"Mangini-kind-of" technique

[h3r3tic]

Hey guys! how's it going?
It's been a while, eh?
Well here's something that I need to know guys. Most of you must be aware of Mike Mangini's extreme skills for playing really FAST singles I mean really FAST AND BLAZING singles with his hands WITHOUT fingers!

Now I think I heard someone here in the forum saying that he used a "shivering" technique. Now I think (I'm not 100% sure) that I discovered this kind of technique. It is simple really but it takes time to build control on it.

What I discovered 2 days ago was that I just wanted to give a try on "shivering" my arm to see if I could play fast and with power too! So what happened at the first minutes was that I was totally tense and not getting fast and almost hurt myself until I saw again the Mangini video on Discovery Channel's Time Warp and then I thought I totally got the idea of what he's doing.

So what it SEEMED was he shakes his wrists almost like shivering in the German position but the hand maintains totally loose except for the fulcrum of course. So it SEEMED that the power came from the muscles from the forearm.
And so I started to play 16th notes alternating singles in 90 BPM WITHOUT fingers, I could even play it on the pillow LOL.

I'm thinking in making a video to demonstrate this kind of technique but I need some words here before posting it ;)

So what do you think? Did I got there?
Does it sound confusing?

Please let me know from you as soon as possible

[Colerosity]

This comes up a lot.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/MuscleFiberType.htm
Type IIb Fibers
These fast twitch fibers use anaerobic metabolism to create energy and are the "classic" fast twitch muscle fibers that excel at producing quick, powerful bursts of speed. This muscle fiber has the highest rate of contraction (rapid firing) of all the muscle fiber types, but it also has a much faster rate of fatigue and can't last as long before it needs rest.

Totally easy if you can already do it; I have some of this IIb fiber in my arms, and I usually don't find it particularly useful except if I want to keep a blastbeat going for about 7 seconds. It has limited application. I'm sure if I developed it, I could keep it going for longer. I'm not in the business of destroying my tendons, though, in my opinion.
It also isn't some super-secret-hard-to-control-elite technique that only a special few know. It's just a different type of muscle fiber.

Until you totally develop your grip, don't get cocky and use this. It's much easier and rewarding if you follow someone's method of using Stick Control. Also, not to bust your balls or anything, but you shouldn't be too proud of doing something without your fingers. This isn't a gym workout, exactly. You want to use your fingers, in the right placement, to decrease the stress in one point in your wrist. In the end, you should be using many, many parts of your arm to do a single stroke, not just a wrist. You'll be able to play twice as fast for half the effort (even on a pillow). :)

[Jeff Almeyda]

Just to clarify a point: Mike's method relies on the larger muscles of the arm shoulder and back to take the strain. It makes sense when you realize that larger muscles can more easily handle the strain than the fingers can.

The motion is truly in the wrist, with the forearm flexors providing the impetus and the larger muscles acting as support. Any finger motion is purely derivative and not the essential component of the stroke.

As far as the shiver goes, it is truly that. If you've ever tensed up and deliberately made yourself shiver you accessed a reflex system of the body that is normally used in extreme situations (freezing). Mike harnessed that reflex and basically got it to travel down his arm.

It takes an extremely strong technical and physical base to attempt to incorporate this technique into your playing. I've been studying with Mike for almost 2 years and I'm almost at the point where I can begin to access it. If you've ever met Mike you might notice that he is built like an athlete and his hands are STRONG. It's not a coincidence.

Work on your wrist motion. It is an essential pre-requisite to the later techniques.