VIC FIRTH EDUCATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
FEATURING JASON GIANNI

Visit Jason online!
www.jasongianni.com

Jason Gianni is a full-time instructor at the prestigious Drummers Collective school of music in New York City where he specializes in Progressive concepts, focusing on advanced Polyrhythm work, Odd-time studies, Ostinato soloing and other related topics.

As a session drummer, Jason has recorded television & radio commercials for clients such as Toyota, Discover, McDonalds, Showtime, the Oakland Athletics, Izusu, Polaroid, the California Lottery, PBS, Sprint, Capital One, Foster Farms, Blue Shield and many more. Perhaps the most recognizable display of Jason's drumming can be found on the theme song for the popular Nickelodeon cartoon, 'Spongebob Squarepants.'  You can also hear Jason's drum tracks during each episode of the first season of Disney's hit show, 'Hannah Montana.'

As a writer, his work has appeared in Modern Drummer magazine (including a feature article describing the specifics of "Jingle Drumming") and he was a regular drum columnist in the West coast version of the Jazz Steps Newsletter. Most notably, Jason has co-authored The Drummer's Bible book, a guide to popular drum styles which offers approximately 400 musical examples in standard drum notation.

Jason is also featured on a recent Hudson Music beginner DVD entitled, "Set Up, Tune and Play Your Drums." The DVD covers all details of setting up your new drum set and also includes tuning tips, stick choices, grip advice and an introduction to beginner playing.  

DEMONSTRATION:
WATCH JASON'S SOLO USING POLYRHYTHMS & OSTINATOS!

In this video, Jason displays an array of advanced solo ideas including a variety of Polyrhythmic & Ostinato examples.  This video is split up into a sampling of 5 different topics in this field of study:

1) A Soloistic 4-pedal Ostinato with the feet in 7/8, including hand soloing/melodies and metric modulation over the top.

2)  A polyrhythmic pattern (primarily in 9/16) with each limb simultaneously performing various rhythms and rates inside of the bar.

3)  Another Soloistic 4-pedal Ostinato in 4/4, also including hand soloing/melodies and metric modulation over the top.

 4) An example of a “Polyrhythmic Ostinato:” Keeping a 7/8 Ostinato steady between the right hand and left foot with various meter changes of the BD/SD groove underneath.

5)  A Stylistic Ostinato of clave and tumbao, including hand soloing/melodies and metric modulation over the top.

The objective is to display a few different approaches a drummer can take when soloing with these topics.  The primary characteristic to keep in mind is to have a sense of “development” with your ideas and to create a “story” when creating some of these melodic solos.  In this field of study, it might be suggested to think of your ostinato patterns as, perhaps, the “percussionist” while your solo patterns & ideas could be thought of as the “drummer.”  That way, you can think of it as 2 players performing simultaneously without necessarily stepping on each other.  Once you start experimenting within this field of study, there’s no end to what could be created!

POLYRHYTHM LESSON SERIES

In this video lesson series, Vic Firth Artist Jason Gianni will cover the basics of playing polyrhythms on the drumset. From layering 3's, 5's and 7's over basic 4/4 rock grooves to exploring four way independence and orchestration, Jason will break down the elements of polyrhythmic grooves, which can enhance your groove, independence and musicianship.