Jazz Four-Note Patterns

By Wally Schnalle Originally published in the September 2009 issue of DRUM!

This text will be replaced

You may already know that the jazz-swing feel is based mainly around the eighth-note triplet. That of course gives you three subdivisions per beat to play with. This column, however, contains some basic four-note patterns played in that triplet environment. These four-note groupings fit nicely in the measure when played as swung eighth-notes, but the fun really begins when you play them as either eighth- or quarter-note triplets. Here they are played against the standard jazz ride pattern with hi-hat on beats 2 and 4.