THE KIT · TIME FEEL 6 · 4/4

Jazz Independence

Coordinated independence means each limb plays its own part at the same time. It is the core skill of jazz drumming.

Your ride hand and hi-hat foot keep the swing going. Your left hand and bass drum foot add short notes called comping, the way a piano player drops in chords.

Open this feel on the kit →

Hear it played: recorded swing grooves from 95 to 220 BPM in the Groove Library. Set the click to 2 and 4 and play along.

Reading it

The ride is on the top line, the hi-hat foot below the staff, the snare in the third space up and the bass drum in the bottom space.

The comp notes are the only thing that changes from step to step. Find where each comp note falls against the ride before you play it.

Counting

Count swung eighths: 1 – a 2 – a. Most comp notes in this lesson land on a swung & (the short “a”), between the ride notes.

The four steps

Each step changes one thing. Get each one comfortable before moving on.

1. One snare note on the & of 1, between the ride notes.Play variation 1 →
2. Snare on 2 (with the ride) and on the & of 3 (between the ride notes).Play variation 2 →
3. Now the foot comps: bass drum on the & of 2 and the & of 4.Play variation 3 →
4. Snare on the & of 1 and bass drum on the & of 3. Hands and feet talk to each other.Play variation 4 →

Common mistakes

• The ride pattern changes when the comp note is added. That means you are not independent yet, so slow down.
• Comp notes too loud. They should sit underneath the ride.
• Forgetting the hi-hat foot. It keeps going on 2 and 4 the whole time.

Practice plan

5 min	Ride and hi-hat foot only, until you can think about something else.
10 min	Steps 1 to 4 at 70, eight bars each.
5 min	Make up your own comp: pick any one “a” and add a note there.
5 min	Play along with a jazz recording, comping lightly.

Always start slower than you think you need to. Speed comes from playing it right many times, not from playing it fast once.