Basics of Brushes

Anyone thinking that brushes should be used only in ballads should think again. Brushes have been used in almost all styles of music, at all tempos, in all dynamic settings. Brushes actually allow you more sound possibilities than sticks or mallets and this is because of their construction. The key is to master the sound and rhythms of the various swishes, taps and sweeps, and to visualize movements of grace and beauty.

There's quite a variety of brushes on the market. There are wire brushes with varying degrees of both wire width and flexibility. There are plastic brushes of various weights and lengths. There also are wire brushes that have a "mallet" type of handle. Experimentation is the key.

Obviously, coated heads are a must for brushes since friction is what makes much of the sound. Your heads should be in good shape with no "dead spots" or pin holes. New heads sometimes can be too rough, so what can be done is run over a new head lightly with sandpaper to smooth out any rough spots. This lets the brushes glide evenly and smoothly over the head.

Here are three important brush strokes for each hand. After mastering each one, you can combine different ones according to style and tempo. You will then have a very usable basic brush vocabulary. Hold the brushes as you would hold your sticks.

The left-hand part is extremely important since it usually does the swishing motion, and that separates the beginner from the pro. When the brush is swishing on the drum, regardless of whether it's a side-to-side motion or a circular motion, there is an inherent rhythm that should remain consistent and "rhythmic". This is achieved by regular practice.

The right hand usually plays a counter-rhythm over the left-hand stroke. Where the left-hand movement is sort of left-to-right, left-to-right, the right-hand motion is usually right-to-left, right-to-left.

Fig.4 is a standard jazz ride rhythm. The right hand passes from right (on one and three) to left (on two and four) with the "ah" slightly before the one and three. Try it with left-hand Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is sort of a mirror image of the left-hand Fig. 2 pattern. Try it with left-hand Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 6 is an S-type pattern that works great with left-hand Figs. 1 and 3. Figs. 7-12 provide additional practice at combining hands.

On all the left- and right-hand stroke examples, strive for a smooth, even motion and sound, and remember that where your brush is between beats is as important as where it is on the beats. A great way to practice this is to draw a full-size diagram of each of the above figures and practice it slowly until you get the feel. Tape recording yourself also will help a great deal.