Strictly Technique
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Three Birds With One Stone - Optimize Your Practice Time
Time is tight for many of us. If we had unlimited time to shed, we’d probably spend hours behind the kit. But the reality is that life’s twists and turns can keep us busy. Therefore, I try to practice things…
Shifting Gears
3 Paradiddle Exercises for Strengthening Subdivisions Practice the following subdivision pyramid exercises using a metronome to be sure your timing is accurate and consistent. You may need to work on each line individually before trying the entire thing. Tap your…
Balanced Hands
Two Exercises to Eliminate One-Hand Dominance This article consists of exercises designed to develop strength and endurance in both hands. The first one begins with a balance of four right-hand and four left-hand strokes. As you repeat, the balance is…
Triplets With Buzz Rolls
Going from single strokes to buzz (multiple rebound) strokes requires a different pressure, which is controlled primarily with the fingers. The important thing to remember here is that “pressure” does not mean “rigidity” or “tension.” So these exercises, then, will…
Warm-Up Exercises
A sensible warm-up is vitally important to a productive practice session or good performance. There is no question that relaxed and supple muscles allow the mind to work better and more improvement is attained. There are no tempo markings attached…
Triplet Gear-Shifter
12-18-24 Exercise, Part 1 This month we’re going to challenge your hands by playing triplets as 12th notes, 18th notes, and 24th notes, with and without accents. (We’ll use two other stickings in the second installment.) First let’s define…
Loosen Up! 18 Triplet-Roll Warm-Ups to Get You Going
The drumset is one of the most physically demanding instruments. As with any other high-intensity physical activity, it helps to loosen up your muscles first with some basic exercises. In this article we’re exploring a warm-up routine based on the…
Flowing Diddles, Triple Strokes, and Paradiddles
Essential Motions for Smoother Transitions
Compound Rudiments The Blam
Many of the basic drum rudiments can be combined. If you analyze a paradiddle, you’ll see that it’s really just two single strokes and a double. With that in mind, I’ve decided to blend two of my favorite sounds on…
Polyrhythmic Coordination Part 4: Six-Note Base Rhythm
Last time (November 2012), we continued our study of two-hand polyrhythmic coordination by playing a five-note base rhythm with one hand while adding one to eight evenly spaced notes over the top with the other hand. This month we’re using…
Fours and Sevens in 7/8
Part 3:Triple Strokes This month we’re going to finish the Fours and Sevens in 7/8 exercise by playing it with triple strokes. As with double strokes, the key to playing high-quality triple strokes is finger control. The challenge is to…
