Excerpted from Rhythm & Chops Builders I believe that a drummer should be able to pick up sticks and make music on any sound source. The two biggest keys to doing this are having extensive rhythmic and rudimental vocabulary and employing excellent dynamic control. The more expressively you can play on one drum or cymbal, the more you’ll be able to say when you add drums and cymbals. Let’s explore dynamic changes and the mechanics necessary to modulate from one dynamic level to the next using crescendos and decrescendos. A crescendo is where we gradually increase in volume, and a decrescendo is the opposite. The exercises are pretty simple, but maximizing your dynamic expression within them will be a challenge and will require finesse and chops. The quieter you can keep your lower dynamics, the louder the loud dynamics will seem (and vice versa), so be sure to exaggerate the […]