John Riley Drum Lesson

[eeobeeob]

out of all the drumming videos I have seen, Mr. Riley makes the concept east to understand by how well of an orator he's become. Not many professional drummer seem to have this ability. I really appreciate his articulate, easily understood explanations.

[thudmother]

Brilliant.

[adamtuminaro89]

This is just push pull. There are hundreds of videos on youtube teaching this better. Jojo's dvd is the best I've seen.

[DanDjembe]

watch this video all the time. Best teacher since dawson?

[Jellybeantiger]

Make sure you put a minute on each exercise at a set tempo then increase it and play that for one minute until you get up to 200 and beyond.

What I do anyway lol.

[Jellybeantiger]

This stuff comes naturally if you play triplets starting slow with a metronome then work your way up and play all the variations from The Stick Control Book.

RLR LRL

RRL LRR

RLL RLL

RRL RRL

RLR RLR

And starting left hand as well.

Stick Control is my bible lol.

[Gretsche87]

@Jellybeantiger

Stick control is Genesis :)

[Andoriu116]

Can that drop technique also be used to play fast, continuous straight eighths?

[flipadiddle]

@Andoriu116 yes, it can. jojo mayer does a similar kind of thing, and a lot of drummers with refined hand technique use that continuous drop motion to play repeated notes.

[Percussionoholic]

@Andoriu116 I think at that point you have to switch to the Moeller technique (if you don't know it you should definitely look it up). Depending on your chops, Moeller technique can allow you to play continuous eighths, sixteenths, or whatever else at a high tempo. It's a pain to develop, but once you have it you can pretty much blow anyone's mind who doesn't know what you're doing.

[ExCreatioNihilo]

Very useful video! Thank you for this...

[darthjoey13]

I'll be learning from him if I go to SUNY Purchase next fall. That would be cool.

[bassdrumbone64]

Beast

[skinkpaj]

It's a Push pull technique with other words, with some variation, strokes n' stuff.

[AmericanZero13]

he reminds me of a guy in the process of turning into a werewolf, at the point where their face starts stretching

[OfivetwoekVeeDee]

he reminds me john arbuckle

[bassdrumbone64]

@OfivetwoekVeeDee

John Arbuckle and John Travoltas love child.

[mooniemoney]

I can watch that all day. 

[tonerxx11]

Youtube is, patently not exclusively a forum for 'new ideas'. The 'OHHH I know about that!!! let's move on' generation. Perhaps knowing something is different to just knowing about it. Capitalism has made too many surface dwellers and not enough deep sea............I want a car horn that plays john bonham triplets!!! That aside what can be new is really buckling down and finishing this essay. To know the depths life has to offer you must learn,like aquaman or a pornstar, to breath underwater.

[Paullove89]

@tonerxx11 You're awesome.

[peanutpeanut123]

a controlled rebound using the fingers. Is this really a new idea? Isn't this how every jazz drummer plays swing ride patterns????

[ljdcrazy13]

what sticks?

[sterlingtx75]

@ljdcrazy13 He actually has his own signature sticks called the John Riley Concert Jazz stick by Zildjian.

[timoteodeldesierto]

It is safe to say, but I'm sure someone will want to fight about it.

[zpantro9]

great instruction

[zpantro9]

thanx 4 the lesson

[thatsfuckenfunny]

this technique he is using; is it safe to say its similar to the moeller technique?

[spacitydrummer4JC]

Yeah, I guess to a certain point. Moeller is more arm, whereas this technique is all about controlling the rebound.

[budychris]

where's the swing ? No nooed of all that if you know slow is fast...LOL

[shitlerface]

@budychris what..the fuck......did you just say???

[Kobeownzu81]

@shitlerface lmao right? made no sense at all to me

[davepellowtv]

Not a great advert for Zildjian, is it?  That ride sounds like a bloody dustbin lid!

[sheldonknowsall]

It feels like all of the coordination I've developed for comping with the other limbs while playing "wrist strokes" is lost when I start doing this. I also feel like I have more control over accent patterns using wrist strokes, AND I can play the wrist strokes faster. It's also very, very difficult to do with the left hand (and I play ambidextrously ).

Still, I'm going to keep working on this because it feels really, really cool once it gets moving. Jojo Mayer is all over this stuff, too.

[PositivelyBored]

@sheldonknowsall

You have to do it all. If you are one dimensional in any part of your playing music, chops, technique, passion....it'll show through negatively, somehow some way. That's the way I've always approached it and have been taught. The more you know and can do, the better vibe you'll give when you play in all aspects.

Having said that, use those fingers as much as your wrists and more than your forearms! practice each finger independently, valving like a horn player

[lateralus1007]

gotta use moeller and sit at the right level to prevent injury, no slouching either.

[adzug]

@Santi2c i install flooring for a living. i go thru many lifting pulling exercises everyday. the bodys quite resilient and while its important to get it right, it really is, worrying bout getting hurt from drumming is the pussifacation of america.

[adzug]

i think that " you can get hurt" thing is bs. yeah carpal tunnel blah blah. if it hurts you wont be able to keep doing it. or youll drop tempo. not that this isnt good instruction but ppl act like were made of soft cheese. drummers who play for a period of time will come to understand speed = relaxing not tensing. it may take awhile to get it , but you will if you stick with

[flipadiddle]

@adzug you're wrong

[mmaier2112]

Sweet technique. I don't think I've seen that one before.

[Jackinthehizzle]

Awesome. Any advice on how to comp with tempos which are that fast? Should I just read through your book and play all the comp patterns as sixteenths?

[SoldatSolutrea]

If you want to get your ride tempo up, especially with jazz, I recommend smaller and thinner sticks. The larger your sticks are, the more force you will have to apply to 'throwing' or bouncing the stick to get a rhythm.

[DRUMKIND]

nice hands....

[MyManDan]

nice ride

[63Brummie]

I love John Riley... like Adam Nussbaum..very underated... IMHO

[63Brummie]

THIS is a great lesson!!!

[AlezDrums]

Thank you very much :-)

Alez

[martin84jazz]

great lesson master

[rebop73]

ottimo john...grande...il tuo libro soprattutto:davvero illuminante...

[brock786]

anyone that enjoyed this video should check out jojo mayer's dvd, secret weapons for the modern drummer

[Drummerwithagroove]

Wow

[Rossco9992]

awesome

[bcc50]

Thanks John...you really brought the use of the arm, wrist and fingers into focus!

[browniesareg]

when he plays live to really fast songs his wrists go insane and you can barely see them

[Timmyinc44]

Man he's got some chops.... I bet he can do that for 5 minutes straight too.

[ns81]

Yeah JR. The drum scientist.

[clarkewi]

Am working through his book on be-bop drumming. It's very good, many insights I'd never thought of especially regarding structure - where to do stuff.

[Rossco9992]

thats fast as

[theaggravator]

Sounds like the Moeller technique.

What model ride is that?

What model sticks?

I want to be sure never to buy those - sounds like crap.

[thatsmypeanuts]

The ride looks like a 20" K constantinople. His sticks are really thin, like a 7A. That's my guess.

Great player and teacher though.

[WillyLee0]

The lousy sound has more to do with the recording

[dvmtb13]

Probably the Zildjian John Riley model hahaha

[jasonfifi]

not everyone prefers dry or pingy ride cymbals. for certain gigs, i love thin/light/dark/washy rides. even for "rock"(pop) music, i love blending the washes of a pair of rides. also, the cymbal is not being mic-ed close; it's the camera mic.

[youdevil6]

THIS GUY IS SMART

[sonortubelug]

Watch Bill Stewarts R.H and Jeff Tains R.H.Different ways but both work.I think not using any upper arm means that you have to rely on the volume of your cymbal more if the band is playing loud.You can tonk it Tony style if you work on the other way on playing cymbal time.

[mjulio71]

Without giving away any names, lately I've come across some DVDs by great DRUMMERS who should just stay away from teaching: they only make it more confusing. When you catch gentlemen such as John Riley and Ed Soph, you realize that being a teacher is a completely different ball game. This is a very helpful video lesson, in a short amount of time.

[lesnombredix]

OMG i've been looking for this lesson so long! thanks maaaaan!

[webstercat]

Watched this once and I didn't get it, now I do.

The shuffle part did it for me.

[DruMmMeuR]

I have his book, and that is my favorite for Be-bop Jazz drumming, really a nice book.

The Art of Bop Drumming

[Francislikesdrums]

Ya his books are great i just got "jazz drummers workshop" and i cant stay away from it

[mendozaman9]

A great lesson from a great master!!

[elmfuzzy1]

lol its called a diddle retard

[crispiegee1]

This was helpful. Thanks.

[dartthewarrior]

OOOOH!!! a push n pull!!!

[alexMarinick]

i know right!!!

i finally know what it is!!!

[Masterfilm15]

this is a great drum lesson !!!

[Hippomonkey3]

so, to get it to go at faster tempos, you just practice it into the ground right?

I've gotten it to an OK speed. It's actually even relaxing to play, it's got like a flow to it.

[MrDownbeat]

hey, I didn't know bill nye the science guy played the drums!

[mimiboom]

thanks John for .. BeBop drumming !!and ,Beyon the bebop drumming !! that make me to increase my time and sound !!!

[msjekhd]

Hi- the same Thing Billy does, quite

economic. Great Technique from France ! greetings,uncle bop

[mikelim9]

Wtf... nice.. at slow tempos its like one wrist movement and one "drop and catch" but the fast tempo ride looks like it bounces twice before he "catches".. hav to try tt..

[sorrypretty]

ahhh thx!

[eskizoide]

thanks john

[sorrypretty]

poor lesson. you don't explain how to move from the slow tempo to the up tempo. be more specific.

[bigboyhomer]

Could it be you're a poor student? I can't imagine. Maybe you'd benefit from a Travis Barker video.

[bigbossmatt]

but its obviously just a promo for zildjian... its not like riley couldnt explain it for hours if needed and you were paying him for private lessons.

[delaynestallman]

Exactly. If you watch this thinking this is "uptempo ride playing - the exhaustive guide", then you really need to just go check out some Travis Barker videos. You'll be much more satisfied. Basically, if you don't "get" this, then you have no business commenting negatively on it. Riley's only one of the greatest players and teachers in existence - a VERY uncommon combination. I think he's coming to the college in my town next year. I'll definitely go see him!

[ForenWal]

Lustig :) ich habs mir selber beigebracht, ich sehr zum ersten mal ein video darüber^^

[stanondrums]

Geht mir genau so!!! bleib dran :)

[jazzmessenger8]

I learned that from watching tony williams!

[Bonzaibananas]

thank you!!!

[funkflash]

THATS MY TEACHER!!! YES!

[666tommytomtom666]

Jesus this guy can burn

[lifticus]

Yes, he's so seriuos in his teaching, be it in new york for his student or for a kid in small village in the middle of nowhere in europe.

[flipadiddle]

holy fuckin shit

[paradiddle1]

his paradiddle exercises in MD are quite helpful for me.  Thanks John!!

[sequentialproduction]

legend

[lifticus]

Fantastic musician, tremendous teacher and great person!

[tnsoltw]

couldn't of said it better

he really believes in what he does

[thepossessor]

that's hard to do, he makes it sound so easy

[stanondrums]

yes!!!! and once again yes!!!

[anchix06]

maestro,master.

[1856hfx]

john riley has great publications out, a great educator.