Ride Cymbal Patterns as Applied to Jazz (Swing).
Although the basic cymbal beat has been explained and written hundreds of times before, it seems that it is often not completely understood.
In Drum music (for simplification), the cymbal pattern is commonly written like this:
However, if played as written, it would sound jerky and would not flow.
What you hear played by most jazz drummers is basically this:
This is done in order to produce a more even flowing feel. But even this can sound monotonous.
Firstly, when playing a swing feel or even a shuffle feel, try to think of EVERYTHING in Eighth Note Triplets, and this will help you to understand what the rhythm is all about.
Even when playing ordinary Quarter Notes, think of them as:
As opposed to:
You can prevent the ride cymbal pattern from sounding lifeless and dull, by the use of accents. This gives a feeling of definite dive and forward movement. How you choose to accent or change the pattern determines the INDIVIDUALITY of your feel.
This rhythm must be FELT.
Here are some examples of Alternative Ride Cymbal Patterns
Independence exercises With Alternative Ride Cymbal Patterns. (Medium Swing)
