Inside the Big Band Drum Chart is a first of its kind drum method that uses traditional and contemporary arrangements performed by a 17 piece jazz ensemble as the vehicle to study beats, musical form, ensemble phrasing, articulation, and interpretation. For each arrangement, there is “talk through” information explaining how the composition is played as well as transcriptions of key beats and melodic information that connects the “written drum part” to the music. The 248 page book includes a 2.5 hour MP3 CD and an hour long DVD demonstrating every exercise in the text. Also included are anecdotes and interviews with legendary big band drummers and arrangers such as Louie Bellson, Jake Hanna, Phil Wilson, Mark Taylor and Bob Curnow

Notation and Terminology

• Drum Set Notation
• The Chart Talk Through
• Big Band Forms
• Reading and Interpretation Ideas
• Rhythmic Interpretation1
• Alternate Notation for Time
• Basic Chart Reading Terminology

Time Keeping Elements

• The Bass Drum
• The Hi-Hat
• The Ride Cymbal
• Swingin’ and the Groove (two and four/one and three)
• Articulation Markings and Musical Shape

Exercises

• Short Articulation Exercise with Quarter Notes
• Short Articulation Exercise with Eighth Notes
• Short Articulation Exercise with Quarters and Eighth Notes
• Long Articulation Exercise
• Long and Short Articulation Combinations Example One
• Long and Short Articulation Combinations Example Two
• Contemporary Interpretation Exercise One
• Contemporary Interpretation Exercise Two

The Big Band Sound

• Tuning
• Drum Heads
• Cymbals
• Sticks

Set Up The Band!

• Parallel Motion
• Counter Point
• Connector Material
• Building a Fill Vocabulary for Band Figures
• Figure Connector Study 1
• Figure Connector Study 2
• Figure Connector Study 3
• Figure Connector Study in 3/4
• Figure Connector Study in 5/4
• Trumpet One Phrase Shapes
• Tempo Transition Examples

Preliminary Charts

• Preliminary Chart 1- Swing
• Preliminary Chart 2- Shuffle
• Preliminary Chart 3- Ballad
• Preliminary Chart 4- Samba
• Preliminary Chart 5- Funk

Big Band Arrangements with Analysis

• Blaine Street
• Bottom End Shuffle
• Good Night Story
• Swing Open
• Tierrasanta
• People and Places

Appendix

• Solos and Transcriptions
• Sing Sing Sing
• Skin Deep
• West Side Story
• Drum Solo Breaks
• Ensemble Shout Chorus Transcription Excerpts
• Big Band Drumming Innovators and Innovations
• Interviews
• Big Band Recordings Discography
• Drum Methods Discography