I still want to do a small clinic in New York during the first two weeks of January. Interested in attending, and/or know of a venue? Just hit “reply” or comment below the blog post, and let me know!

See you soon killaz,

N

Advanced Odd Meters 1 feat Chris Paprota

I’m pretty excited for this one. When you watch it I think you’ll understand why. Chris Paprota has inspired me for the last six months with his head-turning videos on Facebook. I heard he was looking to get into video lessons, I was looking for badass drummers to collaborate with, and the rest is history.

I should say this lesson has a lot of Me, and relatively less of Chris. We didn’t plan it that way, but that’s how it shook out. Given that we were edging past 20 minutes, we elected to post in installments. Hence, Chris’ response to my last video will be in Part Two.

Ok - odd meters. In this lesson we attempt to wrap our minds around the Sweet Science of math-rock/jazz/pop, choosing, as our primary target, one of its most ingenious purveyors: Tigran Hamasyan.

Anyway, I know why all ya’all are here...

And for those of you still reading, I still have a few Early Bird tickets left for my LA clinic, where I’ll discuss how mortals like us can learn Gospel Chops. Get in here. 

See you soon killaz,

N

Two Licks I Stole From Spanky

It’s been a busy week.

As I ramp up for collaborations numbers 2 and 3, dash off the last videos of Module 12, and prepare for my What About Me lesson, I was again in a position where I needed to dash off a “quickie” lesson to give you guys something to chew on for the next week. (Can’t let you guys get soft;)

It just so happened that one practice device I’m using to learn What About Me inspired some Spanky licks I’d heard players like Arthur Kam use, but that had lain dormant for a few months. “Well,” I thought, “why not just give them those?”

So even though this week’s episode is a shorty (an “in-between-isode” in Ferriss parlance), I think it’s dense with useful drum goodness. The licks contained within it will immediately make your straight 8th playing hipper.

Anyway, I know why all ya’all are here...

And for the comment thread, who thinks my language on this channel is too blue? Who thinks it’s not blue enough?

See you soon killaz,

N

Jazz Ballad Crash Course

Careful what you wish for. Feedback on  my last “mini” lesson was unequivocal: people want shorter lessons if I’m not doing a collaboration or interview.

Not one to ignore good advice, I give you another “shortie”. Jazz ballads are probably the scariest single thing you can do as a drummer. Vast, wide-open spaces, plenty of room to rush or drag, plenty of sonic space for people to hear if your brushes aren’t on point. (Even Jojo gets nervous…)

So I thought I’d give you two simple tools to make your jazz ballads better. First, a ballad pattern that seems to work at multiple tempos, and keeps one brush in motion all-the-time, but also accents the beats to give the band a clue where you are. Second, you know that hipster lick you always hear Ari and Greg doing? I’ve got a version of that. (As usual, I tried to get at the DNA of the lick, not just recite it verbatim.)

Anyway, you’re probably here for the transcription.

And for the comment thread, who’s coming to my LA clinic!?!? It will be either Wednesday Jauary 20, Thursday the 21st, or Friday the 22nd. If it’s thursday I might drag some of you to cocktails with some of my entrepreneur buddies. Oh - and probably in Echo Park/Silverlake. As I’ve said, I’ll get an official announcement out soon!

See you soon killaz,

N

Murder Out Your Backbeat

So I've had a good week. It's not every week a pie-in-the-sky project idea comes to fruition in better form than you conceived it. But that's just what happened with this week’s lesson.

Over the next several months I'm going to be introducing you to some of my favorite drummers on YouTube, and to start things off, I give you Gabe from Drum Beats Online.

I discovered Gabe in my news feed and quickly grew to appreciate what he was doing: breaking down difficult drum concepts in a clear and entertaining way. When I reached out to him to do a collaboration, much less a “group lesson” format from two separate studios - one that would have to be edited together, and would require a lot of back-and-forth - I kept my expectations realistic. To his credit, Gabe was in 100%, demonstrating the “why not” attitude that's doubtless played a big role in his channel’s success.

The lesson covers a topic we’ve both been asked about: how do you play a backbeat without being Boring. You're playing behind a band, so you can't go to Keith-Carlock-Wayne-Krantz territory, but you don't have to stick with just “2 and 4”. In this lesson Gabe and I show you just a few ideas to bust out of your backbeat rut.

Anyway, you’re probably here for the transcription.

And for the comment thread, now that we've identified the format, who would you like to see a collaboration with in the future?

See you soon killaz,

N

Kendrick Scott Crossstick Lick

I made a short one for you guys this week. Why? I was bored, so I’m planning a trip to LA for drum clinics, NAMM, and Korean barbecue. Also, I’ve been hard at work on my collaboration videos.

None of which is meant to imply that this week’s topic is a throwaway. Some of my most popular lessons are “shorties” I dash off before it’s onto the next. If Philly Joe elevated the crosstick lick to state-of-the-art, Kendrick Scott murdered it out. I’ve long been a fan of unorthodox crosstick techniques (Marcus? Daddy?), and I seized upon this busy week as an opportunity to showcase a few of them. I’m giving you just enough to grab the proverbial ball and run with it on your own.

Anyway, you’re probably here for the transcription.

Now let’s talk about the clinics. NAMM is the week after MLK Day, in Anaheim. The plan is to fly in on Monday, post up in LA for the week, do a clinic, then head down to the ‘heim for a day-or-two of the convention. This is not the formal announcement for the clinics, but it is the elevator pitch/proof-of-concept. As with the Asia clinics, I’m crowdsourcing this whole thing.

Best - do you have a venue and a local reach, and are you willing to promote. Shout at me!

Great - do you know of or work at a venue you’d be willing to rent me, and can you assist in getting the word out (sharing facebook posts and videos to your page, etc)?

Good, and much appreciated - do you have any ideas about people I should hit up who might be able to help me get a clinic off-the-ground, good places to stay (off-the-grid nabes with killer AirBNB deals, etc). It’s all appreciated!

If you’re in any of those categories, please hit “reply” and let’s talk! I appreciate you!!

How to Comp for Jazz Drums

Practically any place modern drummers place the hi hat in ostinato situations can trace its roots to Max Roach.

Why? It was Max who was the “grandfather” of odd meters. Want to play in 3? There’s a Max beat for that. 5? 6? 7? Check!

Which brings me to the primary subject of this week’s lesson: why does it sometimes feel awkward to play the hi hats on “2 and 4”? (This is a question I got asked in Thailand.) The reason, I realized, is that sometimes you have to play phrases that don’t conform neatly to 4 beats. Well then, where are you supposed to play the hats?

I dealt with this issue somewhat in the lesson “How to (Really) Play Jazz Drums”, and I have templates for it in my course, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized all these “logical” ways of playing the hi hat have analogs in Max Roach beats. Could studying Max be a shortcut to comping in modern music situations? As a student of Marcus Gilmore and Justin Brown, I have to say of course.

Anyway, you’re probably here for the transcription.

And for the comment thread this week, what challenges you when you’re trying to play backbeat grooves like Keith Carlock, Jojo/Mark/Zach (the KimYe or BenIfer of our time?) or Nate Wood? I’m doing the first of my collaborations of this fall/winter with Gabe of the excellent channel Drum Beats Online, and we want to tackle phrasing in modern backbeats. Hit me with your questions!

How to Steal From Max Roach

Three weeks ago, before my Asia trip began, I put out the call on Instagram: what should I make my next jazz lesson about. Responses ran the gamut, from comping at fast tempos to...coordination. And I’m sorry to say this lesson is about none of those.

But I believe it will satisfy you, because it answers the spirit of many of the questions I get about jazz drumming: “if I’ve never played legit jazz drums before, where do I begin? And what’s authentic?”

Well, it doesn’t get much more authentic than Mr. Roach. Anyway, the lick I cover in this lesson was inspired by Max, but I’ve heard Philly Joe and Jimmy Cobb play it as well. As well they should: it’s just a combination of two extremely simple rudiments. Which is sort of my point: jazz isn’t necessarily a whole different vocabulary. It’s familiar things, just in a slightly different context.

In this lesson, I expand on the ways Max used this lick, then I show you how I would use it in “modern” playing. (Though I’m sure there are those who will say “Max was modern!” and in one very important sense they’re right.)

Anyway, you’re probably here for the transcription.

And for the comment thread this week, another “selfish” one - what’s your favorite thing to do on a long flight, and what do you most look forward to when visiting New York? (I’m going to need both in two short days;) (You can also comment about drums or the lesson;)