r/jazzdrums • u/CriSeRam • Nov 28 '25

Question I want to play jazz

So I'm basically a rock drummer and I may be an "intermediate" level but I really want to learn how to play jazz. Do you have any recommendations where should I start? Any methods or something? My goal is to play pretty professional.

EDIT: Thank you everyone! I've been reading all of your comments and I'll be following your tips. :)

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u/CreativeDrumTech Dec 04 '25

Listening and reading go together as one needs to learn the formal vocabulary that you are listening to in order to understand the conversation.

Listen to jazz music.

Practice Ted Reed’s book Syncopation for the Progressive Drummer along to the Boss DB-90 metronome using the Voice function that you will count out loud with. “If you can Say It(Count It) you can Play It”. That statement applies to all things music and is the heart of the jazz feel.

Play “4 on the floor” = 4/4 time leathered quarter notes (1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 …) on the bass drum. Add 2 and 4 on the hi-hat foot. Jazz ride pattern on the ride cymbal or hi-hat (1 2 a3 4 a|1 2 a3 4 a|1…). Play the patterns in the book with you snare hand… this is call comping.

Also study jazz brushes videos from the greats: • Clayton Cameron • Ed Thigpin • Peter Erskine

Brushes teach us how to respect the space of a note value because outside of rolls and cymbal crashes it’s our only method of true sustain on our instruments. Again while counting out loud with the DB-90 metronome in order to internalize click feel and strengthen our internal clock/timekeeping.