Drum Related

As you may know I love my coordination type exercise. Some people don’t understand the benefit of such exercises, but put simply it’s to stretch you’re brain, much like the Nintendo D.S “brain training” games. If you can coordinate your limbs to do something way and above what you’d ever need them to do then when it comes to anything less it’s a breeze. With this in mind last week I had my guys trying this “seemingly simple” exercise that progresses to create a pretty tricky piece for most. It’s just for the hands but you could include feet if you wanted more of a challenge.

All we use is 8ths and 16ths…. Simple! They are ALL mean to be played simultaneously (at the same time). As fast as you can but as slow as you must. Right hand ALWAYS starts from the floor tom, left ALWAYS starts from the snare.

1) Right hand 16ths on the floor tom (and by hand I mean stick!!), Left hand 8ths on the snare drum. 

2) Left hand 16ths on snare, Right hand 8ths on floor tom.

3) Right hand plays 16ths ANTI-CLOCKWISE round the kit with 1 hit per drum (Floor, mid, high, snare), left hand keeps 8ths on the snare.

4) SWAP – keep 8ths on Left on snare but make the Right go CLOCKWISE (Floor, snare, high, mid) then change between the two (anti-clockwise then clockwise) without stopping.

5) Left now plays 16ths CLOCKWISE round the kit (snare, high, mid, floor) and the Right keeps 8ths going on the floor tom.

6) SWAP – keep 8ths going with the right but now move the left ANTI-CLOCKWISE round the kit (snare, floor, high, mid)

7) Now the tricky bit….. Start with 16ths on the right going ANTI-CLOCKWISE round the kit (floor, mid, high, snare) and 8ths staying on the snare for now. Then on “SWAP” play 16ths on the left CLOCKWISE round the kit (snare, high, mid, floor) and keep 8ths going on the right on the floor tom. Follow?!?!?! Then change between the two on the word swap (or just every 2bars or summin!)

8) Then… if you REALLY want a challenge… try this: 16ths on the RIGHT going ANTI-CLOCKWISE (floor, mid, high, snare) and 8ths on the left going CLOCKWISE (snare…….high……mid……floor). Remember, this is simultaneously so you’ll have to cross hands at some point.

9) Then swap it up….. 16ths in the left going CLOCKWISE and 8ths in the right going ANTI-CLOCKWISE.

10) Then swap between the two every bar or so without stopping!

See….. told you it was simple!

The other day I told you WHAT orthodox or traditional grip was, so today I’m gonna tell you how it came to be and why it’s not necessary on a modern day set up for 99% of drummers.

Soon after people started using sticks to play a drum they started to walk as they played (a good example of this is marching into battle). With the drum hung around their necks so it rested around their waist they would march as they played for hours and days on end. As they walked, if the drum was dead centre in between their legs it would get bashed from side to side as they moved, making it very hard to play accurately. To overcome this they rested the drum on one hip and tilted the drum slightly so it would then only move backwards and forwards slightly as they moved.  (see pic)

This then meant that one hand had to get over the top of the drum, so to do this “orthodox” or “traditional” grip was created. (Of course back then they didn’t call it that as it was just how everyone played!)
One hand (usually the right) played palm down and the other (usually the left) played in the traditional, palm up, style.

On a modern day set up, as the drums are 99.9% of the time, angled towards you, traditional grip is not necessary. As drums are a relatively new instrument (as far as the set ups we play today) when people transitioned they kept the same grip they used all along. Because of this many “old skool” drummers actually angle their snare drum AWAY from them. Traditional grip will give you a much lighter sound as, unless the drum is angled away from you, it’s nearly impossible to rim shot.

As far as the argument “which one is best” well….. Matched grip is! You can achieve a greater variation in dynamic, it can be played more quickly with more power and it is more in tune with how your body is meant to be used. Obviously if you ARE playing in a marching band situation then yes, orthodox grip may need to be used, but on a modern kit set up matched grip is the way to go. Simple! Hope you learned something.

A good few months back now I was having a rant about the importance of counting and gave you a whole bunch of counting exercises to practice. Well, now I’m back with some more!
1 e   a 2   + a   e +   4 e   a

1   + a   e +   3 e   a 4   + a

  e +   2 e   a 3   + a   e +

Repeat those three once each one is has been mastered individually.

1    +        +       +         +

1 e +     e +     e +      e +

1    + a     + a     + a      + a

1 e + a   e + a   e + a   e + a

1 e    a    e   a   e    a    e    a

Once each one is mastered try counting all five in a row.
1     a      +           +    4

    +     2         3       a        +

1     a       +          +       e

    +       e       3       a        +

Again, once each one is mastered you can try them all in a row.

Make sure you put all of these to a click to ensure a constant tempo. It’s easy to cheat and get them VERY wrong!

4) Keep it simple.
I see so many people trying to play, at say 150bpm, what they could only just play at 100bpm. This is ludicrous. Play to the speed, don’t just play one thing! I can play way in excess of 400bpm, but I ain’t talking about an 8th note hi hat and 16th not bass here. I’m talking ¼ note hi hat and 8th note bass at most. And even then it’s sporadic! Fills are pretty simple too. Remember, as things get faster, they need to be straight forward. Watch the fasted dudes in the world in an Olympic 100m race…. Now imagine that was a slalom 100m race, do you think it would be as quick? No way! So as things get faster, trim the fat and fanciness!
5) Know where you’re going
Now I’ve saved the most important until last. And some of you will be like “what?” but go with me on this.
Think about it. If I said to two people “meet me at JJ’s café, 1st one to arrive I’ll buy ‘em lunch…. Go!” One could have a rocket car and one might have to crawl. But if the person in the rocket car doesn’t know where the hell JJ’s café is, but the person crawling knows it’s actually next door then the person crawling will win! Knowing exactly what you intend to play AHEAD OF TIME is a concept that most people don’t think about and then come unstuck when it comes to playing fast. So knowing where you’re going (i.e. what you’re gonna play) is the more important than all of the above.

People often come out with answers like “good technique” or “have some sort of sports drink”, but no, my five tips will stand you in better stead than that! So stop reading and get practicing!

I’m known for being somewhat of a fast drummer and people often see what I do and go “wow!” which, to be fair, is quite cool for me to hear! So I’m gonna give you a few little tips on how you can become fast and see people go “wow!” when you play!

A couple of things to bare in mind when it comes to playing fast are:

1) You must exert as little energy as possible to get maximum speed.
Put another way turn minimum input into maximum output. Try to be as efficient as possible when you play. Try to use your body as it was meant to be used. Don’t use BIG muscles, use minimal movement using smaller muscles. These require less energy to exert them to their fullest. Just always remember to treat them well by warming up and stretching. Don’t use any kinda sticks or gel that are supposed to give you extra grip, as you’ll just end up getting blisters!

2) Relax!
As you get faster the bodies initial reaction is to tense up. But you must fight this instinct and actually relax as you gain speed. Think of it this way…. If you wanted to pick up a heavy weight down the gym what would you do? You’d tense your muscle to do that right? And what does tensing said muscle do to the weight? It stops it moving toward the floor as gravity intends it to. So by tensing you’re RESTRICTING movement. And what’s the quickest way to get that weight to the floor? That’s right… relax every muscle holding it and that bad boy will drop! So relaxing is vital to gaining speed.

3) Breathe!
I know this sounds a bit silly for playing drums, but as any great athlete will tell you, breathing is a massively important part of any physical activity. When you’re pushing your muscles you MUST deliver oxygen to them otherwise they simply won’t work for you! So when you play at speed do try to get into a nice comfortable breathing pattern whereby your muscles get all the oxygen they need to work at full capacity. I’ll give you the last 2 tips in my next post.

A lot of drummers I teach say they try and use “tab” from the internet and ask if I recommend it. (For those of you who don’t know, “tab” is a new form of writing music that is supposed to be quick and easy to read and write.)
However – and this isn’t just my opinion on this – tab isn’t really a good way to go. Some people say it stifles the creativity of a drummer, some say it has a negative effect on the “listening” side of learning the instrument. But I just say “If it’s free it’s most likely free for a reason…… it’s not worth anything! 99.9% of the time tabs are wrong! Fair enough they might be kinda right sometimes, but if one tiny little bit is wrong and you follow it religiously ‘cos you don’t know any better then the whole thing is gonna sound nasty!

So my advice is this:

Forget tab….. work on your listening and mimicking skills and become a better drummer. Make mistakes, but make your own! Don’t copy someone else’s

A while back I gave you a bunch of counting exercises to work your way through. I’m guessing it’s now been enough time that you’ve completely forgotten about them and you’re a little out of practice! So I thought I’d give you some more to try!

Remember.. count the same bar over and over until you’ve got it. Then put it to a click, then speed it up, THEN try to count through the whole lot!
1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e    a

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e   a 4 e + a

1 e + a 2 e    a 3 e + a 4 e + a

1 e    a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e    a 4 e    a

1 e    a 2 e    a 3 e + a 4 e + a

1 e    a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e    a

1 e + a 2 e    a 3 e    a 4 e + a

1 e    a 2 e    a 3 e    a 4 e    a

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a    e + a

1 e + a 2 e + a    e + a 4 e + a

1 e + a    e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

   e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

1 e + a 2 e + a    e + a    e + a

   e + a    e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

   e + a    e + a    e + a    e + a

Ok, let’s take three types of notes, ¼’s, 8ths and 16ths.

Right stick = Floor tom
Left stick = Snare (I’d flick the snares off as they can get quite annoying!)
Right foot = Bass drum

What you’re gonna do is the following:

A) Right = 16th’s   Left = 8th’s   Foot = ¼’s

B) Right = ¼’s   Left = 16th’s     Foot = 8th’s  

C) Right = 8th’s  Left = ¼’s   Foot = 16th’s

D) Right = ¼’s   Left = 8th’s   Foot = 16th’s

E) Right = 16th’s   Left = ¼’s   Foot = 8th’s

F) Right = 8th’s  Left = 16th’s   Foot = ¼’s

Each time I’d recommend starting with the 16ths as you may well start too fast otherwise. Once you have the 16ths with a good strong count bring in the 8ths, then the ¼’s.
Once you have the hang of a certain one get it as fast as you can….. ACURATELY!!

Then if you find it easy try keeping one thing a constant (e.g. Figure A… Foot = ¼’s) and play a bar of
Right = 16ths, Left = 8ths then swap over so that the Right = 8ths and the Left = 16ths. But swap in an instant without affecting the foot. Then continue along these lines. It’s actually quite tricky!

Then if you find THAT easy try swapping all 3 on a rotation basis…. smart arse!

This week I’ve been focusing on coordination with the guys who I teach, and they hate me for it! All except Ric who, like me, is a bit odd and likes that kinda thing! Personally I LOVE the challenge of some tough coordination exercises, but for most people there’s nothing more annoying (except maybe for old people suddenly stopping in front of you in the high street!)

Coordination, as you may well know, is all done in the mind. It has NOTHING to do with your limbs! The amount of times I’ve heard people shouting at their extremities for not doing their job properly is unreal! To be able to coordinate you simply have to be able to think CLEARLY about what it is you wish to do. You should think first and play later. In fact, when I was at college I never really touched the kit much except in lessons. But I’d practice in my mind on the way to and from the college. While sitting on the tube or bus I’d go through the actions in my head, visualising the movements I wanted to make. I didn’t even have to touch a kit to be able to play them. Then, if I did get on a kit, I was able to play them right away as I’d sorted them out in my head.

The key to coordination is finding the constant/s. If every limb was playing something that was ever changing all the time it’d be impossible for any human to play as the mind simply can’t process that quickly. However, if you find the constant/s things get easier. What you should do is GET the constant and once you’ve got the hang of it and no longer have to focus all of your attention on it you should FORGET about it (but keep playing it obviously!). So Get it and FORGET about it. Your mind is then free to focus on the variable/s. Depending on how hard tricky the constants and variables the mind can usually focus on between one and two at a time.

You may remember a while back I wrote my top 3 fundamentals, Coordination, Control and Knowledge. Well if you work on some coordination exercises your playing will automatically improve as you’re training your mind to process faster and more accurately. Doing this also helps with general intellectual skills such as concentration and multi tasking.

Tomorrow I’ll give you some simple exercises to try. Just make sure you THINK first, play later.  

My mind must really be stuck on counting at the moment ‘cos I really can’t think of anything else… How sad is that?!?

Today I’m gonna talk briefly about counting when playing odd time signatures. For those of you who don’t know what an odd time signature is, don’t worry!

When counting in a  “something/4” bar I always say you should count up to the number using 8ths. So a bar of 5/4 would be counted “1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 +”. If you need to count the 16ths then use “e” and “a” like normal. But if you’re counting a bar of “something/8” then you should count straight up to that number. So a bar of 5/8 would be counted “1 2 3 4 5”. If you need to count the 16ths you should use “+”. Now that’s where a lot of people get confused!! But if you think about it, it makes sense. Whatever the time signature, you start with just the numbers. Then the next step down is the “+’s” then if needs be the next step down would be the “e’s” and the “a’s”.

This is why it’s sooo important to be really confident with your count. So many people struggle so much ‘cos they’re not really sure where in the bar they’re trying to play something so they end up spending hours guessing at it! If they had learnt to count really well then they’d simply apply the count to what they were playing and Voi La, it’s done in a tenth of the time!