Uptempo exercises (John Riley ideas)

Preparing for that (non-existent) gig when I need to play bop at very fast tempos. Some of these exercises and patterns can be found in John Riley’s books, such as Beyond Bop Drumming and The Jazz Drummer’s Workshop. I’ve been working on playing the ride cymbal using John’s throw/collect technique and here’s where I’m at after one year. It’s a long, long way from sounding like John, whose ride cymbal beat is like something from outer space. But baby steps... I recommend consuming as much of John’s material as you can. He is a master musician and a fantastic educator.