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A Letter from the Author
Want to be the kind of drummer that will turn heads not because of what you play, but because of how you play? Tired of feeling like you’ve been hauling rocks all day after a seemingly easy gig? Are you frustrated and fed up with worrying about your shifting time, weak groove, and general lack of confidence at the drum set?
Whether you’re a rock drummer, funk drummer, Latin drummer, or jazz drummer, it is important to be versatile in all kinds of genres. Becoming a versatile drummer pays off big time! Prove that you truly understand many genres to the core, and your phone will not stop ringing for gigs!
What if I told you it was possible to play as fast as 400bpm and become a swinging jazz drummer at the same time? What if I told you that by doing so, your sense of time will be dramatically improved? And what if I told you that if you can play 400bpm, you absolutely never have to worry about struggling through another “fast” tempo again?
Use the JX Method and your sense of time, confidence, and your ability to impress will be TRANSFORMED.
Who cares about playing at 400bpm? Nobody does that!
You’re right for thinking that. It’s very rare to come across a band that plays 400bpm. It took me a long time to collect the recommended listening suggestions for that tempo grouping. So what’s the point of learning to play unbelievably fast tempos? I’ll give you a hint: it’s not about the ability to play at 400bpm.
What will happen when you use the JX Method
The first section of the book touches on many basic principles of jazz drumming. The standard jazz ride cymbal is covered, as well as the”Magic Tempo” – point at which the ride pattern transforms from a triplet feel to a straight-eighth feel. Along with examples of how to stretch and relax your hands and arms (often overlooked practices in drumming), there are comping exercises as well as an independence exercise to practice over the standard ride cymbal pattern.
The second section of the JX Method explores how we, as jazz drummers, count fast tempos. This is by far the most important section of the book because before you can execute fast tempos, you mustfirst learn how to hear them, then develop the proper technique. You’ll also find exercises to develop your fast technique and shortcuts to get you playing faster tempos immediately. One amazing trick called the “Shuffle Technique” tricks you into playing twice as fast in a matter of seconds. In addition to these exercises, principles, tips and shortcuts is a brand new notation system for ride cymbal patterns. Using this notation system, you can learn to create your own swinging uptempo patterns on the spot.
The final section of the JX Method brings together everything you’ve learned and applies it to two different practice routines to be played from 160bpm all the way up to 400bpm. For the purpose of clarity and organization, the practice routines are divided into three tempo groups each of which has custom examples of comping rhythms, alternate ride patterns, and recommended listening.
So what if I can play 400bpm, what’s the point?
Through the process of working with this drum book, I firmly believe that any drummer, WHETHER YOU’VE PLAYED JAZZ BEFORE OR NOT, can develop the proper technique, knowledge, ear, sense of time, and sense of swing to become a working jazz drummer able to play ANY tempo with confidence and finesse. If you buy the JX Method and don’t find this to be your case, I’ll refund your money, no questions asked.
P.S. Don’t forget about the play-along songs! You can play each song with or without a metronome, and choose what tempo you want to play along to. To learn more about about the play along songs and to hear samples, click here. Jazz Play Along
Happy Drumming!
Sam