"New" Freestroke Practice Method. Input appreciated.

[schist]

Hello.

I've devised a practice method for learning/mastering the "freestroke" rebound technique.

It's basically a hybrid of two existing exercises - The 'Stone Killer' and Dom Famularo's '2-50' exercise.

Here goes

Switch your metronome on to 100BPM quarter notes.

Then, start with your weak hand and play the following as quarters for the specified amount of time:

4 on each hand (LLLL RRRR) for 1 minute
8 on each hand (LLLL LLLL RRRR RRRR) for 2 minutes
12 on each hand (LLLL LLLL LLLL RRRR RRRR RRRR) for 3 minutes
16 on each hand (LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR) for 4 minutes
20 on each hand (LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR) for 5 minutes

Thus giving you a cumulative time of 15 minutes to do the exercise.

Likewise with the '2-50' exercise, if you lose count or drop a stick, START OVER.

That said, are there any suggestions/improvements you would like to be made to this exercise to help ensure its effectiveness?

I feel that this is not only a more economical exercise (for those who have less time to practice for whatever reason), but fairer on n00bs/people with piss-poor weak hand grip, as they don't have to bear the grand frustration of dropping a stick 45 minutes into the exercise and then have to start over again, as they would with the '2-50' exercise.

So again, what do you reckon?

[oops]

Seems alright. Give me 15 minutes to try it out...

I've been working on my free-stroke recently, find it's starting to lock in, but it might be that an exercise like this is the catalyst that makes it a solid useable technique.

One thing I've wondered. Should I be trying to accent the first beat of each group of 4? ie. LLLL LLLLL

Or just work on having them all the same?

[Casper "DrPowerStroke" Paludan]

I learned the free stroke from Dom Famularo and I am a total expert on this technique.

The cure for all frustrations (Schist calls it "piss poor technique"), is to start with

one stroke at a time

1. Look at yourself in the mirror, play one full stroke
2. stop
3. correct your grip
4. play another stroke
5. stop
6. correct your grip

When you have programmed your muscles to the correct movement, start the metronome at around 40 bpm and play, say, the first three pages of Stick Control, one page per week, straight through, every day. Or do 2 to 50 extremely slowly, or Schists exercise, but super slowly.Then go to higher speeds. It just does not work to start playing these longer and faster exercises until you have the basic technique down.

Casper

[schist]

Seems alright. Give me 15 minutes to try it out...

I've been working on my free-stroke recently, find it's starting to lock in, but it might be that an exercise like this is the catalyst that makes it a solid useable technique.

One thing I've wondered. Should I be trying to accent the first beat of each group of 4? ie. LLLL LLLLL

Or just work on having them all the same?


No, do not worry about accents.

[balboa]

how about synchronizing the hands, playing them exactly together for a couple minutes....no flams!

[Big_Philly]

how about synchronizing the hands, playing them exactly together for a couple minutes....no flams!

And making sure both hands and arms make the EXACT same movement.

[Casper "DrPowerStroke" Paludan]

First, make sure you have the correct grip. It is really invaluable! That is a solid foundation to build on, and after that, you can really play any material you want and train your hands further.
Casper

[schist]

*UPDATE*

After reading and absorbing some of the suggestions made in this thread, I've made some amendments to the exercise:

Same story, metronome on 100BPM quarters (or slower even, if you wish)

4 on each hand (LLLL RRRR) for 1 minute
8 on each hand (LLLL LLLL RRRR RRRR) for 2 minutes
12 on each hand (LLLL LLLL LLLL RRRR RRRR RRRR) for 3 minutes
16 on each hand (LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR) for 4 minutes
20 on each hand (LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR) for 5 minutes
24 on each hand (LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR) for 6 minutes
28 on each hand (LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLL RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRR) for 7 minutes
THEN both hands together as flat flams for 2 minutes

Overall, a total of 30 minutes for the exercise.

I felt that 15 minutes ultimately just wasn't enough to have any effect, so I went twice as long.

- Adam