Cross-Training
by John Riley
C
ross-training is a performance enhance-
ment philosophy that is used by sports
coaches to improve the results of their
athletes. The concept is that, in addition to
sports-specific training—like swimmers
swimming and runners running—skills will
be improved by including periods of practice in non-specific but
related areas.
While an ice-hockey puck weighs only about a pound, hockey
players find that spending a considerable portion of their training
time off the ice—in the gym lifting weights—improves their
game. Football players have found that their performance on the
field is improved by studying ballet or taking yoga classes.
Professional basketball players are famous for their time spent on,
and prowess at, the stationary bicycle and stair-climbing machine.
Drummers will find that by incorporating some cross-training
into their practice routines they will increase their effectiveness on
the musical playing field. I've noticed in my own practicing that
upon returning to playing jazz after a period of working on non-
jazz ideas, my jazz playing invariably feels improved. The source
of the improvement is the strengthened "wiring" between my
brain and my limbs through the practice and mastery of new non-
jazz grooves or solo ideas.
I'm continually purchasing CDs and drum books, not because I
hope to find the answer to some "secret" about playing, but to
give myself the opportunity to regularly hear and play different
things. Each month, when a new issue of MD arrives at my house,
I read it cover to cover just because I'm curious. I play through
The following "building blocks" should be played at tempos ranging from quarter note = 60-120.
Building Block 1
each and every exercise because doing so makes me consider
other possibilities and invariably sends my practice routine on
some new journey. Several other cross-training approaches help
make me a better player too. Reading through rudimental snare
drum solos keeps my eyes and hands sharp. Playing the piano
improves my feeling for melody and harmony. And exercising
daily helps keep my mind and body strong, fresh, and alert.
While some people believe that they must master "American"
music before they begin exploring other realms, checking out
music from different cultures is a good source of cross-training
ideas. Many drummers, myself included, have been intrigued by
the idea of simulating the sound and feel of, among others,
African, Brazilian, or Cuban percussion sections on the drumset.
There is a particularly interesting rhythmic elasticity or "rub" in
Afro-Cuban music that is also found in other "world" musics, but
that is foreign to jazz and rock. This rub is created by the simulta-
neous mixing of duplet- and triplet-based rhythms. Exploring this
territory is a good way to improve your "wiring" and therefore
your jazz playing.
Below are some Afro-Cuban-based cross-training ideas
designed to help you develop a more authentic feel. These ideas
were inspired by the playing and teaching of Frank Malabe, Louis
Bauzo, Alex Acuna, Efrain Toro, Ignacio Berroa, Horacio
Hernandez, and many others. Tito Puente's Top Percussion,
recorded in 1957, and Michael Spiro's Bata Ketu, recorded in
1996, showcase burning percussion playing and exceptionally
clear sound to listen to for clarification about the sound and feel of
the music.
Groove Ideas

Building Block 2
Left-Side Ostinato:

Groove Ideas
 The next two building blocks feature faster "elastic" grooves. Play them at tempos ranging from half note = 80-140.
Building Block 3

Groove Ideas

Building Block 4

Groove Ideas

Good luck with this material, and keep your ears and mind open. Next time we'll take a look at how to approach playing in 3/4.

John Riley's career includes work with such artists as John Scofield, Mike Stem, Woody Herman, and Stan Getz- He has also written two
critically acclaimed books, The Art Of Bop Drumming and Beyond Bop Drumming, published by Manhattan Music.