A comparative analysis of philly Joe Jones, Steve Smith, and Gregory Hutchinson's improvisation on Two Bass Hit

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare the improvisation of Philly Joe Jones, Steve Smith, and Gregory Hutchinson on the song Two Bass Hit. Topics of the analysis were divided into the motivic pattern, motivic development concepts, repetition, orchestrating, remarkable devices, and solo development. The analysis results showed that the improvisations of the three drummers had motivic patterns that are not very complex, reasonably short, and easy to develop. They were emphasized on drum rudiments and repetitions all of them used the same format of repetition and divided the phrasing of improvisation following the song's structure. Although the three drummers used the techniques and concepts mentioned above, they each show differences in their details and how they chose to use the different devices when soloing. For example, Philly Joe Jones is likely to use question and answer sentences often, Steve Smith frequently used double stops, and Gregory Hutchinson repeatedly used six-stroke rolls as well as paradiddle-diddles.