Mel Brown Beat Syncopation Exercise

Filmed on my iPhone at the 2012 Mel Brown Jazz Workshop, this impromptu jazz drumming lesson features Mel showing how one can take a simple 4 measure beat and turn it into a full week of challenging practice exercises.

[@scottd5547]

This is an awesome video. There is a lifetime of lessons in here. Get yourself Reed's Syncopation and do what Mel does.

[@williamfotiou7577]

This is the essence of what it means , “to play the drums”. Fantastic lesson.

[@jhardycarroll]

I like that you demonstrate this at a manageable tempo. You're such a great player, Mel.

[@rhythmfield]

So many terrific concepts and exercises drawn from a single, basic, fundamental one-bar rhythm extracted from the classic Ted Reed book. I am an advanced player, at it for a long time, and I’m deeply inspired by this. I have gotten so many great ideas from this 13 minute video. None of it is new for me but it’s presented in such a relaxed, inviting way that the information feels new for me. Thank you Mr Mel Brown. Isn’t Mr Brown a Portland, OR cat?

[@johnprogdrummer9043]

I have to say it again .....GREAT LESSON Mel

[@richdefazio2497]

Such an elegant concept! YOU REALLY INSPIRED ME with some great lessons 30 years ago in Las Vegas, when you were with Diana Ross. Over the years i've tried to look you up, but I think you must have been busy inspiring others. SO GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!!

[@Themartinvaquero]

His time is awesome, the coordination is fine, the time is incredible!

[@michaelgaines2069]

Hey man, thank you very much... keep grooving. You’re using your gifts...I appreciate it..and I’m sure many others do to...

[@jarrahdrum]

Fantastic player, Fantastic teacher. Thank you again

[@a.j.wilkes6352]

Great video! Branching off a single accent pattern is so simple and so genius.

[@JohnKeyser]

I'm feeling the groove getting better. Thanks Mel.

[@jarrahdrum]

This is very interesting for me. Easy to follow. Fantastic teacher

[@brendanallen1044]

So many great tools here, thank you Mr. Brown!

[@edwardjwarnock6657]

Excellent lesson Mel - thank you very much!!!

[@drich8807]

That was on point! Very helpful! I've been trying to learn how to play a syncopated beat and this is definitely helps! Thanks!!

[@buckyfields9254]

This is great. I just started fooling around with the syncopation book--all this from one little exercise--just one measure.. Fantastic! Thanks.

[@jmezr1]

bucky fields did you ever dig into that book. I'm working my way through it now trying to make heads and tails of it

[@christopherfreeman3357]

He's a great professional drummer.

[@tdrum21]

Great exercises with filling in the notes. Love the funk fills. Your feel and approach reminds me of Bernard Purdie:)!

[@timcline161]

Excellent musician, excellent instructor

[@jamesconnors5653]

Thank you, from Detroit.

[@davidwilcox9944]

Great exercise!

[@batouttahell454]

Great to see people I only read or heard about. 😀

[@ocotto]

Very Inspiring Maestro!

[@chriscurtis8344]

When he was younger ,Mel Brown used to play with the Temptations .

[@trevormcmanis]

Incredible exercise … 👍🏻

[@Blastfence1]

Excellent!

[@johnprogdrummer9043]

great lesson

[@einarescaf]

EXCELLENT ,THANKS VERY MUCH MR BROWN,I SAY HELLO FROM BARRANQUILLA COLOMBIA

[@tdrum21]

great lesson!

[@biju209]

awesome! so many clocks in parallel processing!!

[@hirokawiti4932]

Like how he enjoys warm ups. Looks happy

[@alb4u]

Nicely done

[@citydrums7525]

Amazing!

[@michaeldollinter8413]

Thank You Mel

[@wonder6789]

Awesome.

[@TheFeghoot]

Mel Brown, 40 something years later - Love you madly. Blast from the past - Geno from the MiniMax.

[@chsemaphor]

This guy is so cool!

[@lymz3637]

Great stuff! Pity it was so difficult to hear you. You should get an extra mike on your next videos!

[@A.ChristopherJohnson]

Right On !!!

[@nogoogleplus]

Very cool

[@tmaddrummer]

Thanks and Blessings!!!

[@marcbudicin]

Gold Bless You

[@ThomasistheTwin]

That was some legit funk.

[@ChristopherSong777]

very funky beat

[@uiltonpinheiroofficial3598]

Awesome!

[@eddiebuttsband2220]

Very very helpful How do I get in touch do you give lessons

[@revoxed93]

TIME, 2, 3, 4 :)

[@nielsmyrner]

Solid

[@christiancastro8635]

Cool teacher!

[@kyloken]

So good

[@Drumaier]

Great!!! thaks a lot for this.

[@drewdemien481]

i miss music class

[@ddawg470]

MASTER🙏🏽❤️🙏🏽

[@wenopalron]

Entendí más que las clases en español y eso q no entiendo mucho el inglés 👍

[@TheGurner1]

Cool!

[@glanac1]

Mel здравствуйте, я, русский барабанщик, спасибо Вам за разъеснение сенкоп ритма (5\4\(3\12). Очень интересно, очень. Ешё раз спасибо..., очень умно.

[@ronparagile156]

kudos

[@hunterthompson5220]

Shouldn't the accents on 3 and 4 be on the second partial? With the entire groove shifting over one triplet partial every repetition? Or is he just giving the superimposed eigthnotes arbitrary values in order to demonstrate a groove?

[@vaibhavnigam4604]

yes.. same thoughts..

[@rhythmfield]

Ummmm ... could you repeat the question please? In earthlingspeak please?

[@hunterthompson5220]

Greg Burrows I was getting needlessly wrapped up in note values. Mel is simply demonstrating one way to interpret a swung rhythm 😅

[@rhythmfield]

Hunter Thompson yeah he’s taking a very fundamental, almost primal 1-bar swing phrase and showing 20 ways to feel it, interpret and apply it-microcosm and macrocosm in a single 1-bar exercise - but overthinking it and picking it apart will lead to a lot of complicated thoughts, farther and farther away from the original message.

[@hermanmelville3871]

@@rhythmfield I had the privilege of studying with Fred Dinkins who has a very similar approach to Mel's. He'd have us do a number of exercises that were designed to get us seeing how notes aligned in down and up beats in service of solidifying our sense of the subdivision as well as improving our coordination. Did absolute wonders in improving time keeping and groove. The first thing he would tell me once I had it somewhat down was to immediately forget we were working on it and go play music. Seems he understood that these exercises were meant to improve the ability to play music that actually sounds good, rather than solve some sort of sonic calculus equation.

[@luispedromartins4957]

Question please? how did the first quarter note gets to be played like a second eight note in the first beat?

[@spercoco]

+Luis Pedro Martins Don't know if your question got answered but I think what you are asking is what is the count for the second note in the phrase which is a quarter note? Going left to right there is an eighth note on beat (count) 1 and the quarter note comes in on the & after one and because it is a quarter notes and gets the value of two eighth notes then you hold it through count two then you have another eighth note on the & of two then quarter notes that are back on the down beats of 3 and 4. Let me know if that answers your question

[@UFO_computers]

Steve, perfectly stated.

[@rhythmfield]

Steve Percoco the questioner vanished after asking the question - I hope he read, and understood, this excellent, thoughtful and un-condescending answer!

[@dineshchdiwal2879]

Very nice 👍 ji I love you liked so sweet 💕

[@roman14032]

yea ok, i cant play drums, WAAAAY TO MUCH WORK

[@HazeAnderson]

more like waaay to much PLAY ;)

[@bigneutron5510]

terrible sound HMMMMMne HHHHHHHHHHHwoHHHHHHHHHee

[@chrisscott6417]

1 and a 2 and a 3 and 4 and.. Triplety, triplety triplets just isn't going to cut it. Wrong phrasing. It don't mean a thing if it don't have that jazz phrasing. This is just wrong.

[@OttoGomora]

Not wrong for diana Ross or his teacher philly joe jones I suppose though. I bet with a band he phrases however he needs to. The excercises hes showing us just happen to be triplets

[@christopherbrown9362]

@@OttoGomora 100%

[@christopherbrown9362]

Keep in mind that this is a teaching scenario. So something quantifiable has to be given to align everyone's understanding. After all, would you actually want to see someone like Elvin Jones' ride pattern written out "perfectly?" So triplets are the closest thing we've got to getting a point across in the absence of hearing a recording.

[@Egbertwo]

Have u even listened to yourself bro? GET THE MIC OFF THE RIDE PLEASE! No need to Mic it. And put an e ring or a muffler on that snare! I can't stand that horrible ride sound!

[@UFO_computers]

Bert Hamer ---- Bro?

[@rhythmfield]

Man In A Pit I think Bro was absolutely missing the huge wisdom given here by Mel Brown in such clear, relaxed fashion

[@dustjacket1000]

Go home Bert. You’re drunk.

[@christopherbrown9362]

He didn't record this. If you read the caption you'll see someone else recorded this on what's now a primitive iPhone from 2012. Furthermore, there are no microphones present outside of the phone that captured this.

[@wenopalron]

Entendí más que las clases en español y eso q no entiendo mucho el inglés 👍