On 1/23/2015 7:06 AM, Craig Parmerlee wrote: > In most of the big band charts I write, for the drummer I write a > measure or two with the suggest beat pattern, then turn the rest of the > measures into staff style Z so they will appear as a multi-measure rest > up to the next double bar. If there are any important punches, I will > typically show those measures with slash notation and write the horn > rhythms in notes above the staff, letting the drummer figure out how > best to play that. If there is an exact part I need played, I will show > those measures. For example, there may be a particular tom-tom riff or > there may be a place where drums hit on 1 and then drop out. I show all > those measures explicitly. > > But my question is about the sections where the drummer is just carrying > along. I show those as multi-measure rests and put the indication > "(Continue)" above the MM rest. This gives a really clean, compact part > and allows the drummer to play more artistically instead of trying to > read a very cluttered chart. But there is an ambiguity with the MM > rests. I am using the same look whether the drummer is continuing to > play a pattern or whether the drums are out for a section. My > "(Continue)" marking attempts to clarify that, but I wonder how others > deal with this. > > I think what I'd really like is two different visual styles of MM rest > -- one for playing and one for resting.
When I was in Louie Bellson's band, I talked to him a few times about this, as I was already interested in doing this kind of work (I'd paid some of my bills in college doing copy work by hand), and wanted to know what a real big band drummer wanted. He told me in no uncertain terms that less is more. Start the chart with a marking telling what the foundation is - "SWING q = 120" is all you need. Slash notation, marked "TIME" when there are long periods of playing time. Hits you have various horns doing something specific in standard notes (not slash) either in the space above the staff, or on the first space if that really works better for bass drum kicks. If there are measures out, use rests. For fills, mark the measures/beats "FILL". For more specific fills (descending tom patterns, etc) rough in the basics, but not every friggin' note. The more specific you are, the more the drummer will ignore you. Just give him the bones and let him flesh it out. Most of the drummers I have worked with in the 30 years since, agree. cd --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. http://www.avast.com _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu https://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale To unsubscribe from finale send a message to: finale-unsubscr...@shsu.edu
