How to Fast Swing like Tony Williams: Drum Lesson

[@tomtomboy6471]

Thanks Nick. I'm 66, still learning. You really can "teach an old dawg new tricks"! Ha! I gotta practice!

[@kenrubio1200]

I am so happy I found this video very helpful!

[@elitedrumlessons6174]

Finally somebody broke this down and teaches it! Thank you!

[@miker5233]

I just came on your channel and you know what you're a natural teacher I like the way you break everything down keep up the good work

[@editbyStar]

I think this is a really useful video for those who are looking to get better at hand speed and clean rudiments overall. I really dig into the idea of overcompensating and repetition excersises. I have searched for a lot of different techniques to develop faster hands but building your whole hand technique around one method is counter intuitive. Also many drummers claim to practice without focusing that much on a specific technique. Great video, and amazing playing!

[@miker5233]

It's hard you want to go fast as soon as possible but what he's saying is correct starts slow and your central nervous system is going to remember these patterns and once you practice them cleaning you'll be able to go much faster

[@guitar_likes_cars]

This is amazing, very useful thank you !!!

[@AdityaNair-c7t]

Not a jazz drummer by any means I just came across your video while binge watching Tony Willams solos, but the crescendo technique looks like it could be very useful in developing paradiddle speed. Just what I was looking for!

[@maximusachoo]

Thankyou so much man

[@RayHennebeul]

Nick, awesome lesson. I am learning up tempo jazz. I am spending a lot of time on the first bar of your page. This is a great way to improve comping. You are a great drummer. Thanksfor the lesson lesson

[@chrismason3283]

Thanks for putting the effort in! I’m struggling with getting my strokes clean and have gone back to basics, this vid has given me some great stuff to practice.

[@2007christian]

Great advice! THANKS A LOT!

[@spydaaa14]

Brilliant lesson

[@Progdrummer]

Great lesson thanks

[@bearclawshooster2173]

This was great. Had a little breakthrough with this explanation. thanks man

[@BillRayDrums]

Great stuff man!

[@nickmonticello]

Thank you Bill!

[@arasiah]

Great lesson, thank you! You are covering the comping part extremely well. Do you have any suggestions or tips to develop speed on the right hand (for the ride)? Thank you

[@isaacleedrums]

Great playing and great teaching. Thank you.

[@nickmonticello]

Thank you!

[@berkkucukpehlivan]

I was waiting for this kind of tutorial for a long time. Thank you for this.

[@nram3930]

Great playing, great excercises. Ive been a bit stuck lately in regards to speed and control, lets see if this cescendo spiel get me through - if someone would remind in this thread me in a month I'll report the result.

[@redrover6104]

its been more than a month but, how’d it go?

[@walt3851]

Awesome video. Super helpful! Thanks so much for posting.

[@Rolback1247]

Muy bueno gracias Muy linda batería y tocas de 10

[@nickmonticello]

You're welcome.

[@AlexMartin011]

These are great examples and analogies for putting the weights on the bat and removing them. Do you have drumline experience? Or marching? It seems evident in your traditional grip and doubles.

[@nickmonticello]

I was on drumline/marching band in high school. Doing practice pad exercises with marching-snare sticks is like putting weight on the bat too.

[@AlexMartin011]

@@nickmonticelloYeah, it’s funny. I’ll practice with Ralph Hardimons and go back to buddy rich or Weckyl sticks and it almost feels like I’m playing with chop sticks. But it’s effective.

[@thewelshwizard5869]

That playing is particularly impressive 👌

[@mr.freedom396]

I lm getting a ton of mileage out of this video. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!

[@fredericdimeo5764]

Good lesson man ...good explications

[@kb1drums]

Earned a sub! This is awesome that you have us some exercises to work on. thanks!

[@rollsaround2096]

Honestly, I didn't know what kind of drumming I was about to watch. But I struggle with jazz stuff in general, so this was nice to catch and have more exercises to do. Thanks a bunch :)

[@oh4497]

excellent video, i've never seen those comping techniques before. incredibly grateful that you've immortalized your knowledge here. to clarify- are you using entirely wrist technique all the way throughout the tempo ranges? is there any conservative finger use, or are they simply for control?

[@nickmonticello]

The fingers are mostly for control. I find that I'm able to play the fast threes even if I take my middle, index, and pinky off the stick (although it becomes slightly less controlled). It doesn't matter so much the specifics of how much wrist vs. fingers to use -- what's most important is that you try to make the third stroke the loudest, or slightly crescendo through each stroke. Really fast tempos (300bpm) do require some finger, but no matter what specific finger or wrist technique you use, the main idea for practice is the crescendo/overcompensation idea.

[@oh4497]

thanks so much

[@KikoDorea]

Nice job! Thanks! That accent on the last note of the groupings is the idea behind Joe Morello's "Stone Killer", right?

[@nickmonticello]

Yes, I had to look up Stone Killer and I saw a video of Thomas Lang explaining it, and it's the same principle. It's the best way to make each stroke as similar in volume/quality as possible.

[@Epicurus48]

Thanks

[@kaelmoffat2198]

New to the channel...really like how you break this down. One question: page 38 of what? Are you working from Reed book?

[@nickmonticello]

Yes, Reed's Syncopation. I just realized I never named the book in the video!

[@adityatyagi4009]

Very cool lesson and demonstration. I have a LOT to work on! :P

[@DanielMendoza-31]

Buen vídeo. Me suscribo ya. Saludos desde Toluca, México ❤ Do you give private classes?

[@nickmonticello]

I do give private classes in my area, and have given some Skype lessons. I don't have a mic setup for it but I could try!

[@PeterKudelin]

this is really cool with the overcompensating concept. you are also REALLY good!!

[@luisfernando-mm3jt]

Nice work

[@jarrahdrum]

Excellent thank you , subscribed

[@lamesnareman]

Can tell you played marching snare. Love seeing the technique and practice concepts applied to drumset.

[@alphonsostudebeker]

Спасибо товарищ for that lesson, great job

[@damianquadro]

Very nice lesson! You know, there´s still a speed I can´t accomplish which is the one needed to play the tune "Katahdin"by Steve Smith. I even tried reversing the accent in the group of three strokes on the hi hat, I mean, accenting the first one instead of the third one to see if I can get more speed. Have you tried that tune? If so, could you give some piece of advice for it, or even better, make a video? Thanks!

[@nickmonticello]

I hadn't heard it before but I looked it up. That's fast! I think the best exercise to do is the crescendo 3's that I mentioned in the video. Instead of accenting the first note, try to accent the third note. In my experience this is the only way to make all three strokes sound consistent. The accented third note is harder and takes more practice than relying on bounce alone, but it's worth it.

[@SalMichael]

This is excellent, what stick brand and type are you using?

[@nickmonticello]

Normally my favorites are Vic Firth Steve Gadd's. I just grabbed some sticks lying around for this video and I think they were Vater Gospel's.

[@pal4597]

This is killer...thanks!

[@jerrylehti7230]

Well done

[@drumtwo4seven]

the thing about Tony Williams up tempo was the five notes in a row ride cymbal pattern five consecutive notes in a row up tempo It swung really hard

[@BrunoTagliasacchiMasia]

great man

[@nickmonticello]

Thanks!

[@szederjessidavid1830]

Thank you bro 🙏

[@dannylaverdedrums]

Pg 38 of what book?

[@nickmonticello]

Ted Reed's "Syncopation"

[@michaelkirchhofer3266]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🙏🏻

[@nathanammon4021]

This is interesting but I thought most swing was in a triplet format in threes. I should listen to more swing obviously

[@nickmonticello]

It can be noted as eighths (for fast swing usually), triplets (as in John Riley's book), or dotted eigh.ths/a sixteenth (as in Chapin's book).

[@maddropproductions4967]

thankuuuuyy

[@CatrinaDaimonLee]

ur hands arent bleeding...i saw whiplash..i know good drummers hands bleed. :D

[@theDesync]

Not gonna lie, none of that push/pull or drop and catch or what have you technique ever worked out for me. I gave up on all that and decided to just muscle it out with a metronome day after day. Maybe there's a natural limit doing it like this, but I haven't reached it yet. 210 bpm used to be the end for me mentally and physically and now I can handle 260 no problem.