Latin & Swing :: Jazz Drum Set

[jamez123123]

I reallllly want to see all of this!!!

[ToBiCoRe014]

Very Good!!

[Yginoo]

perfect ride :)



[xxbatman94xx]

God....you are sooo good....

[WindyCityJazz]

Awesome drumming! Was that "Caravan" that you guys were playing?

[drumology2001]

Thank you! And yes, you nailed it. ;)

[DravenstarParanormal]

Very cool. I love the technique.

[drumology2001]

Duuuuuuuuudddddddeeee I will! Check my website out over the next few months as I start rolling out my video lessons, my friend. Also, I'm thinking about doing one-on-one lessons via Skype, if you'd be interested in that. Just let me know.

[Wolfparade51]

The ride seriously sounds amazing.

[SICKSxNINE]

MONSSSOOOOOONNNNNNN

[catscratchfever666]

This guy never ceases to amaze me, the groove his gives off from his playing is great!...long live monster monsoon munson :-p

[drumology2001]

Wow - how did you know my nickname? In middle school, people used to yell "MonSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!" to me from the bleachers or theater seats (depending on whether I was playing sports or performing in a concert). :)

[drumology2001]

My other nickname is "D-ROCK", in case you wanted to know that. I prefer that more than "Monsoon", for the record. ;)

[vilitspiipol]

Am I wrong if I guess that this is not improvised playing?

[drumology2001]

Yep, you are! It's all improvised, on the spot. No charts - just jazz musicians doing what they do best: flying by the seat of their pants! :D

[bomberbadj]

@drumology2001 that's what makes this SO GREAT. I love to watch fellow musicians jam.

[milancurva]

nice, speed is good yeah but... The technique that's the amazing thing

[grimsrage]

honestly just practies alot. event when your in line at anystore or riding in the caar, right hand going 1,2&3,4. left hand 2&4.

[pinoyhellahoy]

This is like so intense!!

[bluesbutcher590213]

what types of excercises would you recommend to develop a consistent ride cymbal quarter note?

[drumology2001]

Not sure. Metronome? For hours? That's my guess. :D

[WinterWineStudio]

@bluesbutcher590213 START SLOW and build speed slowly :)

[f2theorrest]

#BANANAS

[drumology2001]

Is that supposed to be, like, a POUND of BANANAS? ;)

[f2theorrest]

@drumology2001 dude 45 is like #OMG

[ianidinuse]

what do you have to train on to play the ride cymbal that fast ?

[drumology2001]

Can you rephrase that? I'm not sure how to answer your question... =\

[BrownBoyRosh]

@ianidinuse Train your wrist?

[poisonfree81]

dude, what cant you do on a drum set?!?!?

everything just flows together like it should, it sounds so good, are you endorsed btw?

[drumology2001]

HA! There's quite a few things, all of which I am working on: left foot cowbell clave (a la "El Negro"), double strokes on a double bass drum pedal, and left hand lead on hi-hats, among others.

Yes, I have deals with Genesis Drums, Soultone Cymbals, Silverfox Drumsticks, Impact Cases, and DrumStarWear clothing. You learn more at derekmunson (dot) com.

[poisonfree81]

haha sounds like youre one lucky fellow

im also trying to learn the double strokes kinda tricky if you ask me

[drumology2001]

Not lucky - I've worked hard at drumming all my life, and in the last few years, the work has paid off! I can thank YouTube for some of that, too - makes it easy to get your foot in the door when companies can see you playing. :D

Yeah, I don't know if I'll ever get the double stroke/double BD thing down. I may just leave that to the Thomas Langs of the world. :)

[poisonfree81]

thomas lang, what a beast lol

[ianidinuse]

0:42 was the bomb , derek !

[drumology2001]

Thank you! That groove is a modified version of a Latin groove that a friend of mine used to play all the time. I liked it, lifted it from him, and then changed it to use more toms.

[jazztification]

My apologies, i just found out you are Derek Munson.

[drumology2001]

I don't get it...was that supposed to be a joke? Or a dig at me? =\

[jazztification]

Neither. I collect Caravan versions (I really love the theme) and very recently I came accross a solo one by Jeff Hamilton, but I have never seen him or his picture (I'm not from the US and have been a jazz fan for a few years only). Your sound reminded me of that. Is that bad?

[drumology2001]

Oh no! Not bad at all. I'm certainly not Jeff (I wish I was!), but I try to get that Hamilton sound sometimes. I'm flattered by your confusion, I think. ;)

[jazztification]

Oh, good! Pity yours is not complete... it could have made my number 260 caravan : /

[jazztification]

@drumology, forgive my question... are you Jeff Hamilton?

[uriangatobataclan]

Very nice job chocking cymbals... that's been always an issue for me, any sugestions for practicing? Nice playing too. Audio is not very good though. Regards from Mexico, peace.

[drumology2001]

Thanks for the kind words. With cymbal chokes, I find that knowing which cymbal you're going to choke is they key issue; a lot of guys want to do a choke, but they just hit a cymbal and THEN try to choke it. You have to make a coordinated approach with both hands simultaneously; that way you're grabbing the cymbal before it can get to squirrelly and wobbly from the crash. Make sense? Hope so. ;)

[69drummerdan]

Jazzy my boy, just jazzy.(in my best Thurston Howell the 3rd voice)

[drumology2001]

HA! Nice Gilligan's Island cross-reference there! I can hear the voice in my head - funny. ;)

[lastthursday1]

dude i gotta say i didnt expect this kind of drumming when i first came across ur vids, u make me wanna play my kit so much and hope to be able to play like u

thanks -scott

[drumology2001]

Thanks so much, man! Do it - play your kit so much. You can only get better and better, right? Right!

BTW, is this Scott from Mike's Lessons? The new student? If so, welcome to the family! Sorry I didn't get to say hi earlier today (again, assuming this is who you are). :D

[lastthursday1]

sorry no this isnt the person ur thinking of

but thanks for commenting back!

[drumology2001]

In that case, it's nice to meet you, OTHER Scott from the Internets. :D

How long have you been playing? And out of curiosity, what kind of drumming DID you expect when you came across my vids? I'm curious what you meant by that. :)

[lastthursday1]

i have been playing for 5 years and what i meant by what i said was i thought you would be an ok drummer but after seeing your videos i see your an amazing drummer

[drumology2001]

Thanks for the compliment, Scott. Sorry I didn't wow you at first...I can have an underwhelming first impression sometimes. :D

[utubeworms]

Killer jazz drumming! What kind of drums are you playing?

[drumology2001]

Thank you! The kit I'm using here is the first kit I ever bought: a Yamaha Stage Custom Standard (out of production now). I liked them so much that after I became an endorser for Genesis Drums (which I play now), I had my kit modeled after this kit, only with 100% American Maple shells. I still use Yamaha hardware to this day. ;)

[therealdanyail]

wow! i didn't expect to find such talent in this video ... congratulations this is great, smooth and groovy!!!!! very good sounding set also ...

[drumology2001]

Thank you so much! What a kind and lovely compliment. You are too nice. :D

I see you favorite'd a video of Eric Harland, so that confirms my thought that you have extraordinarily good taste. (HA!) ;)

[therealdanyail]

thanks! yes eric harland, chris dave are some of my best loved ones!!

[The4thGuy]

What kind of drum heads do you use, on both batter and resonant?

[drumology2001]

Remo Coated Ambassadors on Batter side, Remo Clear Ambassadors on Resonant side.

[The4thGuy]

Thanks.

[mfFerdi]

knows anyone the name of the drumer??

[drumology2001]

My name is Derek Munson. :D

You can check out more at my website, which is derekmunson (dot) com.

[dragflamdrummer]

ahhh dude you're killing me with the HHX evolution! i love them! i want them now hahaha XD

[drumology2001]

Wow - you're really into them! I'll admit: they're not the best for small group jazz, but they're great for big band and everything else, so it's worth the money.

[TheItalianDrummer]

ive been playing drum set for 4 yrs. ive been (attempting at) playing jazz for like 3 months now. I dont really get what jazz drummers do. If you dont get what i mean, here's an example: Rock drummers play loud beats, funk drummers play fast paced and cool high hat beats. But what do jazz drummers play like? And how can I fix my jazz playing?

[drumology2001]

I think that, by generalizing what drummers from different genres "do," you're doing yourself a disservice. Especially as it relates to jazz, there isn't a clean and packageable set of traits or characteristics that define the genre. To try and classify jazz drummers using the parameters set above would be nearly impossible, except to say this: "we play what the music *moves us* to play." I believe it's a more intimate, emotional, and individual connection to the music.

My $0.02, anyway. :D

[drumerart8]

ok i have been watching you're videos, and i have been drumming for 3 years but have only been playing jazz for like 4 or 5 months, but what did you do to help get more coordinated with my limbs?

[drumology2001]

What did *I* do to get more coordinated with *your* limbs? HA! I think I know what you meant to say, though. The answer is this: I don't know. :D

I mean, I like to practice linear fills and hand/foot combinations, as well as lots of rudiments, but I never really consciously thought to myself "I'm going to work on *this* exercise for limb independence." I never worked out of any books like that or anything; just heard what I wanted to achieve, and then dissected it technically. That's all.

[rodekill27]

what kind of set is this? im want to get the catalina jazz for some jazz/acoustic music and want to know what you recomend

[drumology2001]

The kit here is a Yamaha Stage Custom - not recomended for small group jazz (it was all I had at the time). My recomendation to you would be to maybe scratch the Gretsch idea and get a Tama Imperialstar with an 18" bass drum. For the money, it's a GREAT jazz kit that sounds good and tunes up easily. Use the extra money towards some good cymbals - that's where you REALLY want to dump some cash; they're your best investment as a drummer.

Hope this was helpful. :D

[rodekill27]

yeah i really like that 4 piece set look and feel have you ever played the Catalina?, i also have some zildjian cymbals, what kind of china is that?

[drumology2001]

Yes, I have played the Catalina - one of my good drum buddies has one and I've sat in on it several time for several hours. I just don't dig them as much as the Imperialstars; I wouldn't have advised you to go another route if I didn't have knowledge of both kits.

The china is an 18" Wuhan, available everywhere for pretty cheap (got mine for $35 at vintagedrum (dot) com about two years ago).

[samm1809]

yeah. also when you have less drums, i find that you worry more about what's coming from the drums rather than which drums it's coming from. much more important.

[samm1809]

that was soooooooooo informative. i've always thought that cymbals were more important in my mind cause they last longer and i seem to worry about the sounds coming from the cymbals more for some reason, but i thought it was just me.

[musicking37]

china is way too good sounding

[drumology2001]

Not bad for $35, right?  :D

[gitterfritter]

I'm havin a ball checkin out your vids man you are solid. Really expressive.

[westhofer8]

excellent. i'm getting a new set soon and i'm going to use the same heads you use since they sound absolutely godly

[mdgab321]

man, is the head on your snare a fiberskyn?? by the way, you groove hard...

[drumology2001]

Thanks for the compliment. :)

Yes, it is a Remo Fiberskyn3 drum head on the snare. The others are Coated A's.

[amannamedmike]

this blows me away every time i watch it.

your such a good drummer.

[drumology2001]

Wow, thank you! Very kind of you to say so. My dad's name (and my middle name) is Michael, so you're in good company, according to your screenname. :)

[amannamedmike]

Haha we are in good company :)

I'm also a drummer so this is like :O to me when i watch it.

I'm trying to teach myself jazz but its alot harder than i thought. requires alot of coordination which im starting to build up.

[drumology2001]

Oh yeah - LOTS of coordination. But after you put in some work, it starts to come together. I don't know about other jazz players, but I know that after playing jazz for about a decade, I'm just NOW starting to feel like I am getting halfway proficient at it. It's such a rich and dynamic medium in the world of music.

BTW, since we were talking about the "Michael" thing, I should mention that my dad plays drums, too. All these Michaels drumming...I see a trend. :)

[amannamedmike]

I hope to get that coordination one day. I'm planning on buying a jazz kit soon enough.

And you are definitly profecient at it. My school had a band teacher who was a drummer, amazing jazz player, you remind me alot of him.

Haha thats funny. Does your dad play jazz too? If not what style does he play?

[drumology2001]

This may sound like a "Captain Obvious" statement to make, but it's easier to practice and get proficient at jazz with a jazz sized kit. When I first picked up jazz, I had to practice on a rock kit because that's all we had. Once I got my own small bebop kit, the things I did started to *sound* jazzy, and then I got inspired to practice even more. You'll see when you get your new kit.

My dad is strictly a rock player, though he appreciates what I do and comes to jazz gigs on occasion. :D

[amannamedmike]

Yeah i try to practice on my kit, 4 piece tama kit, not very easy to play jazz on. I'm excited to get my new kit. What brand would you recommend for jazz?

Thats cool that your dad plays rock. It's my favorite to play. And he definitly should appreciate what you do, you have great talent.

[ketteltime]

coordination for jazz? try latin, that stuff will blow your brains out.

[drumology2001]

No doubt! I get a (good) headache every time I watch Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez play...a headache for which the only cure is more practice...  :D

[shadegrownpicker]

muy caliente

[sc2man13]

You are a FRICKIN' MACHINE!!!!!!!

[drumology2001]

Thank you!  ;)

[drumanimal80]

Sounds great man, thanks for the post.

[MrFreeman420]

great job, keep up the good work

[eddyafritz]

do u have C.D. or Mp3, my mom has a radio show, latin jazz.

[drumology2001]

I might have some stuff she'd be interested in. Is it only latin jazz small group stuff, or does she pitch big band latin jazz, too? Send me a message here on YT and we can chat more about this. I'd love to send something on to you.

[eddyafritz]

your cym. sound great, i been saving money for zil K dark ride then have the hhx ride with it. that is all i need for me and my catalina jazz kit. i already have old school zil K hihat that is way older than me and a metro cym.

[drumology2001]

Thanks for the cymbal discourse - I always love hearing what other people are playing and learning about other brands and lines.

How do you like the Catalina kit? I know a couple of cats that just bought them and like them fine. Personally, I'm not a fan of the 12" rack tom myself - I like the bite and chirp of a 10" rack. To each their own, though, right? ;)

[delliejonut]

Hey there. I own the Catalina jazz kit, and the thing sounds great tuned high or low, it's just a little harder to find that high sweet spot because the toms are a little bigger. The bass drum can really sing too, but the snare is by nature a little on the dry side. Its fairly easy to pull out some nice ring and overtones if you know what you're doing though. Right now I use an aluminum snare for a lot of gigs, until I can get a Fiberskyn on my Gretsch snare.

[drumology2001]

I use an alunimum snare on most gigs - just the basic Yamaha Steel shell one you get with Stage Custom kits. It has become my favorite! I love a good Maple snare, though, too. It's all in the tuning, you're right. ;)

[jazzmessenger8]

nice work. you gave that awesome pianist the energy he needed!

[drumology2001]

Thanks! Frazer Wambeke is the guy on keys, and he's definitely got the chops and ideas to go far in the music biz. What an incredible talent!

I have some clips of just out trio (me, Frazer, and Juan Hernandez on bass) playing here on YouTube - just go to my channel page and look for the videos labeled "Frazer Wambeke Trio".

Thanks for your comment!

[AntunyPhrunkacki]

sounds good man, I love your selection of cymbals, and it looks like you know what you are doing which is refreshing, keep it up!

[drumology2001]

Thanks - will do! =)

[ITeachThereforeIDrum]

Hey, that was outstanding. I loved the give and take of the china and the 16 cymbal choke. It really impacted me. I've played drums over 40 years. I have always been interested in playing jazz. I've studied the history (and music) for several years. I'm finally making the Jazz commitment. I've changed my equipment. I play a warm 4pc kit now. All of my cymbals are "sweet and dark". I'm hitting much softer these days. I thank you for inspiring me. I love your sound. Cymbals say it all. Very nice.

[drumology2001]

Wow - I'm speechless - what a great comment! You're too kind. I'm glad you're gravitating towards jazz; it will change the way you play everything else, I swear. I can easily say that if I hadn't learned how to play jazz, I wouldn't know half the stuff about drums that I do; I'd be stuck in a rut and only know rock beats or funk patterns, I guarantee it. Good luck in your pursuit - sounds like you've got a great setup to experiment with. Stay in touch - let me know how it goes!

[fourpollas]

sound's sooooooooooooo big!!! you make it look easy , hell of a drummer. respect!

[drumology2001]

Thank you SO much...what a great comment! I appreciate that.

[cupolove1]

i just added to my favs. great job

[DrummerEH]

Greeat job man!

[drumology2001]

Thank you!

[Nuxunumo]

wow man REALLY impressive stuff.

dude that tom/cowbell nare rythym at :42 sounds so sick. id love to know how to play that! :D

[drumology2001]

Thanks, man! The cowbell groove was a spur of the moment thing, but in retrospect, it is based off a groove I learned from a drum mentor of mine a decade ago and haven't used much since. Glad you liked it! ;)

[mapexdrummer1234]

you go to UNT? Dude, i'm tryin to go there for jazz studies. i'm a junior right now but thats like, my dream school.

[drumology2001]

No, no, no! I *wish* I went to UNT, though. I was there performing for the UNT Jazz Festival a few weeks ago, but that's about as close as I get.

[jordanmencel]

your amaaaazing!

[drumology2001]

Thanks, Jordan - you're not too bad yourself! ;)

[enjoyshanjoi]

Man, you are amazing, and your drums and cymbals sound beautiful!!

[drumology2001]

I gotta' say: I really enjoyed both the Spiderman Drums clip and the short little jazz club clip on your channel! The sound of the cymbals you were using in the jazz club clip was awesome - what were those?

I'll be playing at the University of North Texas Jazz Festival in Addison in April - you should come check it out!

[enjoyshanjoi]

Thanks!

In the jazz club clip, i was using a 20 inch stanton moore wide ride, a 20 inch k pre aged dry light ride with 4 sizzles, 14 inch a new beat hi hats, and a 22 inch krut special (came with premierk itsinthe 6os), but i replaced the sizzle cymbal now with a 22 inch k constantinople with 3 sizzles.

I will defintely try to come to that! thanks for telling me about it

[cldt1990]

ur cymbals sound awesome.

[drumology2001]

Thanks! It seems like it took me years to find good cymbals, and really, if you're going to invest in anything as a drummer, good cymbals are the thing.

[cldt1990]

what kind of china is that, can u tell me the model nd size etc...

[eirikand93]

is it a pearl session? it sounds pretty like it

[drumology2001]

Nope. It's a Yamaha Stage Custom Standard kit. It's not one of their high-line models, either; I paid around $800 for it brand new, and I love the sound of it. Good guess, though. ;)

[drumology2001]

I played rock every day until the 7th grade, when some really inspirational influeces introduced me to jazz. I still play rock and funk and other stuff, but my studies with jazz have helped make those other styles even more solid. It's never too late to get into it, really...I know great players who didn't even pick up an instrument until late in high school and they're phenomenal jazz players today.

[maddmatt361]

"A Good jazz drummer can become a phenomenal rock player in only a few weeks, but a phenomenal rock drummer may never be able to learn good jazz." Words of wisdom from my teacher, Jim Pintoran =p... Which in fact, if im not mistaken, he told me that that quote ( or something like it) was told to him by Joe Morello once.

[drumology2001]

True dat - DOUBLE true. ;)

[laidout]

what cymbals are those?

[knapestaart]

Sabian HHX Jazzseries?

[drumology2001]

The main ride, hi-hats, and 16" crash are all Sabian HHX Evolution. The 19" above the ride and china is an Istanbul Mehmet Legend Crash/Ride, and the china is a Wuhan 18". Both the Wuhan and Istanbul have dimes taped on them for sizzle. Hope this helps!

[Fontimus]

I was wondering about your cymbals, luckily I came across this comment. At the moment I heard each cymbal being played, the only word that would come to mind is "haunting" and i mean that in the most positive light. your selection is fantastic, it's given me such an indescribable impact. when i get the money i may just replace my current set of mix-n-match plates with something along the lines of HHX-E. Much respect, you're an inspiration to myself and many.

[drumology2001]

Wow - thank you so much for your wonderful comment! That made my night (and that's saying a lot: I played to a crowd of over 700 enthusiastic people tonight)!

The plates I have are kind of mix-n-match, so don't feel like you have to buy the whole HHX-E line. Try some stuff and see what fits you. If you're playing jazz, do check out Istanbul and Bosphorus - those guys make the best - hard to go wrong with them.

Fontimus: are you a designer, by chance? Just guessing based on the name...

[Fontimus]

No problem, i mean every word. congrats on the large performance crowd, that must've been incredible. As for plates, I love my current set-up for what I do currently. But I really feel so far what I've heard out of the HHX-E (I did some research after the video), they match what I hear in my head. I do truly love Istanbul cymbals, I'll definitely check out Bosphorus. As for being a designer, nope. Haha. Font is actually my last name, latin for fountain. The mix-up happens all the time. haha.

[drumology2001]

For me, the Istanbul is my favorite cymbal. The HHX-E cymbals are good "cross genre" cymbals. I love using them to play funk and jazz and rock - they're really versatile. However, if a jazz gig is the focus, I will tend to play more off the Istanbul and Wuhan stuff I have.

I've been criticised for not using only one brand of cymbals. I don't have a cymbal endorsement yet, so I would rather pick what sounds good and serves the music than pledging allegiance to one brand, ya' know?

[ToTe4444]

great song man!!! great playing too!!! i play this song with my band too... caravan... truly an standard :)

keep the jazz alive!

[drumology2001]

Yeah, Caravan is a killer tune. Anything that switches feels (latin/swing) is typically a favorite of mine.

Thanks for the comment!

[bobtin777]

did you loss your drums sticks hehehe.

[drumology2001]

Nope - I set them on the flown tom to my right at the very beginning of the clip. ;)

I like that lighter hand drumming texture sometimes, so I go to it during solos whenever it feels right.

[Hardcorelogo]

The hand drumming part reminded me of a Jeff Hamilton clip I heard once.Great playing!

[drumology2001]

Thanks...I *did* pick that up from him. Guy's a master. Pick up his record "From Studio 4" and listen to "A Felicidade" - you'll be blown away.

[Hardcorelogo]

You should come over to Drummerworld and post a link, the jazz guys will go crazy for this, a lot of good players hang out including Gavin Harrison and Bermuda(sp?) from weird Al.The owner of the site, Bernard, says that his good friend Steve Gadd even shows up sometimes, but I have yet to chat with him...take care!

[drumology2001]

Wow, okay...I guess I will. John "Bermuda" Schwartz and I are actually both endorsers of Impact Cases, so it'd be nice to meet him and chat it up, along with whoever else hangs out there. Is your screen name the same over there?

[Buhzie15]

very nice! you really feel the music

[drumology2001]

Wow...thank you...that was a wonderful thing to say! I think that "feeling the music" comes from not learning to read music until middle school. Lots of years of playing along with records and radio. ;)

[xhumaninterfacex]

keeping your HH foot in time the whole time.....its really hard and play the bass drum on totally diffrent notes.

[drumology2001]

I see what you're saying. Do you know an exercise called "4-2-1" by chance? Its used in marching drumlines a lot. They play alternating 16th notes (RLRL) and play a moving accent (downbeat, e, and, a) each bar. Do this on kit by keeping your left foot on the downbeat and moving your bass drum foot back one 16th note every bar. (both, both, both, both / 1e, 1e, 1e, 1e / 1&, 1&, 1&, 1& / 1a, 1a, 1a, 1a)

Does that make sense? Maybe I should shoot a quick video demonstration...what do you think?

[xhumaninterfacex]

yea he is amazing, but the cymbal and the HH that you do on this groove is really awesome. the HH is right on time. im trying to learn more jazz than what i grew up on metal music i can play double bass but i cant get my HH foot to keep the same rytham throughout the beats.

[drumology2001]

I actually grew up on the same music, and during my childhood I was into rock and metal. I didn't *really* learn double BD until after I graduated high school, but I do alright (see clip on my website titled "Carwash - drum solo" on my videos page).

That said, I feel qualified to respond to your comment, but I'm trying to understand what you're saying: you can't keep the notes in time from your left and right feet? Or you have a hard time keeping your left foot in time by itself?

[xhumaninterfacex]

freakin awesome drums.....!!!!

[drumology2001]

Thank you! The drums themselves aren't all that nice - just a stock Yamaha Stage Custom kit - but I sure like them, and I am a DIE HARD Yamaha player.

I see you're a Jeff Hamilton fan, too...isn't he amazing? I learn something new every time I listen to him.