Stick work is essentially for any good percussionist; you are correct in that most good drummers got a start in jazz work.Thud wrote:To simplify my question, are rolls and stick work more the domain of jazz and marching band music, with rock more interested in the beats?
I know some of the rock drummers I respect the most have a strong foundation in jazz.
I jumped into jazz work early not because I liked it, but because it was the easiest way to skip single-drum work and start playing with kits. It also provides a freedom for improvisation which is key in staying interested, as well as learning to feel music and adjust your playing to fit it. Not to mention brush work, which is something I'm grateful for to this day. I ended up going from jazz work back into various percussion work because I started to appreciate the music more than I did the straight drumming: orchestras, symphonies and wind ensembles, to learn more about timpani and classical snare work.
Towards the end of my foray into classical junk I started playing with other dudes who had picked up the guitar, bass, etc., and did the typical angry-teenager-start-a-band deal that most people do. Rock drumming is exceptionally easy compared to the more technical side of classical stuff, and jazz has one key benefit that most drummers never learn: very odd and continuously changing time signatures and very, very intricate note counting.
Learning to count complicated music, and sight-read accordingly, is huge and pays dividends for any drummer. Stick work is the foundation for fluency, comfort and transitions regardless of music type.
Beats are nothing compared to crisp stick capabilities.
