A good drum solo; some might say that’s an oxymoron. However, I
have to say I’ve seen the most cynical of music critics be moved
by a truly good drum solo. So what is it that makes it truly
good?
The short answer is that it’s the same factors that make any
solo a good one on any instrument. A good solo uses musical
devices, such as theme and variation, dynamics, rhythmic
density, melodic exploration, tension and release, sonic beauty
and so on, to take the listener on a journey. The journey can be
of any “genre” such as exciting, beautiful, colourful, playful,
interesting, dense, spacious, dynamic or a combination of any of
the above. Although the drum kit is not usually pitched, we
drummers have a huge range of sounds, dynamics, timbres and
tones to draw from to create our solos.
Like any good composition or arrangement, a good drum solo
should tell a story. It should have a beginning, a middle, a
climax and an end. The climax does not necessarily have to be at
the end, however, the solo should have a musical shape of some
kind. For instance, the most common shape of a drum solo is to
begin with sparse phrases at a lower dynamic, building in
intensity, volume and density to a rousing climax. It’s also
very effective and far less common to reverse that order,
starting with “all guns blazing” and gradually decreasing to
very quiet, spacious phrases. This invites the listener on a
musical journey that can be very compelling. An example of such
a solo is played by the great Buddy Rich on the tune “Brush
Strokes”, live at the Montreal Jazz Festival. The solo, played
entirely on brushes, starts with a series of rhythmically dense
and exciting phrases, gradually decreasing to a whisper and
culminating in a bentle cymbal sweep with the butt end of the
brush to bring the band back in. Exciting stuff!
Just as a saxophonist’s improvisation “writes” a new melody over
the chords and form of a tune, a good drum solo should reference
the sections of the tune and stick to that form. I once took
part in a drummer’s festival where a number of drummers were to
perform solos for an audience of... well, more drummers. “Wish I
was there” I hear you say! One of the international performers
played what should have been a very good solo but unfortunately,
I found that his performance didn’t really move me. In analysing
what it was about the solo that didn’t appeal to me I realise
that the performance was more like a series of licks and
patterns... very good licks and patterns but with no story to
connect them. Like a good composition, a good drum solo should
also have a theme with variations, always returning to a central
idea as does the chorus of a pop song. A string of unrelated
licks and fills will soon get pretty boring to the listener.
What, then, should we play if not “licks” and “patterns” to make
up a good drum solo?
I don’t know of any drummer who doesn’t play patterns of some
kind. Even Jack Dejohnette and Elvin Jones play stickings and
use motifs around the drums but it’s really all about how these
“patterns” are strung together and the inspiration behind them
rather than the actual patterns being the end unto themselves.
With Jack, for instance, it’s not the pattern that matters, but
the idea that inspired the pattern, and also where the “pattern”
takes him. By that I mean he might play a sticking pattern that
you could recognise to be, Right, Right, Left, Left orchestrated
over two different drums which could constitute a “lick” or a
“pattern”. However, what he has created is a sound or a phrase
which further inspires him. So in a good drum solo, the
inevitable patterns become subservient to the sounds and phrases
rather than the other way around. This is true of most good drum
soloists from Buddy Rich, and Philly Joe Jones to Steve Gadd and
Vinnie Colaiuta.
Another thing that often ties the theme and patterns of a solo
together is a strong pulse. Although not all solos have to be
“in time”, a good solid pulse helps to give the audience a
reference. I personally prefer soloing in time and over a form
of some kind. It gives me something to play off and allows the
space to speak as strongly as the notes. Steve Gadd’s mighty
solo from Tom Scott’s “Apple Juice” live recording is a classic
example of a solo played off a strong pulse with deeply intense
results.
Another thing that affects the solo is what came before and what
is to follow. A good solo should musically carry on from what
preceded it and bridge the gap so as to logically connect to
what comes after. Tony Williams does this spectacularly on the
track “Snake Oil” from his “Believe It” recording.
As I mentioned above, good drum solos, like all good solos on
any horn, should employ all the same musical devices as a good
composition. A great example is Joe Morello’s classic melodic
solo over the 5/4 vamp in Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”. Joe
employs shifting rhythmic phrases, dynamic bursts, subtle
syncopation and lots of space to create an intriguing and
haunting masterpiece.
So what makes a good drum solo? The same things that make any
good solo: good phrases and ideas, strung together musically
while telling an interesting, exciting or beautiful story.
