Drum lesson with Asaf Sirkis: how to play a fast swing (tutorial)

London based drummer Asaf Sirkis explains how to play a fast swing on the ride cymbal or practice pad.
This is a unique system that, with practice, allows an even sound, speed, endurance, and sweet sounding fast swing!
Hope you enjoy.
http://www.asafsirkis.co.uk/
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Asaf is currently touring extensively with his Trio and with his 'Inner Noise' band, and is gaining in reputation as a composer and band leader.

Asaf is also working with the Larry Coryell's 'Power Trio' (featuring Larry Coryell on Guitar and Jeff Berlin on Bass), Nicolas Meier Group, a group that combines Jazz with Middle Eastern music (albums available: 'Ribbon In The Wind', 'Orient', 'Yuz', 'Journey' and 'Silence Talks'), and with John Law's Art Of Sound trio as well as working with other artists such as: Chick Corea, Mark Egan, Dave Liebman, David Binney, Gary Husband, John Taylor, Norma Winstone, Kenny Wheeler, Gwilym Simcock, Andy Sheppard, Lenny Stern, Paul Bollenback (NY), Julian Siegel, Dan Stern, Peter King, Stan Sulzman, Barbaros Erkose (Turkey), Ari Brown (Chicago), Bela Szakcsi-Lokatos (Hungary), Glauco Venier (Italy), Yuri Goloubev (Russia), Klaus Gesing (Austria), Eyal Maoz (NY), Carlos Barretto (Portugal), Simon Fisher Turner, Phil Robson, Martin Speake,  Mark Latimer, Reem Kelani, Christine Tobin, Tom Arthurs, John Etherigde and more.

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[onthe1drop]

By the way, if you have time, please post a video on playing shuffle feels! Presumably you would also use a variation of your push/pull (or open/close) approach, which would allow one to accent the shuffle in various ways....

[AsafSirkis]

@onthe1drop

Cool, might post a video sometime soon about this... :)

Take care.

[onthe1drop]

@AsafSirkis That would be great! It will be interesting to see if you use the same technique as for the jazz swing, or do you turn it around...!

[AsafSirkis]

@onthe1drop

I use the same technique for slow tempos too...

[onthe1drop]

@AsafSirkis This suggested another way to conceptualize your method:

There are basically only 2 kinds of strokes used, push (opening fingers) and pull (closing fingers). In the odd-number phrases, you start with a push; in the even-numbered phrases, you start wih a pull. So the phrase always ends with a pull. Is this oversimplifying it?

Of course, you also usually add a forearm downstroke for the first hit, which drives the entire phrase.

[AsafSirkis]

@onthe1drop

correct,

when you want to play 2 - use one push pull

4 - use push pull push pull

6 - use push pull push pull push pull

etc etc..

this may get a bit fiddly especially when you're using different combinations in both hands but still worth looking into :)

Take care

[onthe1drop]

@AsafSirkis Thank you for the superfast reply! I will have to study this more....looks like a great approach. I also just saw that you indeed have part 2 online now and that clarifies this further.

I see from your answer to fizzyfox below that the combination also depends on whether you are playing an even or odd-numbered group of strokes. If you play an even group (of 4, say), then you indeed omit the initial stroke and just play combinations of push-pull...

[AsafSirkis]

@onthe1drop

Hi there,

The strokes are exactly the same when I play faster. The only thing that changes is that there is more 'flow' to it so technically speaking I'm using more of the bounce to connect all the strokes together... but it essentially the same thing...

thanks for your question,

Asaf

[onthe1drop]

@AsafSirkis Thank you for the reply and clarification!

I hope you are enjoying the tour!

When you play the pattern slow, you show the 3 different types of hits (something like a downstroke, an open-hand stroke with rebound, and then a closing hand stroke). However, where you speed up the pattern, at the end of the video, it seems to become the simpler version I described (one open hand stroke and 2 closing hand bounces), like thee ride technique as described by John Riley. Is this correct?