First Exercises to Master

[Jivi]

I was wondering what your thoughts were on the most important techniques and exercises to master first are.

For example Singles and Doubles are important to nail down.

What would you say would be the most crucial to build a strong base?

[deltadrummer1]

I was wondering what your thoughts were on the most important techniques and exercises to master first are.

For example Singles and Doubles are important to nail down.

What would you say would be the most crucial to build a strong base?

You're right about the singles and doubles. But even before that..HOLDING THE STICK AND HAND TECHNIQUE....um... Basic necessities such as the grip itself and wrist and finger control. After you nail all of that down...go for the rudiments ma boy.

[Jeff Almeyda]

1. The grip, balance point and the fulcrum.
2. The free stroke

If you MASTER these concepts, drumming will be easy. If not, you will never reach your potential because you will be fighting the stick from the outset.

[h3r3tic]

1. The grip, balance point and the fulcrum.
2. The free stroke

If you MASTER these concepts, drumming will be easy. If not, you will never reach your potential because you will be fighting the stick from the outset.

Amen Jeff. That was my mistake when I started playing drums...
But now I know what to do and how to do it ;)

[jeffwj]

Isolate and categorize the fundamental strokes. Then add them into your practice routine. Some of the basic techniques (without including specialties such as Moeller or finger) are:

1. Singles
2. Doubles
3. Flams
4. Buzz or Multiple rebound strokes

These are all included in Stick Control. You can then add accent techniques to your practice by working out of Accents and Rebounds and Master Studies.

Hope this helps.
Jeff

[h3r3tic]

Isolate and categorize the fundamental strokes. Then add them into your practice routine. Some of the basic techniques (without including specialties such as Moeller or finger) are:

1. Singles
2. Doubles
3. Flams
4. Buzz or Multiple rebound strokes

These are all included in Stick Control. You can then add accent techniques to your practice by working out of Accents and Rebounds and Master Studies.

Hope this helps.
Jeff

Now that´s an excelent way to practise!!
Yeah, those are principal points to consider after confortable with balance point and the free stroke

[wybasher]

thanks for the tips Jeff. could you further explain point#4? i'm looking at Vic Firth's education section online and can't figure out which exercise this one might be

I prefer to think of the strokes numerically on a continuum with technique in parentheses, like this:

1. single stroke (via arms, wrists, and then fingers manipulating the fulcrum)
2. double stroke (wrist twist to accent 2nd note, or free bounce for no accent)
3. triple stroke (via Moeller whip)
4. quadruple stroke (via Moeller whip)

For the "buzz roll", most folks seem to squeeze them out without being aware of whether they are doing double-stroke or triple-strokes ... the stick tips are so close to the head that's it's hard to discern.

I also think it's better to learn all 4 strokes at the same time, right away. You don't have to master single strokes first, and then doubles, and then a few months later the Moeller. Just pursue all of them at the same time so they are implanted into your brain as a seamless musical language. You will finish mastering them at different times but it's important to start them all right away.

[jeffwj]

[QUOTE=wybasher;252573]
3. triple stroke (via Moeller whip)
4. quadruple stroke (via Moeller whip)

For the "buzz roll", most folks seem to squeeze them out without being aware of whether they are doing double-stroke or triple-strokes ... the stick tips are so close to the head that's it's hard to discern.QUOTE]

Good advice Wybasher. Morello once said something about Stone's view on the orchestral or buzz roll. Stone said the conductor didn't care how many rebounds you had as long as the sound was there. Three on a hand is a good start.

I was pressing a little too much, so I had to concentrate on a multiple bounce roll with three strokes per hand. I later added a slight bit more pressure to get 4 per hand, then many multiple rebounds. Now I have a roll that I can play on the open side or closed side depending upon the desired volume and sound. If I don't play a lot of rolls on a gig, I have to keep up with it in the practice room, since there is a good deal of touch involved.

Jeff

[maddrummr]

Straight single strokes. 8 in each hand then again.
do that, make sure youre hands your grip is right and you are not tense.
simple yet satisfactory

[Scatman]

practicing the buzz roll section of the stick control book can develop a better control of the stick for sure
Buddy Rich said a drummer that can't play a proper roll has no technique

[jazzin']

All of the above are great to start out with but time willing I would also include some simple but very necessary hand foot coordination exercises aswell.

Use as either a warm up for hand technique or a warm down from hand technique to go into your kit playing or whatever ...

Maybe something like:

RH, RF, LH, LF repeated, then
RH, RH, RF, RF, LH, LH, LF LF repeat.
Here depending on how far you're willing to go you could go into 3's and 4's or change it up a little and do unison hand strokes with feet in between.
H=hands together (flat flams/unison).
Triplets- H, RF, H, RF, H, RF repeat, then into
H, H, RF, RF, H, H, repeat, then into 3 hand, 3 foot. then change over to left foot between the hands.
you can keep the free foot going on 2 and 4 or all 4 or what ever.

Try it out for a while. Start very slow, get the co-ordination down, speed up slowly.
I personally think hand foot exercises are over looked a bit in favour of pure hand stuff, which is not necessarily bad I just think these type of exercises are very practical for when you get stuck into more playing stuff you'll not need to worry about some basic 4 way problems.
Oh yeah, when repeating do it alot

[rendezvous_drummer]

1) Holding a stick properly
2) Using fingers and wrists