AHH NOTHING WORKS

[guitaristwhoplaysdrums]

Ok so ive been practicing my technique and rudiments like crzy lately on my practice pad...like litterally from the time i get home from school till i go to bed (im that dedicated)...and ive gotten really far on the pad...and im pretty good with diff beats and some kool grooves and stuff...but i just cant apply the rudiments into fills i use on the kit...like i dont know if its my technique..or what...maybe my toms dont bounce well enought or? i dunno i just play great on the pad and it just doesnt seem to transfer well to the kit...can somebody help me out with any advice at all...cuz ive been working like a mad man for quite a while and im seeing almost no improvement...its pretty discouraging =[

[Derek Matthews]

I'm not sure what you're playing or how fast but I start slow when learning something new. If you have the skills on the pad, it's only a matter of time it will translate to the kit. Be patient and keep working.

[guitaristwhoplaysdrums]

im am..its just i range myself using a metronome..and i can go pretty damn fast.....it just wont translate to the kit

[TheGroceryman]

Try doing the same routine you do on the pad, but on a pillow. You should be able to do pretty fast doubles on a pillow, too. If you cant, you have to work on your wrist and finger control. You cant always rely on rebound do the all the work for you!

[Michael G]

You cant always rely on rebound do the all the work for you!

And why not may I ask?

[fourstringdrums]

And why not may I ask?

Because rebound doesn't translate as well to every drum. If you're trying to do a double stroke roll for instance on a floor tom, you get SOME rebound, but ultimately you're going to have to incorporate your fingers in order to play it cleanly. Also the tension of your heads matter as well. Jazz drummers tension their heads tighter so they can get more rebound out of their drums, more than a rock drummer with looser heads.

When I practice, I do a lot of work with my wrists, trying different patterns and rudiments using only my wrists up until I just can do it any more. Then I'll work on implementing fingers to push me past that speed. I'll even use fingers at slower tempos to work on accuracy. Then I finally go to rebound, and just like fingers I try and use rebound at slow tempos so I can really work on my control. I think that if you can play something that requires control like fingers or rebound at slower tempos, it makes playing faster that much easier. JoJo Mayer mentions that in his DVD. He says if you get to the point where you can't play any faster, slow down and try playing slower.

[nebula821]

I think it's relevant to ask how long you've been playing. Your progress may be exceptional for how long you've been practicing, it just depends.

[Wavelength]

Stop practicing like a mad man, and start thinking about playing and applying the things you know. Slow down, pick a rudiment, imagine all the orchestrations you can think of, then all the accent variations, then different phrasings at different rates. Make music out of your ideas.

[aydee]

I hope you sit in the same position when you practice-pad, as you do on the drumset? When I started, I used to practice double stroke rolls on a little vic firth pad, lying in bed, and I coul'nt play them on the kit. I discovered my hands, elbows, shoulders, were all in different positions....

[fourstringdrums]

Stop practicing like a mad man, and start thinking about playing and applying the things you know. Slow down, pick a rudiment, imagine all the orchestrations you can think of, then all the accent variations, then different phrasings at different rates. Make music out of your ideas.

Good point. It's quality, not quantity. Depending on how you practice and what you choose to do in the time and how you do it, a half hour practice session can be more beneficial than a 5 hour practice session. You also need to give yourself a break sometimes and let what you've been working on sink in.

[ledzepjb]

Put the practise pad aside and only play on the drums, you will eventually get used to playing ont he set, but start slow and then gradually accelerate.

[zambizzi]

This may be purely psychological...you might just be blocking yourself mentally when you sit down at the kit to play.

You use two hands to practice on the pad...you use two hands to play on the kit...only now you've got 2 feet to coordinate with also. So, start with your hands, only. Take your two hands and play singles between the hi-hats and the snare. Then, move to a tom and the snare. Once you get comfortable, move between different drums.

Later, once you've settled in, start doing singles using only your left hand on the snare and your right hand on the kick. You should start to physically associate what you would normally do on the pad and notice it in your playing on the kit.

I entirely agree with ledzepjb, put the pad aside for a while and just play your kit. It sounds like you're drawing imaginary boundaries between the pad and the kit.

[Joe P]

This is the way I try to apply my rudiments to the drum set...
I start off slow, rooting my playing to the snare, and move my hands (usually one hand at a time) to different toms at random. Once I'm comfortable with that, I'll try to add the kick in in place of some notes. By just playing like this, I can explore the different possibilities of a fill or, god forbid, a groove :P

[Erik Lund]

"Jazz drummers tension their heads tighter so they can get more rebound out of their drums"

Or just 'cuz we like the sound they make ; )

[Wavelength]

This is the way I try to apply my rudiments to the drum set...
I start off slow, rooting my playing to the snare, and move my hands (usually one hand at a time) to different toms at random.

I'd rather move my hands in a logical, pre-meditated fashion and repeat each variation a bunch of times.

[Erik Lund]

I do a few different exercises moving my arms around the kit - to work on my facility/stick crossing...

I play a 4 piece kit - so only three drums to hit with my arms -

the sound I want for the first one is SNARE SMALL TOM FLOOR TOM

I'll start with the right hand so R (snare) L (small tom) R (floor tom) L (snare) R (small tom) L (floor tom) etc.

You'll notice your arms are both moving in a counter clockwise motion.

Next play the same idea moving clockwise:

R (floor tom) L (snare) R (small tom) L (floor tom) R (snare) L (small tom) - clock wise!

I'm not going to write it all out, so you can figure it out for yourself, but have one arm moving clockwise and the other counter clockwise (you'll hear some doubles on one of the drums.


You're probably playing these pretty loud. That's fine - Now try playing it VERY QUIETLY but still at a faster tempo once you get used to it. Also - when you're crossing your arms up - try going both OVER AND UNDER with the crosses. For example - on the first counter clockwise thing - when you're taking your right hand from the floor to the small tom - try going over the left hand, and then under the left hand (also - you could work on this with just the snare/floor tom - play triplets with each hand playing one note then going to the other drum - notice the hands' crossing patterns - there are two ways you can cross your arms, and it's good to work on both of them. Try one then the other - and then alternate. Do this slowly so you can see how the arms are moving, then work up the speed)


I don't know if this is pretty clear or not. if so, great - if not, umm...let me know and I'll try and talk you through it a little clearer