PERCUSSION
Stephane Chamberland is an internationally-recognized drummer, clinician, educator, and author living in New York
City and Québec City. He endorses Yamaha Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Promark Sticks, and Evans Drumheads. For more
information, visit www.stephanechamberland.com.
By Stephane Chamberland
Developing a Musical &
Creative Improvisational
Facility
M
y father comes from a family of 16 children. Many of them
wanted to learn to play an instrument but the financial
situation made it impossible to engage music teachers.
So, instead, they bought some cheap instruments and
learned by ear, working really hard to understand what was being
played on their favourite records. My uncles all grew up with fewer
resources than we have available to us today, yet they all became musi-
cians. My father told me that they had just a little bit of information but
made the most of it.
I sometimes feel that, nowadays, we are working the opposite way;
we learn many things but use just a small fraction of them. I remember
covering so many drum methods at some point in my studies only to now
realize, years later, that I retain only about 20 per cent of that information.
That was a key moment in my life because I started realizing how to learn
effectively and how to practice and study in a more mature way – a way
that would make my evolution last forever.
words become sentences with which we can then express increasingly
complex ideas and effectively communicate those ideas to others.
Music works to create this communication in much the same way. It
has been said that the nature of jazz is like a free form conversation
between the players (and even extends to the audience). Let me share
with you some ideas that helped me to develop a musical and creative
improvisational facility.
Starting the Phrase at a Different Place
This is something I learned from jazz improvisation. All musicians use
this concept. I recommend starting with a simple phrase. We’ll use a lick
I heard Steve Gadd play years ago. Let’s start on the first beat and move
the beginning of the phrase to different points along the bar. Check
out Ex. 1:
Knowing, Understanding & Mastering
There is a big difference between knowing,
understanding, and mastering. My goal is to
learn slowly and master more, so when all the
books are closed and I am playing with a band,
I will be able to pull out things I have really
mastered and share them with the audience
in the right context. If you want to freely play
in the moment and let your emotions and
imagination guide you, you must first master
the material in a way so you no longer have
to think about it, but rather simply feel it and
play it. It’s a process that starts with effective
practice on your instrument.
Challenge Yourself to Explore One Idea in
Different Ways
Start playing a simple idea and keep expand-
ing upon it until it becomes something new.
Do the same thing with that new thing you created; explore it and
start building even more amazing phrases. The word “phrase” here is
very important. When we speak, we use letters to create words and
28 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
In part two next issue, we’ll look at stretching the phrase, putting
phrases together, and a few other concepts.