Triplet Independence

If you're a "jazz" drummer, chances are you already have a sheet that looks something like this, or have worked on these patterns without a sheet.  As I've been into a lot of Bill Stewart lately, who plays many triplety ideas such as these, I figured I'd whip up an exhaustive work sheet.

If you're new to jazz drumming and four-way independence, this sheet is a must do as these phrases can be the building blocks to bigger things.  Play time on your ride cymbal (don't alter the sticking just yet) and, where applicable, play the hi-hat on 2 and 4.  You can also play around around with feathering the bass drum in the examples that don't have a written bass part.  Use a metronome sounding only on 2 and 4, or better yet, play along to a recording of your favorite drummer.

Even if you're an experienced player, work your way through this sheet and see what happens.  If you're human like the rest of us, there will almost certainly be a few of these that feel a little more awkward that the others.

The examples are intentionally not numbered.  If you read downward the rhythm stays the same while the voicing changes.  Read across, and the voicing remains while the rhythm shifts.  Or, of course, you can always just choose at random, or choose the ones that work best (or worst) for you.

E-mail me for a PDF.