PQleyR
Platinum Member
NOTE: I've edited this thread for reasons of discretion.
This does mean, though, that I really have to get my act together as far as practice goes.
When I was offered this, I was only able to play 16ths on the kick at about 140bpm with enough precision to record. This record will require at least 180, and possibly as high as 200 or even 210, a long way from my present ability. My hand speed could also do with some improvement. As a result, I spent a while thinking about what I needed to practise and how, and after a few months of experimentation I've found a practice regime that seems to do the job. I thought I'd run it by you guys and see what you thought, and if you had any suggestions for other things I could try.
I have to thank Derek Roddy for this as it's mostly exercises that he devised, so thanks Derek, if you happen to read this!
I have four days a week that I can practice in, as I live in a top-floor flat and my neighbours have been very reasonable to let me practice at all. I'm using a Bill Sanders practice kit with a Gibraltar kick drum pad, no room for real drums even if the noise wasn't an issue.
I warm up with a balance exercise playing a single stroke roll between a hand and a foot like this:
RH LF for two minutes.
LH RF for two minutes.
RH RF for two minutes.
LH LF for two minutes.
Then I do Derek's stamina exercise for half an hour:
Four strokes each hand, alternating, for two minutes.
Then eight with each hand.
Then sixteen.
Then thirty-two.
Then a single-stroke roll for two minutes.
Then all of that again, but with the feet.
Then finally hands and feet together.
I started the first exercise at 104, and the second at 126, and increase the tempo by one bpm each time I practice. I've got to 125 and 147 respectively.
Now, this is great, and I've already noticed a difference, so it's doing good things for me, but I wonder if there's anything else I could add. I don't practice for too long each time for my neighbours' peace of mind, but I expect I could extend this 40-minute routine to an hour without causing too much distress. It's the bass pad that they hear anyway, I think the hands are ok.
So...that's one thing.
The other thing is, a kit is going to be hired in for this recording, and I have no idea what I want to use! I've only ever used old worn-out second hand stuff that was either cheap or just lying around, and have never been in a position to actually choose what I wanted to use. What would you recommend? I'm open to any suggestions, your personal preferences or what you think would suit the material. You can get a basic idea from the demos on the myspace, with programmed drums, how the whole thing sounds.
Thank you for reading this, if you've made it all the way through...I suppose an epic post is appropriate for epic power metal. As ever, any comments you have will be gratefully received.
This does mean, though, that I really have to get my act together as far as practice goes.
When I was offered this, I was only able to play 16ths on the kick at about 140bpm with enough precision to record. This record will require at least 180, and possibly as high as 200 or even 210, a long way from my present ability. My hand speed could also do with some improvement. As a result, I spent a while thinking about what I needed to practise and how, and after a few months of experimentation I've found a practice regime that seems to do the job. I thought I'd run it by you guys and see what you thought, and if you had any suggestions for other things I could try.
I have to thank Derek Roddy for this as it's mostly exercises that he devised, so thanks Derek, if you happen to read this!
I have four days a week that I can practice in, as I live in a top-floor flat and my neighbours have been very reasonable to let me practice at all. I'm using a Bill Sanders practice kit with a Gibraltar kick drum pad, no room for real drums even if the noise wasn't an issue.
I warm up with a balance exercise playing a single stroke roll between a hand and a foot like this:
RH LF for two minutes.
LH RF for two minutes.
RH RF for two minutes.
LH LF for two minutes.
Then I do Derek's stamina exercise for half an hour:
Four strokes each hand, alternating, for two minutes.
Then eight with each hand.
Then sixteen.
Then thirty-two.
Then a single-stroke roll for two minutes.
Then all of that again, but with the feet.
Then finally hands and feet together.
I started the first exercise at 104, and the second at 126, and increase the tempo by one bpm each time I practice. I've got to 125 and 147 respectively.
Now, this is great, and I've already noticed a difference, so it's doing good things for me, but I wonder if there's anything else I could add. I don't practice for too long each time for my neighbours' peace of mind, but I expect I could extend this 40-minute routine to an hour without causing too much distress. It's the bass pad that they hear anyway, I think the hands are ok.
So...that's one thing.
The other thing is, a kit is going to be hired in for this recording, and I have no idea what I want to use! I've only ever used old worn-out second hand stuff that was either cheap or just lying around, and have never been in a position to actually choose what I wanted to use. What would you recommend? I'm open to any suggestions, your personal preferences or what you think would suit the material. You can get a basic idea from the demos on the myspace, with programmed drums, how the whole thing sounds.
Thank you for reading this, if you've made it all the way through...I suppose an epic post is appropriate for epic power metal. As ever, any comments you have will be gratefully received.
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