You can’t learn how to drum in a jazz tune just by “learning the beat” for that song. That’s not how it works. There is no single “beat” for a tune. Sure, you can absolutely learn the groove that a specific drummer played on a given recording. That can be a great starting point. If you want to imitate one or two choruses of what the drummer on the recording did, then learning a transcription of it can help. It can also give you insight into how to play in the style of that player on that tune. That’s a helpful learning experience but it can also be misleading.
Listen closely to the recording. Or better yet, listen to a live performance or live recording. Almost always, the drummer will be changing what they play as the performance progresses. They will respond to who is soloing, what they are playing, and they will do it in real-time. It isn’t choreographed; it isn’t pre-planned.
How to learn jazz drumming
Jazz in live performance is interactive, responsive, changeable and unfolds differently every time a tune is played. It is improvised.
So what, then, should you learn in order to play tunes in a jazz style?
- Certainly, go ahead and learn a representative example of the original recording you like
- Learn generic ‘feels’ and grooves. These have broad umbrella names like Swing, Latin, Funk, Bossa, Boogaloo, Straight 8s ballad, and so on. Bands and drummers tend to play tunes in one of these feels. So, for instance, you might play Satin Doll with a swing feel, Song For My Father as a boogaloo, or Corcovado as a bossa. As your study of jazz drumming progresses, you’ll discover subtypes and variations within each of these very broad genres.
- Learn how to improvise a drum part to go with different tunes in the different styles. Avoid trying to learn a specific ‘beat’ for every different song. Instead, be able to play drums in different styles and create drum parts in real time that go with what you see on the lead sheet and, most importantly, what you hear the other members of your band playing.
Further steps
Of course, there is more to learn than just these three steps which offer a general guide as to the kinds of thing you should be learning. You should also learn and practice other aspects of drumming such as rudiments and their practical application to real playing, efficient playing methods, good time, touch, and tone. A good teacher, plenty of listening to recorded examples, and a bit of hard work will all prove invaluable.
