Sunday, 08/02, 2-4pm

For decades, drummers have used Ted Reed’s Syncopation as both a reading text and a framework for developing technique, coordination, and musicality. Most famously, Alan Dawson developed a wide range of creative approaches using Syncopation to teach rudiments in a musical and integrated way.

In this workshop, participants will explore the fundamentals of that approach while expanding the nearly endless possibilities available for snare drum and drum set through the use of syncopated rhythmic figures. Topics will include:

• An overview of Ted Reed’s Syncopation and its many applications

• Super charging Snare drum rudiments with rhythmic figures

• Drum set applications for jazz, funk, Afro Cuban, and Brazilian music

• The quarter note interpretation of syncopation highlighted for near infinite exploration

• Integrating technical exercises and drum vocabulary into Syncopation-based practice

• Broader musical applications for performance and improvisation on the bandstand

Participants are encouraged to bring sticks and a practice pad, as examples will be explored together during the session.

Bryan Bowman is a San Francisco Bay Area drummer, composer, educator, and author of Syncopation Companion, published by Sher Music. He has taught historic improvisation and jazz workshops at the Jazzschool.

“Bryan Bowman’s revisit and expansion on the topics of syncopation and rudimental drumming bridges the gap for me, as I’m sure it will for many other drummers — as well as providing a beautifully useful tool for students of the Reed, Dawson, and Wilcoxon methods and etudes. I am looking forward to utilizing this book with my students as well as on my own practice pad.”
— Peter Erskine

“Syncopation Companion: An Integrated Approach to Rudimental Drumming, by Bryan Bowman, is a wonderful addition to the world of drum set pedagogy, extending the great work of jazz education pioneer Alan Dawson’s methods with Ted Reed’s Syncopation. I am most impressed by the logical progression from Chapter One through Chapter Twelve and the inclusion of concepts applicable to various styles, including jazz, rock, funk, Brazilian, and Afro Cuban genres.”
— Yoron Israel, Chair and Professor of Percussion, Berklee College of Music