Quality vs Quantity: Balance

Hi, guys! This is my first post here. Currently I am planning a 6-8 month schedule for my practice sessions. Personally I want to develop some rudimental skills, using both Stick Control and Accents & Rebounds, but to my mind the topic is much broader. I'm curios in finding the perfect 'balance point' between quality and quantity.Here, where I live, I have no private teacher or any live instructor, so I'm on my own in developing. My 'time budget' is 1.5-2 hours a day, including practicing regular material for my band.

There are two major ways in practicing, as I see them:

1) Taking small amount of exercisers (i.e. one page of a book or even half it) and practicing them a lot in a variety of tempos and dynamic levels. This could take an hour for just 3-4 patterns! The main Principe is to reach practically useful speed and quality before approaching other exercises (i.e. 100-120 bpm for 16th patterns and 32nd rolls). But It takes time, and you may stuck forever at the first pages if you loose interest.

2) The second way is to acknowledge yourself with entire book or half it (if it's too big) during a single session. It is much more interesting and fun way to practice, but you will be restricted to one specific tempo per day (maybe two, but not more). Dynamics training also suffer, because you simply do not have time to play 8-16 bars of each exercise at different levels. The positive thing here (except fun) that you develop yourself in a very broad way, including sight-reading skills too. This reminds me a Carmine Appice's Realistic Rock video, where he played almost an entire book during one hour.

Either way has it's own advantageous/disadvantageous and in ultimate state seems very awkward to me. So where is the balance? How do YOU practice drum books?

This is a quote from George Stones" Stick Control
"...This is so that each rhythm may be practiced over and over before proceeding to the next one, which method of practise is most conducive to quick and satisfactory results. The author recommends that each rhythm be practised 20 TIMES WITHOUT STOPPING. Then go on to the next one. THIS IS IMPORTANT. "STICK CONTROL" cannot serve its purpose as well in any other way."

That is obviously one way to practice, and the only way as far as George Stone is concerned. Anything that needs to be learned will take repetition. I don't think that doing half of the book each time would be the way to go. Also I wouldn't put a page limit on each practice. Do a part until its right and then move on. After it is right then you can add speed if necessary.

GRUNTERSDAD said:

That is obviously one way to practice, and the only way as far as George Stone is concerned. Anything that needs to be learned will take repetition. I don't think that doing half of the book each time would be the way to go. Also I wouldn't put a page limit on each practice. Do a part until its right and then move on. After it is right then you can add speed if necessary.

Click to expand...

Sadly, but Stone didn't say anything about tempo ranges or dynamic as well as learning sequence... Yes, I can repeat a line 20 times (that would be 20-80 bars) at 70 bpm, 75, 80 and further but it takes so many time (plus there is always a reverse exercise, starting with other hand). Moreover, should I repeat these lines on a regular basis (tomorrow, after, etc.)? If so, I will never reach the end of the book! You say: "Do a part until its right and then move on." How I will know that the part is finally 'right'? 100 bpm? 120? 140? And what if I can't reach my goal for a long period? Too much efforts for too little results...

btw, I encourage to discuss topic a bit more broadly, not only in 'Stick Control' scope. The same questions rises every time you open Realistic Rock, Chapin's Advanced Technique, Latham's Funk Studies - any drum book. The questions are: Where is an optimum balance between repetition and studying new material? What is the most effective learning sequence? I don't think it is "doing a part until it satisfies you". I guess, experienced teachers should know the answer, their advice here would be appreciated. Thank you.

Nobody interested? strange
up here

Repetition is the key to learning
Repetition is the key to learning
Repetition is the key to learning
Repetition is the key to learning

The average high school marching band drumline plays one show a year, about 7 minutes of music. They practice it non-stop, as close to daily as they can (at least the good ones do), from summertime until championships in January.

The idea of shooting through a book just to avoid being bored is not a good one. Generally, with each new exercise, I think you should repeat it ad naseum, until you have it down at a comfortable tempo (say 120). Then, work it at slower tempos, then faster tempos. Try switching what hand leads, so that you can play it lefty or righty.

The point of exercises isn't to be able to play the line on the page. It's to develop muscle memory and the ability to use the techniques necessary for said line instinctively. Honestly, no matter how simple it seems, when I am working through a book, I do one page (or one two-page section, as some books are written) a week, practicing it for at least an hour a day, often more. Sure, it's boring. Sure, it's repetitive. But when I'm done, it's NAILED.

mrchattr said:

Repetition is the key to learning
Repetition is the key to learning
Repetition is the key to learning
Repetition is the key to learning

The average high school marching band drumline plays one show a year, about 7 minutes of music. They practice it non-stop, as close to daily as they can (at least the good ones do), from summertime until championships in January.

The idea of shooting through a book just to avoid being bored is not a good one. Generally, with each new exercise, I think you should repeat it ad naseum, until you have it down at a comfortable tempo (say 120). Then, work it at slower tempos, then faster tempos. Try switching what hand leads, so that you can play it lefty or righty.

The point of exercises isn't to be able to play the line on the page. It's to develop muscle memory and the ability to use the techniques necessary for said line instinctively. Honestly, no matter how simple it seems, when I am working through a book, I do one page (or one two-page section, as some books are written) a week, practicing it for at least an hour a day, often more. Sure, it's boring. Sure, it's repetitive. But when I'm done, it's NAILED.

Click to expand...

I wa in marching band for three years before I quit this year, and the north texas high schools are crazy when it comes to competitions, but it was quite an experience. I definitely helped with my timing issues on my set.

mrchattr said:

Repetition is the key to learning
Repetition is the key to learning
Repetition is the key to learning
Repetition is the key to learning

Click to expand...

So true
So true
Kinda true
So true

When you practice something enough times, muscle memory kicks in and you don't have to think about what you're playing. I show my students that I can play paradiddle-diddles and carry on a conversation at the same time without screwing up either one.

When I go through a book, I'll play through the exercises or beats until I find one that sounds cool to me. I'll mark or copy that one for future practice and move on. I'll go back and put some intensive time into practicing each of the examples that I marked until I have them nailed and can pull them out at the drop of a hat. While I'm doing that, I'll inevitably come up with some variations and work on those as well.

The important thing is to not just have a "bag of tricks" or licks that you regularly pull out, but to be able to play many different things so that you can play whatever you want to whenever you want to.