Notes on the solos

Solo #1
A 6/8 solo that focuses on a 2/3 polyrhythm and sixteenth “double beats.”  I remember hearing the groove at letter D in high school and playing it constantly, but I had no clue how to write it down. If only I had these solos when I was in high school!

Solo #2
Thrilling fills for the drummers who are sick of going straight down the drums. This solo offers some exciting hi-hat interplay in the main groove as well. The half-time beat at letter E uses up-beat ride bell.

Solo #3
My primary intention with this straightforward solo is to prep the drummer to play for a steel band. Soca and Songo grooves are played for the majority of the solo. The Soca groove in particular has risen in popularity in pop music, so players will likely recognize it quickly.

Solo #4
Any drummer playing pop music should master the dot-dot-eighth rhythm throughout this solo. Letter D in this solo will require the most practice.  Be dramatic with the long pause at the end!

Solo #5
Funky and fun, this solo, like solo #2 has a main groove and lots of tasty fills. The player is required to manage several syncopated rhythms as well as some wide open rests and surprising hits.

Solo #6
A swing solo with creative comping patterns. The patterns cover a great deal of coordination skills while still feeling like a tune. The fast swing section has an obvious reference to Benny Goodman’s “Sing! Sing! Sing!”

Solo #7
A short journey through some essential latin grooves. The piece starts in strict time with a Brazilian “Partito Alto” rhythm, then some standard cha-cha and samba grooves. The piece opens up to more of a “lilt” when the style goes to the Afro-Cuban Mozambique. Most players only scratch the surface with these styles/genres and I hope that drummers can use this as a jumping off point to dive deeper into this sort of music.

Solo #8
It is unwise for the drum set player to neglect their rudimental chops.  This march style solo is inspired by the N.A.R.D. drum solos.  Playing the snare part alone is a stand-alone challenge, once it is in the players hands, they can add the bass and the “campy”coda.

Solo #9
Very aggressive mixed meter solo. Exposing the player to grooves and fills in meters with both compound and simple beats. The high tempo and constant meter change is a guaranteed challenge and thrill.

Solo #10
As a tongue-in-cheek musical joke, I based the tenth solo on trap music.  It starts with an open swing feel that fills in gradually, then transitions with a sudden tempo change into the more recognizable trap feel with fast HiHat patterns and constant metric switches. Most drummers will find learning this solo awkward at first and that is ok! Not all music will feel good in that hands and drummers should learn to overcome that. The player can repeat the entire solo for fun.