Playing triplets and 32nd notes at high and low tempos

[drummmrguy]

Hi. I was just practicing on my pad, triplets and 32nd notes, along with some favorite music. Some are greater than 100 bpm, others between 60-90. I was just curious, do most drummers use double strokes after a certain point? Like once it starts to get over 100 bpm, would it theoretically be impossible to play those note values using single strokes?

 

[Push pull stroke]

Hi. I was just practicing on my pad, triplets and 32nd notes, along with some favorite music. Some are greater than 100 bpm, others between 60-90. I was just curious, do most drummers use double strokes after a certain point? Like once it starts to get over 100 bpm, would it theoretically be impossible to play those note values using single strokes?

The “World’s Fastest Drummer” competition has people playing 32nd notes at around 125 bpm for a full minute. Granted, they’re playing them really, really quietly. The higher/louder you play, the slower you have to go.

 

[drummmrguy]

Lmao dude 125 bpm?!?!?!?!? That's insane!!!! Can you imagine what that sounds like on double bass. probably like one note trailing haha.

I actually finally plan on learning double bass, even though I don't really listen to that style of music.

 

[beatdat]

The “World’s Fastest Drummer” competition has people playing 32nd notes at around 125 bpm for a full minute. Granted, they’re playing them really, really quietly. The higher/louder you play, the slower you have to go.

If I'm not mistaken, I think the record is just upwards of 1,200 bpm, which I calculate to be 32nd notes @ 150bpm. But you're right in that they are really quiet, and the technique they use looks awkward to me.

I was just curious, do most drummers use double strokes after a certain point? Like once it starts to get over 100 bpm, would it theoretically be impossible to play those note values using single strokes?

It depends on the music, and the player. Billy Cobham has some really fast, clean powerful single stroke rolls... and so do a lot of other drummers.

If I'm not mistaken, I believe that good rudiment drummers are expected to play 32nd notes @ 120bpm, but I'm not sure for how many beats.

Perhaps some other members could chime in with the longest single stroke roll they've seen in a piece of music.

 

[MrInsanePolack]

Perhaps some other members could chime in with the longest single stroke roll they've seen in a piece of music.

I know this is metal and most don't like it, but there is a rather large single stroke fill at the beginning of this song. Probably the longest one I can think of that isn't just a blast beat. The whole fill is about 10 seconds long.

 

[GetAgrippa]

It is single stroke rolls-that what he's doing on kick to isn't it? I like the music Mr Insane but when the singing starts that where they lose me. I don't pay attention to lyrics but melodically if it doesn't blend it distracts me. No singing I'm digging it. He's ripping it on drums-I really like the fast stuff. I've been practicing fast doubles, triples, and paradiddles on kick and hi hats. Fast doubles are easy but adding that other stroke triplet my speed falls, but I'll get there. The hats really don't like more than two quick notes-seems to bog down at 3 for some reason.

 

[Push pull stroke]

If I'm not mistaken, I think the record is just upwards of 1,200 bpm, which I calculate to be 32nd notes @ 150bpm. But you're right in that they are really quiet, and the technique they use looks awkward to me.



It depends on the music, and the player. Billy Cobham has some really fast, clean powerful single stroke rolls... and so do a lot of other drummers.

If I'm not mistaken, I believe that good rudiment drummers are expected to play 32nd notes @ 120bpm, but I'm not sure for how many beats.

Perhaps some other members could chime in with the longest single stroke roll they've seen in a piece of music.

You’re right, they’re over 150 bpm now, my math was wrong.

 

[beyondbetrayal]

FYI as a tech death metal drummer most of these songs are counted in 16th notes. My band does most of our stuff between 200-240BPM. I do single strokes for most of the stuff. There are stretches where I blast for 30+ seconds and it is brutally taxing by the end of those songs. I think our longest song was 11 minutes and in the 230 range with a TON of 16ths on the hands and feet. I switched to heel toe for the kick years back because of this.

I see many drummers blasting in the 270 range these days doing 16th singles. You need to use wrist, fingers, rebound, and keep the stick height pretty low.

at 200bpm, 16ths.. or 100BPM 32nd notes I can play for 5 minutes straight doing singles. I can do 10 minutes at 180-190 but I have slacked the last few months and would have to build up my endurance.

the key is to play 10 minutes at a speed you CAN do easy, just bump it up a bpm every day until its hard.. I can't even count how many days my arms felt like rubber after practicing. I use a ton of pad work to do this but it isn't difficult. Just do it watching TV>

It's all about muscle memory and repetition. You HAVE to stay relaxed to play this fast. As soon as you start muscling it out it's game over and you fall apart. That is the issue with most guys playing fast. They play TOO fast TOO quick. When you see the tech death guys playing at 250+ they look like they could be sleeping half the time.

 

[drummmrguy]

Damn what a dope thread, hell yeah.

 

[Rock Salad]

I'm working on mine at 70 bpm. But I am practicing rests too.
How the hell do you internalize the pulse and count at those tempos?
My internal tongue gets twisted up sometimes even just a little faster than this. Obviously I am just beginning.

 

[TMe]

My internal tongue gets twisted up sometimes...

That's a good way to put it. My brain is slower than my hands, so I can relate. If something is so fast I can't make any sense of it when I hear it, I can't play it.

 

[Rock Salad]

Right? I do 1/32 doubles sometimes within the 1/16ths at 70 bpm, but even that is only like half the speed these guys are talking about. I can conceive doing 1/64ths at this tempo as groups, but I can't even imagine doubling the tempo itself.