How do you practice your rudiments

evilg99 said:

I practice all the singles, doubles, diddles, and flam rudiments slow, medium, and fast - with a metronome and without.

The only thing I do that I don't think anyone else has mentioned - is that I practice them at the drum set - and most importantly, I keep time, hi hat foot on 2 and 4 - while practicing all of them. I will start on the snare and do that for half hour or so - and then movemy hands around the kit.
I will also then practice the rudiments in different time signatures.

I also work out rudiments on a practice pad by itself - but I get them most benefit from playing time with my left foot and really trying to make the rudiments groove on the kit, even if just playing the snare.

Click to expand...

Quoting myself because I wanted to edit that last thought; it's not quite correct.
I do try to play time with my left foot, regardless of the rudiment.

But not all rudiments can 'groove' on the drum kit. I am , like most of you, trying to get single strokes as even and clean as I can, same thing for doubles.

The rudiments that I interpret as having groove are mostly the accented ones. Paradiddles, 4, 5 and 6 stroke rolls, triplet rudiments, etc.

Playing 2 and 4 or sometimes 4/4 with my left foot really helps with hearing the rudiments against a back beat - and helps me with fill phrasing for example.

southpawgrandma said:

Think I will hold off for now. My time will be better spent learning and improving the rudiments I'm working on. don't want to spread my focus too much.

Click to expand...

If you know your Lifetime Warm-Up and you can read, you'll be fine. It's a slow process for anyone.

Charley has another book called Wrist and Finger Control. Not really the same, but it's a collection of simpler 4 bar exercises which means you're not just repeating a rudiment over and over.

Odd-Arne Oseberg said:

If you know your Lifetime Warm-Up and you can read, you'll be fine. It's a slow process for anyone.

Charley has another book called Wrist and Finger Control. Not really the same, but it's a collection of simpler 4 bar exercises which means you're not just repeating a rudiment over and over.

Click to expand...

Sitting here in a sinus medication fog - can't seem to get things clicking.
Lifetime Warm-up? Did I miss something? I went back a few posts, but like I said, nothing is clicking today. Pollen one day, sinus meds "hangover" the next - spring is a beautiful season.

southpawgrandma said:

Sitting here in a sinus medication fog - can't seem to get things clicking.
Lifetime Warm-up? Did I miss something? I went back a few posts, but like I said, nothing is clicking today. Pollen one day, sinus meds "hangover" the next - spring is a beautiful season.

Click to expand...

Lifetime Warm-Up is a routine Sonny Igoe invented and Tommy teaches it in this DVD.



It will teach out rudiments step by step and is a very well thought out routine for just getting going every day/gig.



Now, honestly I only work on a few different types of material and giving those my all I'm plenty tired at the end of the day. I'll give my left side a bit of extra work, but then my butt is then well kicked and sitting down doing rudiments by themselves I don't really have the energy for. It's mostly these:

For just practicing rudiment stickings, control and speed I usually put on my headphones with click and watch television (some foreing movie is fine because we have subtitles here, so you keep on with plot of movie and practice same time ).

When practicing with kit I usually apply rudiments to different drums so that they sound "more" musical; also substitute part of the stickings with your foot(s) to find out interesting combinations and apply them to beats and fills.

I used to practice too many and I find it's one of those things where you don't progress because your spread thin.

I'll take 1-3 rudiments. play them at a few tempos for a while. then move them around the kit.

once I have them comfortable I start trading 4's with myself.

Trying to use 1,2,3 rudiments in a 4 bar phrase and keeping them creative is way more than enough.

another thing I'll do is pick one. such as a paraiddle didile, and either start or end my 4 bars with that. The rest of my time is free to improvise but I keep repeating the rudiment in the same spot.

I would rather be an expert at a few rudiments than mediocre at 30. I can get enough sounds out of 5 or 6 rudiments moving them around the kit. And to be honest those very obscure ones don't come into play much. Wait until you are very good at the ones you like.

Dr_Watso said:

I think I should have kept my mouth shut. What I do is not the right way to practice rudiments. The way my teacher told me to is the right way. I'm basically just using them as sticking arrangements around the kit, and in the process, throwing out what they really should be doing for you.

Rudiments should be played in time, with strict attention to perfect form and even-ness of sound for all non-accented notes. Just making up fills like I do is fun, but does kinda negate the purpose of doing these.

Click to expand...

Not at all. the whole point of learning a rudiment is so you can move it around the kit. Pattern speed is only learnt by repeating the pattern over and over and over.

I have a pad in front of the tv too where I'll work on even sounding hits etc. but to not get board I play rudiments as grooves, fills, solos.

Playing them on the kit makes me faster on the pad and vice versa.

southpawgrandma said:

Sitting here in a sinus medication fog - can't seem to get things clicking.
Lifetime Warm-up? Did I miss something? I went back a few posts, but like I said, nothing is clicking today. Pollen one day, sinus meds "hangover" the next - spring is a beautiful season.

Click to expand...

Ok. So I went and took some lessons myself this week and got a tip. There is a book that's a good stepping stone to Wilcoxon. The N.A.R.D. book.

https://www.google.no/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blackrivermusicplus.com%2Fimages%2Fsource%2Fludwigmastersimages%2F10300111-NARD-Drum-Solos.gif&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blackrivermusicplus.com%2Fdrumming-books%2Fdrum-book-america-s-n-a-r-d-drum-solos.html&docid=F5fzRpJ2cZYGMM&tbnid=EQTAOHl5JZuM3M%3A&w=300&h=400&itg=1&hl=en-no&client=safari&ved=0ahUKEwjJ8vGAuoPMAhUL3SwKHUDmAHsQMwgmKAswCw&iact=mrc&uact=8

I usually just practice them on the snare drum, and executing paradiddles around the kit when I'm consciously in that "mode" of practice. I'll focus on different things at different times. Sometimes getting my grooves and chops that I already know as tight and well executed as possible. Sometimes finding new grooves and experimenting, and sometimes just soloing and playing free.

When I'm working on my chops, I'll consciously think of them, otherwise, usually not.