What's the one exercise you are doing right now that's having the biggest impact on your playing?

"Biggest impact on my playing" that would be instead of an ostinato in my hands and planning what I read with my feet, I have switched it. I now play an ostinato with my feet and play what I read with my hands. Currently, two ostinatos (one in each foot) and play what I read with my hands. Next step is to repeat but to move my hands around the set.
 
Hollywood Jim said:
Yes.
And basically what I'm doing is stealing, ah......... "borrowing" technique, grooves and fills from other successful drummers. ;)

.
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Your not stealing from them your their student and good on you. I’m sure those still here or even long gone would have to feel proud that we all have identified them as special.
 
Push pull stroke said:
Man yeah. Especially played around the kit, with feet going at the same time, in American, German, and French grip.
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I think you told me what the name of it was. I was doing it before I knew it was an actual named practice exercise. I could just tell, this is what I need to do for strength and endurance which would help me on everything.
 
The technical stuff I work on directly correlates to the stuff I want to play, whether its a recording or drum video I'm trying to make, or a band that I'm in, or seeing a really great solo and wanting to be able to play some of the licks from that.

For example, right now, I'm working on an online collaboration of 25 or 6 to 4. I lay down a very basic drum track for the other musicians to play along to. During most of it I'm going 8th notes on the ride with quarter note downbeats on the hi-hat pedal (much as it was actually played) and realized that I wasn't really great at the whole thing. So I pulled open New Breed, working on the system that has 8ths on the ride and quarters on hi-hat pedal, and been playing the first two melody pages, starting at 100 bpm and bumping it up as fast as it can go. Right now I can go to about 150 until it starts falling apart, but I want to get it up cleanly to 170 or even 180.
 
Al Strange said:
I work on singles, flams and doubles every day leading with both hands. When watching TV I play on my knee and as well as singles, flams and doubles I also like to play around with what I call “ABCD triplets” where you play and repeat (accents are in capitals):

A: Rll Rll Rll Rll
B: rrL rrL rrL rrL
C: Lrr Lrr Lrr Lrr
D: llR llR llR llR

Then I start randomly mixing it up a bit without thinking too much about it; so I might play something like:

A: Rll Rll
B: rrL rrL
C: Lrr Lrr Lrr Lrr
D: llR llR
A: Rll
B: rrL

This was a concept my late great teacher introduced me to, and it really brought on my weaker hand. I also enjoy noodling around with paradiddles. :) (y)
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Great stuff! :) And flamadiddles are awesome too!
Once upon a time some bad drummer was able to do paradiddles and flamadiddles as fast as a roll....but due to a very extended break (like 25 years) not quite there at the moment...but with practice who knows?
 
I take the stairs.

Work on the 6th floor and have been in an elevator just twice in the last 2+ years (had too much to carry up/down that many flights). Floors 1-5 two at a time, then singles...at a pretty good clip...takes me about 45 seconds. 3 x per day, 5 days a week. Slight cardio benefit, primarily it has returned my softening muscles to excellent tone and endurance. And I never have to worry about getting trapped in the elevator cab...
Drumming wise, just regular basics practice to hone my existing skills along with play-alonging...
 
prokofi5 said:
Gap metronome training. Exposed how bad my time was and showed me how good it feels to be in the pocket.
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Please explain what "Gap metronome" training is. I think I may know, but do you need a special metronome or app? Which one do you use? Thanks!
 
3 month ago, I would have said « The New breed ». Awesome method.
Currently, I would say « The Sly hat » by Tailor Friesth. Strange at first, but powerful anyway. Left foot power!
 
Paul Blood said:
Please explain what "Gap metronome" training is. I think I may know, but do you need a special metronome or app? Which one do you use? Thanks!
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Where you play to the click....then the click drops out....you program this into the digital met...you keep playing while the click is out, and when the click comes back in, there's your test score to see how well you did...or didn't do. Drop out for one bar at first and up the ante at practice over time. Over time, get it? :p
 
I picked up a copy of Future Sounds when I was in Portland back in September. So going through that book and counting my sixteenth notes out loud, and trying to lock in with the metronome... it's helping get things tighter for sure.

Add that to the fact that I've been trying to do two to three hours of practice every day and I feel like I'm getting some chops back.
 
larryace said:
Where you play to the click....then the click drops out....you program this into the digital met...you keep playing while the click is out, and when the click comes back in, there's your test score to see how well you did...or didn't do. Drop out for one bar at first and up the ante at practice over time. Over time, get it? :p
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Inspired by this I recorded my basic metronome into my DAW at 120bpm on both metronome and DAW. I then copied it three time and created 3 bars on one bar off, 1 bar on one bar off and finally 2 bars on and 2 bars off.

I set each to loop and practiced to them today. It worked well!
 
In terms of the practice exercise that has had the most effect on my playing it is basic body motion as demonstrated by Ralph Humphry (I viewed this initially on the Drum Channel) or as I described it to my non-drummer friends "how to hit the drum properly".

By practicing the four basic strokes with good technique it has changed how I play markedly and has blown my mind with the seemingly infinite ways it can be applied. I am still simply practicing basic variations of the four strokes on the pad.
 
MrInsanePolack said:
My teacher gave me something similar:

Rrl Lrr Llr Rll

It still messes with me after all these years. I can play each of the 4 sections of it no problem. Putting it together does something to my brain.
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Doing similar practice with 7 stroke roll. Also have memorized paradidle inversions in groups of triplets And sextuplets. It's good for the brain cell.
I'm working on learning French grip with L too. That is hard! R just picked it up naturally along the way somewhere.
 
Wait! Duh.
The exercise that has helped me the most so far is this:
Away from the set and doing other things that do require some attention, counting One tri plet, 2 tri plet, 3 tri plet, 4 tri plet; Two tri plet, 2 tri plet, etc for twelve bar blues and sixteen bar vamps. Done often enough and strictly enough, I don't have to ever count when playing. Esp twelve bar form, seems I and many others are less natural to that form than sixteens or thirty twos.
 
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