In this thesis, I have studied other instrumentalists (not drummers) vocabulary and tonal language, to find out how it can be translated on the drum kit, and how it affects my improvisation. The purpose is to include these transcriptions in my improvisation and investigate whether they have any impact on my vocabulary.

I transcribed solos that included stretched phrases, legato or other elements that I am not familiar with. The important aspect was that these phrases had a strong relation to a pulse. During the process I discovered that the transcriptions led to interesting drum exercises. These exercises were very helpful to work on elements like stretching which is not common for me on the drum kit. I worked with these transcriptions by myself in the practice room, and together with an ensemble.

The transcribing did not have any major results to my improvisation. The biggest impact on my improvisation was the melodic influence. The transcriptions made me find new ways to explore orchestration and choose different sound sources on the drum kit.