+ Deep Dive Seven: Billy Higgins +

PART ONE:
INSPIRATION

LISTEN TO
OUR MAN HIGGINS.

Billy Higgins played on so many recordings for so many years, and it’s mind-blowing how good he sounds over the course of over five decades. His sound is instantly identifiable, particularly his cymbal-playing and his tuning. His playing breathes and grooves and his trading and solos always favor clarity and soul at the same time. Billy’s touch is so much a part of his sound, and you can hear him lifting the music with his hands. There’s nothing unnecessary, just pure joy and rhythmic spirit.

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PART TWO:
IMITATION

Transcription:
“MOOSE THE MOOCHE”

Here’s a study of Billy Higgins’ playing on a song called “Moose the Mooche” from Joshua Redman’s 1994 album called “Wish.” The other players are Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden, and the whole thing is beautiful with some deep improvisations.

The band plays this standard pretty fast, in the uptempo range of 310 BPM. When first listening to what Billy plays, some paradiddle stickings catch your ear, which is a good camp to start from when soloing or trading at really fast tempi. But, Billy being Billy, the phrases are super slick and he plays them in a way that creates melodies around the drums.

A few other notes from his overall approach is that he ends all of his trading phrases on the “3” of the last bar, making a very clear signal to the band that his phrases are over and it’s time to jump back in. He also plays some nice comping phrases and unisons that are incredibly musical ways to get in and out of the more “drummy” paradiddle language that he features in this tune. Check Billy Higgins out on everything he played on.

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PART THREE:
INNOVATION

This transcription is all about Billy’s use of paradiddles, how he would mix that sticking and start in on different upbeats and downbeats, and make incredible melodies between his hands. Since the tempo is fast, starting with some kind of paradiddle sticking and letting it unfold is a good way to get into phrases. Though he does play the plain old single paradiddle, here’s a common way he would disguise it, heard in the first set of trading he does on the track:


Billy varies this over the trading and just that change in orchestration makes a totally new phrase. So, to that end, I also take some paradiddle stickings and change them around and then put them in different places on the drumset. Billy has a touch that is unique and some of his phrases really take a lot of listening to in order to get the feeling right. So, it’s a study in getting lots of language and sounds out of a small amount of material, as well as how to approach soloing melodically in a fast context. Billy has such style and I hope maybe some of it can soak into my hands via lots of listening and idolizing his sound. A cool way to approach the instrument, for sure.
Thank you, Billy.

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One:
BILLYDIDDLES

Billy Higgins plays a ton of fun, flowing mixed paradiddle stickings in his uptempo trading phrases. The first one is a mixture of inverted paradiddles and double paradiddle accents on the left. And it starts with a drag on the upbeat to anticipate it. Lots of jargon there, but you can really just call them “Billydiddles.”

Two:
BILLYDIDDLES
PHRASE ENDER

This “Billydiddle” phrase is also a cool way to end a group of fours. Here’s a stab at some rhythmic non-paradiddle stuff between the feet and hands, then capping that off with a few Billydiddles to go back into time.

Three:
PARADIDDLE
DIDDLE
VARIATION

Taking that concept #billyhiggins played and mixing around some of my own paradiddle stickings. This baby is a paradiddlediddle, but with the second note accented on the left hand, and making the bass drum the final note. Feels kind of lopsided and like someone falling down the stairs, which is fun.

Four:
PARADIDDLE
DIDDLE
VARIATIONS
WITH CYMBALS

Same paradiddlediddle variation (second note accented, BD at the end), yet this moves it around the cymbals. Flailing around like a loose octopus. Sounds cool though- adding the cymbals gives it a little interest out amongst all the drummy stuff. #billyhiggins #drummystuff

Five:
HIGGINS
THIEVERY

This is a phrase I just stole outright, didn’t change it at all. It’s a longer accented “Billydiddle” phrase that ends on beat 3 of the last bar before you go back into time. On “Moose The Mooche” from Joshua Redman’s “Wish,” Billy ends almost every trade on the 3 of the last bar, which says to the band: “Time to come back in, MF’s!”

Six:
HIGGINS
THIEVERY
ORCHESTRATED

Here’s that same Billydiddle that I plagiarized, only now I’m moving it around to the drums instead of just the snare. So, maybe it’s less of a thief job if you move it onto a different surface, right?

Seven:
INVERTED
PARADIDDLES

On a few phrases, Billy would just rock inverted paradiddles. RLLR, LRRL. But he would find really cool melodies around the drums with just that sticking. A pretty useful thing to play when things are moving fast and you just need a phrase to get you into a different spot.

Eight:
INVERTED
PARADIDDLES
ORCHESTRATED

Here’s a bebop-ish phrase using inverted paradiddles where the accents go up and down the toms. Maybe just don’t play it 300 times in a row like I do here.
Mix it up a little…

Nine:
INVERTED
PARADIDDLES
WITH RATE CHANGES

Here’s a bebop-ish phrase using inverted paradiddles where the accents go up and down the toms. It’s cool, too when you mix the rate up between 16ths and triplets. Just for some pushing and pulling. Pushin’ and Pullin’, if you prefer.

Ten:
PLAIN OL’
PARADIDDLES

Billy would sometimes mix in some regular old school single paradiddles around the drums to give a heavy downbeat vibe. He would mix it into some of the more syncopated inversions and it works in that combination. Sometimes just go right at it and play paradiddles like you did in fifth grade band class.