How To Play 3/4 Jazz Drum Beats and Odd Meters

Learn how to play 3/4 Jazz drum beats and odd meter beats in 5/4.

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Learn how to play 3/4 Jazz drum beats and drum beats in 5/4 like Dave Brubeck's Take Five!

Odd Meter Jazz Drumming Course

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Most of us are comfortable playing Swing drums in 4/4 or common time. This course teaches you how to play 3/4 Jazz drum beats and 5/4 drum beats too.  You’ll start by learning how to read and understand these time signatures, then move on to solid grooves and flowing drum fills that make your playing feel natural.

The lessons focus on improving your timing, coordination, and musical feel, helping you lock into odd meters without overthinking. By the end, you’ll have the tools to groove, fill, and solo in 3/4 and 5/4 with ease, making your drumming more versatile and expressive.

See the list of all the lessons.

Learn with a relaxed, step-by-step method at your own pace. Track your progress and see how much you have accomplished! Example below is from the Brushes Mastery Course.
Course Overview
Jazz drumming uses odd-meter drum beats more than any other style. So, it's really important that you learn how to play 3/4 Jazz drum beats and 5/4 drum beats. These are the 2 most-used odd meter drum beats in Jazz.

This course teaches you to play Jazz Swing grooves and drum fills in both 3/4 and 5/4 time signatures. Adding these to your groove pallet will greatly expand the possibilities for your Jazz drumming. 

  • Drum Lessons Video: 1.5 hours
  • Drum Lessons: 8
  • Instructor Playing Examples: 2
  • 3-Page PDF Download
  • Drum Practice Tracks: 2
  • Drum Lab Monthly Drum Class
  • Lessons In 10+ Languages:
    English, Deutsch, Français, Español, Italiano, Português, Suomi, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 한국어, 日本語, हिन्दी

PREVIEW THE COURSE

Here is a lesson on how to play 3/4 Jazz drum beats in a Swing style.  Enroll in the course to master playing in 3/4 and 5/4 meters. 

There is a PDF download for this and other lessons in the course when you enroll. 

Click on the "CC" in the video screen to select your language. 
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Jazz Drums Total Lessons Pack

Step-by-step online Jazz drumming lessons for all skill levels. Learn from beginner to playing in a band—50% off!

(Includes The Odd Meter Jazz Drumming Course)
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Lessons on how to play 3/4 Jazz Drum Beats and 5/4 Drum Beats

Play in both 3/4 and 5/4 with more confidence!
  1. INTRO & HOW TO READ 3/4 & 5/4 - 05:11
  2. PLAYING IN 3/4 PART 1 - 19:15
  3. PLAYING IN 3/4 PART 2 - 08:17
  4. PLAYING IN 5/4 - 10:59
  5. 3/4 DRUM FILL PART 1 - 14:15
  6. 3/4 DRUM FILL PART 2 - 12:04
  7. 5/4 DRUM FILL - 12:34
  8. CONCLUSION - 00:29
  9. 3/4 PERFORMANCE EXAMPLE - 01:43
  10. 5/4 PERFORMANCE EXAMPLE - 01:50

Need a little more help with how to play 3/4 Jazz drum beats?

Send me a direct message in the School and ask your questions in my monthly Drum Lab class. Just some of the perks for joining Jazz Drum School! 

Von Baron

Jazz drummer, educator, composer

About YOUR TEACHER

Performing regularly on stage and in the recording studio for 35+ years, Von Baron is one of the busiest drummers in Japan. 

Playing with Stanley Jordan, Benny Golson, Eddie Henderson, Geoff Keezer and many others gave Von the opportunity to hone his Jazz drumming skills. 

It's with this real world experience, Von created this course to give you a solid foundation for your Jazz drumming.
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Kobe, Japan

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