Playing With Brushes

In this video lesson, I want to share with you some jazz brush beats. Now if you don’t have a pair of brushes, I suggest you run up the store immediately and go grab some. There are very many different brushes on the market and since I played Vic Firth and sticks and brushes I prefer the Vic Firth brushes. I used three different types of brushes. I used the Steve Gadd brush and I also used Steve Robert handle heritage brush. Slightly different sound and that is personal thing with the Vic Firth, Steve Gadd brush, the end is bent a little bit. It’s like fine and I get a little bit more or the swish sound and I do a heritage. The difference might be slight when you’re playing and you’re really into the music, you’ll only notice the difference. So you can make your choice. The idea of playing with brushes is to really develop a full type of sound. You’re not going to play typical rock beat with brushes for various reasons because they just completely different and drumsticks too. Now, there’s three different ways to hold brushes and there’s three different ways to play brushes. I won’t get in to all the details right now, but you can basically play them like you just hold your drumsticks, and the weight of them is a lot different than actual drumsticks, so you have to get used to actually filling is in your hand. What I suggest for you guys who have never played brushes before is just pick them up you know extend the brush to its almost fullest length like that, and just play in the air for a while, so you’ve hum and get used to the weight. And you know the weight is distributed from the wires. It’s a little weird at first but you know a little bit of practice anything is possible. Now, if you notice in the sheet music provided, you’ll notice this note with this long type of ties. Now all that means we’re going to do some swishing type of sounds. And it’s completely up to you whether you decide you want to swish away from your body or swish into your body. So I tell you can practice without even sitting behind the drum is just grab your brushes just like you’re swimming, you know, doing this kind of thing or pull in towards you. I prefer pushing out because to me that just feels more natural. It’s not better. It’s just the personal preference. So let me demonstrate exercise number one for you. [Demonstration] Now in exercise number two, we’re going to be swishing or keeping time with the left hand as the brush remains constantly on the head. And your right hand is going to be playing the jazz right pattern on the snare, something like this. [Demonstration] Exercise number three, watch this closely if you notice from the last couple of exercises when I'm playing time with the swishing pattern, it has to remain consistent. So, if you’re thinking quarter notes, I would suggest thinking of the snare drum as a clock. We’re having 12 o’clock, three o’clock, six o’clock and nine o’clock and you choose where your constant holds are going to be, whether you want it on nine o’clock, 10 o’clock, 4 o’clock and so on. That’s completely up to you whatever feels good, there’s no real rule that is right. As long as you’re in time, that’s the very important thing. It always depends on the tempo that I'm playing at because if I'm playing very slow, if I'm going one, two, three, four I noticed that my pulse is always on 12 o’clock that just the habit that I develop, and it’s not a bad habit. It’s a good one. So whatever works for you if you’re pulling in you might want to have your pulse at six o’clock. So this should be going for the left hand. Now, with exercise number three, we’re still playing the jazz right pattern, but we’re going to be swishing from beat one to beat two, topping the left of two swishing beat three, topping the left of four. This is a great one you’ll probably you just want for everything you do. This is like a great generic beat that it will get you through every jazz that you ever, ever had to do. Watch this. [Demonstration] So that concludes the section of the jazz brush beats. So be sure to practice your brush plan very slow tempos for ballads. If you’re on a brush gig you might have to play very, very slow for some really super slow ballads. Sometimes playing with sticks that super slow tempo, you don’t get that same fill. Also make sure that if you ever going to get brushes I mean I would suggest giving the retractable ones. The reason being is because you can put them in your stick bag in, your hardware case wherever you want to put them, and their not going to get damage. There are some brushes on the market that stay retracted like that and the problem is that they bend and after they bend you have to get wire cutters, cut the ends off and it says it’s a real drag. Another thing you want to make sure off is that you’re playing with some musicians that asked you to bring your brushes. I’ve been in a lot of instances where I brought my brushes and they really hoped that I brought something like these Vic Firth taller ones or rods it’s also a nickname, is be sure that the musicians who are very clear on what they want. I would say you want wire brushes or do you want my Wood Dowel sticks. It’s a complete different sound between this and this. Enjoy.