This month we’re going to work on a couple of shortburst single-stroke rudiments: the single four and single seven. The key to executing these rudiments effectively is using finger control to play rapid free strokes. Single fours and sevens are very commonly used in fills on the drumkit, and practicing them on a pad will build speed and strength for playing doubles, triples, and even sets of four notes with each hand. As your finger control improves, these single-stroke bursts will become easy to play at very fast tempos. Speed certainly isn’t everything, but the more musical options you have, the better. Every stroke of the single four and single seven should be played as a free stroke. If the free stroke is rebounding properly, that means that each note is played with enough velocity down toward the drum to allow the stick to bounce back up, and that the […]

October 2012 Issue