Full English Breakfast

Okay, so full English breakfast. I gotta say, these Rock School guys are really, really a fan of their puns in the titles. It makes me happy.

Jazz Funk Fusion

As the name suggests, it's a kind of jazz-funk fusion piece:

• A lot of funk influence
• Really syncopated figures
• A bit of odd time thrown in for good measure

Intro and Groove

We got a nice intro in the hi-hats:

• Bring the accents out there hugely
• Keep it tight

Then heading into a nice groove:

• The interesting thing about this groove is there's no bass drum on beat one or hi-hat.
• We have an open hi-hat on the last semiquaver of four, then cutting off on one.

Feeling the One

You really want to be feeling the one, even though you're not playing it. It's vital that you:

• Don't throw yourself ahead
• Don't make four a new one

But then, you're grade seven , you're not doing that anymore, are you? Good.

Awareness of Horn Line

One thing that threw me a little bit when I first started listening to it is the horn line starting at 15 and going through bar 16:

• They're playing off beats a long time before you start playing them on the fill in bar 16.
• Just be aware of that.

And honestly, yeah, they didn't throw me off either. No, they did!

Ride at D

Then we're moving to the ride at D:

• Still accenting four, and that's really, really important.
• We get into a trumpet solo at E: Great.

Just open hi-hat, keep it tight, keep it sizzly , it'll sound good.

Developing Ideas

When it says "develop," what I've done is:

• Stayed with just that hi-hat for four bars
• Kept the hi-hat ostinato and put a kind of funk groove underneath it

Let me play it for you. You can:

• Write your own groove, play it underneath
• Play something completely different; it doesn't matter.

You could use that as an opportunity to phrase nice and loose around the time.

Coming Back at F

Then it means that when you come back in at F, you know the groove's come back.

• Hey, sax solo or not, do your thing.
• That's just what I wanted to do.

Transitioning to 7/8

Bringing us to F, we're going to 7/8:

• Great.
• Nailed it.

It's really, really fun, but can also be quite challenging if you haven't come across it so far.

Tips for Playing 7/8

So take it really slow. The main thing to watch:

• The ride bell is playing cross rhythms, playing crotchets while the rhythm is in 7/8.
• It's going to go across the bar line, playing:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Got a bit out of breath there, did you hear me? So that's worth practicing on its own. Practice clapping:

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

You can also clap different groupings across seven to really learn to phrase:

• Groupings of three: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
• Groupings of five: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Challenging Patterns

That's challenging stuff!

• Get some manuscript paper out.
• See how many notes, how many semiquavers there are in a bar of 7/8.
• Make some weird combinations.

Gary Chaffee's books from his pattern series, notably "Technique Patterns" and "Rhythm and Meter Patterns," are really useful for odd time playing. They have some great permutations you can work on.

Practice it with a metronome.

Also, watch out for bar 44:

• There's a hit on the last semiquaver of four going into a bar of seven.
• Don't make that the new one as you concentrate on the seventh.

Fills and Listening

We've got those lovely fills at 51:

• They can be quite hard.
• There's some awkward movement around the kit, especially in 52.

So just be aware of that and come back to it.

Influences and Recommendations

Then we've got these lovely things saying "develop" again at G and H.

• Do some listening!
• Check out what other funk drummers did.

Listen to:

• David Garibaldi: He's a beast.
• Steve Gad: Ridiculous.

For more modern stuff, check out Snarky Puppy:

• Lionel Louis and Spock both really tearing it up.

H is like a classic Snarky Puppy-esque line:

• Reminds me of "We Like It Here" or "Lingus" from one of their recent albums.

You can play around with those stabs, but make sure you catch them:

• That's the important thing; otherwise, it's going to sound messy.

Conclusion

Do whatever you like, but make sure you catch those stabs. Other than that, there's a lot to get your teeth stuck into here.

• Do your listening, work through it with your teacher, listen to their advice.
• Practice with a metronome, and I will see you again very soon.

Have a good time!