My new release is available everywhere! “Reflections” blends jazz and electronica, featuring a warm and mellow sound that reflects the autumn mood. The track is a 3/4 modal composition born years ago, forgotten somewhere in my hard drive, and reprised to create a relaxing listening experience. The drum part features a jazz-funk … More Francis V – Reflections (Available Now) + Drumless Track
I’m thrilled to share with you my new release—a bright arrangement of Charlie Parker’s classic tune “Yardbird Suite.” The recording took place back in the day at the Saint Louis College of Music in Rome, in the summer of 2017, arranging the piece for a quintet and playing the drums. “Yardbird Suite” marks a completely … More Francis V – Yardbird Suite (Available Now)
A way to apply ideas and exercises in a musical setting is to play along with songs. Using the metronome and studying drum books is essential during your practice sessions, but in the end, you should also focus on playing music. I’m glad to share a playlist of 50 songs without drums, including classic songs … More Drum Practice Playlist: 50 Songs Without Drums
Here we are with a new drum practice playlist dedicated to the master Steve Gadd. The collection includes 20 songs of some of his timeless works with Chick Corea, Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, and many others. The playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify, and if you find it useful, share it with your … More Steve Gadd Grooves Collection
Welcome to 2024! We inaugurate the year with two exercises to develop jazz drum set independence based on quarter note triplets. We start with the basic preliminary pattern. Once comfortable, we add accents: accenting the left hand every three notes, starting with the first and then displacing the accent to the second and third notes. … More Jazz Independence: Quarter Note Triplets Accent Combinations
Drumming is an art form that requires dedication, skill, and passion. For professional drummers, the path to excellence is a never-ending journey that involves constant learning and refinement. In this collection of 12 short drum transcriptions, I present a selection of timeless drum breaks, fills, solos, and grooves. From jazz to fusion to rock and … More In the Pocket: 12 Short Transcriptions from Legendary Drummers
In this lesson, I introduce a series of exercises to develop coordination and independence. We will apply rudiments to create hand-foot combinations and play jazz comping ideas inspired by Elvin Jones’ drumming style. We start with a preliminary exercise, playing a single stroke roll, double stroke roll, and paradiddle-diddle in 8th note triplets on the … More Jazz Comping Ideas – Hand/Foot Combinations: single, double, paradiddle-diddle
In our daily practice routine, we should dedicate time to listening, studying, and playing the grooves and fills that marked the history of the drum set. That’s an essential part to improve our drumming. “Lenore” by Chick Corea, from the album The Leprechaun (1976), is one of the most iconic and creative Steve Gadd drum … More Steve Gadd: Chick Corea – Lenore (Full Drum Transcription)
So proud to close the year with net growth in all aspects. Thank you for all your support! Francis’ Drumming Blog is on the podium, at the 3rd position, of the best drum blogs and websites based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority, and freshness. The blog reached more than 43,000 visitors and 130,000 clicks, … More 2022 Recap
It’s been a while since the first part of this article. The following collection includes the main groove transcription for a varied repertoire of ten jazz tunes, from the late ’50s to the early 2000s, and for various genres from afro-cuban to samba, bolero, and funk. All of the tunes are included in the playlist … More Jazz Grooves – Drum Transcriptions Part 2
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