what should i practise?

[gusty]

regarding the quote from thoamas lang that chip posted in the discipline thread, im going to set goals and record my progress. obviously my goal- get good. but then i kind of hit a wall. ill probly have between 1 and 3 hours a day to practise- actually i could go for more over the holidays- so what should i do? pad half kit other half? try and set a goal to complete every time i sit down or do long and short term goals? and would you suggest picking out different grooves and learning them?

[RudimentalDrummer]

Actually Gusty...do you have a Drumming Instructor?....The reason why I asked this is:-

Most instructor actually has a systematic methodological ways of schedule in training a Drum student bacause I think Drumming for Inprovement is a process that needs time into perfecting it. My weaknessess is seen through by my Instructor who will tell me - Practice more on this or on that as I'm weak on a particular area (that I myself do not know till he explain to me why so).......

Generally we all have to practice a little bit of this & that eg. General Exercises like...Rythmn Patterns from the very Basic Different Types to tough ones of each of these types (Rock, Funk, Bossonova, Jazz etc).....Stick Control Exercises, Syncopation, Accent & Ghostings.....and many more on the kit itself.........then to the pads on Rudiments for instance...then doing Rudiments around the Kit later on....

So..it is really not easy to know what to do...when we have to do & learn all the above.....Your objective plays a great part in what & how much time you should put into a particular practice......If you want to groove, play musically & dynamically and play it in the pocket - then of course more time is required into achieving that....but we need an advicer here to tell us - where to improve & practice more, where is our weakness, which area need more & further improvements....A Good Instructor is Vital here.

With all the above - 3 hours is really insufficient if we really think about it - but 3 hours is very good because not many people can allocate 3 hours per day - due to their many other commitments.

Even till today - I still have been questioning myself at certain nights - What Should I Practice?...it's normal and it's good...cause you are serious into drumming...cheers !

[gusty]

Actually Gusty...do you have a Drumming Instructor?....The reason why I asked this is:-

Most instructor actually has a systematic methodological ways of schedule in training a Drum student bacause I think Drumming for Inprovement is a process that needs time into perfecting it. My weaknessess is seen through by my Instructor who will tell me - Practice more on this or on that as I'm weak on a particular area (that I myself do not know till he explain to me why so).......

Generally we all have to practice a little bit of this & that eg. General Exercises like...Rythmn Patterns from the very Basic Different Types to tough ones of each of these types (Rock, Funk, Bossonova, Jazz etc).....Stick Control Exercises, Syncopation, Accent & Ghostings.....and many more on the kit itself.........then to the pads on Rudiments for instance...then doing Rudiments around the Kit later on....

So..it is really not easy to know what to do...when we have to do & learn all the above.....Your objective plays a great part in what & how much time you should put into a particular practice......If you want to groove, play musically & dynamically and play it in the pocket - then of course more time is required into achieving that....but we need an advicer here to tell us - where to improve & practice more, where is our weakness, which area need more & further improvements....A Good Instructor is Vital here.

With all the above - 3 hours is really insufficient if we really think about it - but 3 hours is very good because not many people can allocate 3 hours per day - due to their many other commitments.

Even till today - I still have been questioning myself at certain nights - What Should I Practice?...it's normal and it's good...cause you are serious into drumming...cheers !


Thanks RD

I do have an instructor but I'm just learning songs at the moment- but tomorrow (my lesson)- im going to tell him that I want to get more serious about drumming (practise) and maybe put the song on hold for a while, work on more grooves/whatever.

[Wavelength]

Spend one hour on working on a particular style of drumming -- be it 16th note rock, 3/4 jazz, songo or whatever -- and keep going for a month or so. You'll learn this particular style, its variations and fills quite well this way, and it is far more effective to really get intimate with a style rather than learn a new groove every day.

One hour of technique every day wouldn't hurt either. Don't worry about speed, that's not the point of good technique. Work on quality, consistency and effortlessness. Say you practiced Stick Control at 60 bpm for 20 minutes singles, doubles, flams and buzzes for 20 another minutes and accents for yet another 20 minutes. Just focus on clean execution and good sound, and forget about raising the tempo. Sometimes it's hard to see any forward motion when you're working on a slow tempo for long periods of time, like four months, but perseverance always pays off in surprising amounts.

The last hour should be spent on whatever you need at the time: having fun, practice playing, working on new ideas, whatever.

[gusty]

Spend one hour on working on a particular style of drumming -- be it 16th note rock, 3/4 jazz, songo or whatever -- and keep going for a month or so. You'll learn this particular style, its variations and fills quite well this way, and it is far more effective to really get intimate with a style rather than learn a new groove every day.

One hour of technique every day wouldn't hurt either. Don't worry about speed, that's not the point of good technique. Work on quality, consistency and effortlessness. Say you practiced Stick Control at 60 bpm for 20 minutes singles, doubles, flams and buzzes for 20 another minutes and accents for yet another 20 minutes. Just focus on clean execution and good sound, and forget about raising the tempo. Sometimes it's hard to see any forward motion when you're working on a slow tempo for long periods of time, like four months, but perseverance always pays off in surprising amounts.

The last hour should be spent on whatever you need at the time: having fun, practice playing, working on new ideas, or trying to create new things


man you guys are great- two awsome responses in a row. I think attacking practise in thirds is a good idea. 1 third technique, 1 third doing things such as working on a particular style, and 1 third concentrating on say new grooves that could be learnt (not perfected) in one sitting.

[Scatman]

Most drummers play half the time on a pad while the other half playing groove patterns on a drum kit
Put some reading time in also

[KCDrummer]

Easy. Go to the mirror and look yourself in the eye and ask yourself: "What do I suck at?"

Go practice the first thing that pops into your head.

[vadrum]

regarding the quote from thoamas lang that chip posted in the discipline thread, im going to set goals and record my progress. obviously my goal- get good. but then i kind of hit a wall. ill probly have between 1 and 3 hours a day to practise- actually i could go for more over the holidays- so what should i do? pad half kit other half? try and set a goal to complete every time i sit down or do long and short term goals? and would you suggest picking out different grooves and learning them?

this is generally how i would approach practice. hands: maybe wilcoxin or stone (some variation of the material) and i might spend anywhere from 30 - 40 mins on this portion. my goals are to work everything in small 60 bpm progressions. work material to 120 bpm (from 60) then move on, later ill come back and work 120 - 180 and so on. this gives me plenty of variation (im a little ADD and i tend to want to change what im working on almost daily) while still allowing me to set attainable goals and work on them. if i get stuck at a tempo then i will stay there until im ready to move on.

drumset: warmup - right now im using the section from riley's book "beyond bop drumming" that consists of the cross sticking exercises and i work 8 of them open to close to open while playing quartes w/ the bd and hh on 2 and 4. then i work on drumset technique be it solos, time, or whatever. the thing that you want to work during this portion of your practice is exactly the thing kcdrummer told you to work. find the thing that you feel you really NEED to work on and commit some time to it, and you can allow this need to influence what exercises you are working on. after working w/ these exercises i pull out a cd,or perhaps more than one, and play along w/ the cd. you can approach this in 3 ways. play exactly whats on the record (transcribe), play along w/ the cd (as in you are the drummer and you are playing w/ that band on the cd at that moment but you can play whatever fits), and finally play against the record (perhaps solo over the song form or try meter against meter.....basically the cd is a glorified metronome). after ive done this i might try to work on things that ive come up w/, licks, patterns, what have you. in the end i might try to play a few songs myself, trading, playing the melody, solos, time,etc.

i usually do my work for my hands away from the drumset so that i can maximize my time at the drumset.

there are many ways to formulate practice time. let me give you an example, i was fortunate to go to school at VCU and met both al garnette (who has played w/ many national jazz acts like betty carter and abbey lincoln) and clarence penn ([/URL][url]http://drummerworld.com/drummers/Clarence_Penn.html (http://drummerworld.com/drummers/Clarence_Penn.html)) and their approaches to practice couldnt be anymore different. al literally worked on different things every day. one day it might be his left hand, the next day ride cymbal, maybe the day after he would work on shuffle patterns. he would sit there everyday and just work on these things until they felt and sounded good to him (now at this level he had already done most of the rudimental training like stone, wilcoxin, chapin, and so on....which gave him this kind of flexibility). this routine worked really well for him. clarence, on the other hand, was very regimented. he would take an issue he wanted to work on (say a shuffle pattern) and would create a mix tape of nothing but shuffles. his exercises would be exercises to work shuffles and he would base the rest of his practice routine for the time span of 2 mos around working shuffles. he would work it for 2 mos and then he would move on. now, my program is loose and favors a certain style of music. but, you can certainly take elements and use them in your practice routine. your specific level, your goals as a drummer/musician, and your teacher will dictate what patterns, books, or exercises to employ during practice time. the amount of time you spend on each thing is entirely personal, but again depeding on your level you may be asked (by your teacher) or feel the need to spend more time on one thing vs the other.

good luck

[gusty]

this is generally how i would approach practice. hands: maybe wilcoxin or stone (some variation of the material) and i might spend anywhere from 30 - 40 mins on this portion. my goals are to work everything in small 60 bpm progressions. work material to 120 bpm (from 60) then move on, later ill come back and work 120 - 180 and so on. this gives me plenty of variation (im a little ADD and i tend to want to change what im working on almost daily) while still allowing me to set attainable goals and work on them. if i get stuck at a tempo then i will stay there until im ready to move on.

drumset: warmup - right now im using the section from riley's book "beyond bop drumming" that consists of the cross sticking exercises and i work 8 of them open to close to open while playing quartes w/ the bd and hh on 2 and 4. then i work on drumset technique be it solos, time, or whatever. the thing that you want to work during this portion of your practice is exactly the thing kcdrummer told you to work. find the thing that you feel you really NEED to work on and commit some time to it, and you can allow this need to influence what exercises you are working on. after working w/ these exercises i pull out a cd,or perhaps more than one, and play along w/ the cd. you can approach this in 3 ways. play exactly whats on the record (transcribe), play along w/ the cd (as in you are the drummer and you are playing w/ that band on the cd at that moment but you can play whatever fits), and finally play against the record (perhaps solo over the song form or try meter against meter.....basically the cd is a glorified metronome). after ive done this i might try to work on things that ive come up w/, licks, patterns, what have you. in the end i might try to play a few songs myself, trading, playing the melody, solos, time,etc.

i usually do my work for my hands away from the drumset so that i can maximize my time at the drumset.

there are many ways to formulate practice time. let me give you an example, i was fortunate to go to school at VCU and met both al garnette (who has played w/ many national jazz acts like betty carter and abbey lincoln) and clarence penn ([/URL][url]http://drummerworld.com/drummers/Clarence_Penn.html (http://drummerworld.com/drummers/Clarence_Penn.html)) and their approaches to practice couldnt be anymore different. al literally worked on different things every day. one day it might be his left hand, the next day ride cymbal, maybe the day after he would work on shuffle patterns. he would sit there everyday and just work on these things until they felt and sounded good to him (now at this level he had already done most of the rudimental training like stone, wilcoxin, chapin, and so on....which gave him this kind of flexibility). this routine worked really well for him. clarence, on the other hand, was very regimented. he would take an issue he wanted to work on (say a shuffle pattern) and would create a mix tape of nothing but shuffles. his exercises would be exercises to work shuffles and he would base the rest of his practice routine for the time span of 2 mos around working shuffles. he would work it for 2 mos and then he would move on. now, my program is loose and favors a certain style of music. but, you can certainly take elements and use them in your practice routine. your specific level, your goals as a drummer/musician, and your teacher will dictate what patterns, books, or exercises to employ during practice time. the amount of time you spend on each thing is entirely personal, but again depeding on your level you may be asked (by your teacher) or feel the need to spend more time on one thing vs the other.

good luck

wow. what can i say? thanks a lot

[JacobKaye]

Alot of great advice... how do you internalized it?

Perhaps this will assist, and if not disregard it...

Organize you time and decide how many hour(s) per day you can, consistently, dedicate to daily practise sessions. (The example, below is based on 1 hour)
Plan how to best use this time. It is important to eventually delegate time for each of the following:
5-7 minutes: For a “general” warm up exercise (40 PAS in review)
5-7 minutes: For “technique-oriented” exercises which are progressive (Stick Control)
15 minutes: For improving “reading-skills” (basic, intermediate texts, syncopation studies,etc)
15 minutes: For “coordinated-independence” exercises (Chester, Chapin, etc.)
15 minutes: For “play-along”, playing with recorded music (have fun!!!)

[Miggle]

Alot of great advice... how do you internalized it?

Perhaps this will assist, and if not disregard it...

Organize you time and decide how many hour(s) per day you can, consistently, dedicate to daily practise sessions. (The example, below is based on 1 hour)
Plan how to best use this time. It is important to eventually delegate time for each of the following:
5-7 minutes: For a “general” warm up exercise (40 PAS in review)
5-7 minutes: For “technique-oriented” exercises which are progressive (Stick Control)
15 minutes: For improving “reading-skills” (basic, intermediate texts, syncopation studies,etc)
15 minutes: For “coordinated-independence” exercises (Chester, Chapin, etc.)
15 minutes: For “play-along”, playing with recorded music (have fun!!!)

is this method effective? I mean, 15 minutes on something is just not enough. Wouldn't it be better if 1 day = 5-10 min warmup, 50 min on something?

[JacobKaye]

is this method effective? I mean, 15 minutes on something is just not enough. Wouldn't it be better if 1 day = 5-10 min warmup, 50 min on something?


Without knowing the age/ background/ time available, etc of a student...

The above suggestion is just that, a suggestion intended as a very general “guideline”... with the goal of getting one started on the “right track”... consistent practise.

For people who may have no idea where to begin the “guidelines” offer an overall “all-encompassing” array of ideas. Undoubtedly, someone will find something among the various topics that will catch their interest. This is the point. It's a "guideline" not inflexible rule...it's meant to be flexible.

Usually, students after attempting these "guidelines"... lose track of the exact time for each discipline and gravitate toward and become absorbed with a particular discipline that they "connect" to... This is the bottom line.

Additionally, for younger students spending too much time on one topic leads to boredom... and they can, at that point, refer back to the "guidelines" for variety (the spice of life) to keep one's interest.

Hopefull this clarifies the above...?

[DWfan20005]

Study Music Theory! The more you understand the music theory and understand how everything works the less overwhelming a piece of music will be. In my opinion speed and independance are most important,but feel free to work on whatever needs to be improoved.

[Robdrmz]

Well interestingly enough. At work, I've set up a practice kit in the old sales office so on my breaks I can sneak in and work chops for 15 minutes and when I take lunch I have about 45 minutes.

What do you think I should practice? I have been practicing singles, doubles, triplets & paradidles at 80bpm so far.

Any advice?

[vadrum]

is this method effective? I mean, 15 minutes on something is just not enough. Wouldn't it be better if 1 day = 5-10 min warmup, 50 min on something?

i honestly believe that if you put yourself on a consistent schedule for practice, your body will adapt and begin to learn as a result of that schedule. so, to me, its not as important how much time you spend each day, but that you try to spend some amount of time everyday.

[vadrum]

Well interestingly enough. At work, I've set up a practice kit in the old sales office so on my breaks I can sneak in and work chops for 15 minutes and when I take lunch I have about 45 minutes.

What do you think I should practice? I have been practicing singles, doubles, triplets & paradidles at 80bpm so far.

Any advice?

what are you trying to accomplish w/ this practice? anything you do will be beneficial. if youre talking about what would be the most efficient routine, you have to ask yourself what youre looking to accomplish during that practice time.

[Robdrmz]

I'm looking to improve my overall chops in fills and my vocabulary and dynamicism while playing. I am a groove cat and can lay back, hang with a click all that, but I need work on independance, intricate fills. and chops in fills.

Now trying to work this into 15 minute practice sessions at work...HMMM.

Should I just practice paradiddles to my click at 80bpm & work up to 220?

Do any of you know what NOMECHI is? - Full, down, tap, up - My friend studies with Dawson & he would do that to a metronome really slow. Zen like. I'm doing that now.

[vadrum]

I'm looking to improve my overall chops in fills and my vocabulary and dynamicism while playing. I am a groove cat and can lay back, hang with a click all that, but I need work on independance, intricate fills. and chops in fills.

Now trying to work this into 15 minute practice sessions at work...HMMM.

Should I just practice paradiddles to my click at 80bpm & work up to 220?

Do any of you know what NOMECHI is? - Full, down, tap, up - My friend studies with Dawson & he would do that to a metronome really slow. Zen like. I'm doing that now.


yeah, the work that you put into practicing your rudiments will pay off. besides using a click you can play the rudiments open to close to open. 1:30 open to close, 1:30 close to open. thats another good routine for hand development. if you want to work on your fills, take some time to play some simple beats and try to work on some more complex fills, perhaps in 1 - 3 bar phrases. write some things out and then orchestrate them around the kit.

i would probably just focus on the hands for both the 15 mins sessions and then work fills/grooves and the like during the 45 mins session. again, during the longer session i would look to work on any fills that ive been trying to get down or any ideas i might want to incorporate. but, like i said, any work you do will pay off.

[wy yung]

regarding the quote from thoamas lang that chip posted in the discipline thread, im going to set goals and record my progress. obviously my goal- get good. but then i kind of hit a wall. ill probly have between 1 and 3 hours a day to practise- actually i could go for more over the holidays- so what should i do? pad half kit other half? try and set a goal to complete every time i sit down or do long and short term goals? and would you suggest picking out different grooves and learning them?

May I ask what is your current level? What can and can't you do? What areas of playing are you comfortable with? Do you have any rudimental history? Have you spent time practicing odd groupings and accents? Have you worked from any books, and if so, which books? Have you developed your ability with your feet to a good extent? Have you spent time developing dynamic control? Any particular grips?

Before I would leave any suggestion I really need some details of your history.

[gusty]

May I ask what is your current level? What can and can't you do? What areas of playing are you comfortable with? Do you have any rudimental history? Have you spent time practicing odd groupings and accents? Have you worked from any books, and if so, which books? Have you developed your ability with your feet to a good extent? Have you spent time developing dynamic control? Any particular grips?

Before I would leave any suggestion I really need some details of your history.

current level: seasoned pro. not sure where i am, dont know if im good, making progress, good for my age, wateva. my scanners not working, but heres a few pics of what ive been doing recently...
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q157/gusty_bucket/100_1216.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q157/gusty_bucket/100_1218.jpg

so, pretty much, its triplets, and even that beat in 4/4 has a bass drum pattern that repeats itself in 3's. as well as the shuffle im doing the rosanna shuffle, and im up to speed with it, now it'll only take a few years to get it to groove properly...shuffle independence is the exercise at the top of pic #2...the last ones good because you can do so many things with it...right hand lead, left hand lead, different foot patterns, so far ive got the first 2 foot patterns down, and they're pretty quick but not entirerly consistant. since i dont have a metronome (although i plan to get one very soon), im estimating thats i can play it comfortably and make it sound nice at about 130-145bpm...i have done hardly any rudiment practise...havent really learnt from any books, i think one for like concert band and one beginner rock drumming book, forgot the names...my accents and ghost notes are quite good my teacher tells me...my feet are alright i guess, but nothing flash...one wierd thing with my grip is that my right hand goes into french, especially while playing the hats...another drummer was watching me play and he had a very puzzled look on his face, just staring at my hands like the whole way through the song, and afterwards, he said "doesnt that give you cramps in your wrists?". it doesnt hurt at all, feels natural and comfortable...so yeah, me in a nutshell...

[gusty]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Ss3JeNpBA

Me playing the rosanna shuffle. It was supposed to be the 'check' run, to check if the camera angle was ok...sorry bout the terrible quality, and probly over the next 2 weeks i want to borrow my mates video cam, get some stuff, edit it, put it up here...hmm, but yeah bad quality sound.

[gusty]

...and im now working on stuff (basic comping atm) from the erskine method...and i got a hold of a metronome...so rudiments...5 stroke, singles, doubles, paradiddles to start with