Integration and development of jazz drum soloing
The desire to improve my drum soloing and the lack of in-depth material and examples on the subject led me to research drum soloing. Evaluating my playing, I found my approach to drum soloing was based heavily on playing “licks,” copying other drummer’s vocabulary literally with no clear idea of my own sound and identity with problems associated with this approach, such as forgetting phrases, feeling uncomfortable in unknown musical situations, etc. In my research, I tried to answer the question of how to integrate the playing of the master drummers of the bebop era into my own vocabulary and how modern drummers that I admire developed the classic language to fit their own style. I chose some of the most notable drummers of the bebop era, namely Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, and Roy Haynes, transcribed their solos, and analyzed their playing. Through their playing, I discovered fundamental concepts of drumming like the Call and response concept, the rudimental concept, the melodic concept, and tools and methods that help with technique, musicianship, and creativity on the drum set.
Author: Borut Rampih
