(Drum Lessons) (Practicing)

Drum Lessons

9/4/98

These are my latest favorite warm-up/work-out patterns. They are both 7 note patterns. I usually play them as septuplets. 7 subdivisions to the quarter. You can also play them in any other subdivision for a more polyrhythmic sound. Great fun. Well here is the first:

You can also practice permutations on this pattern. Start the pattern six notes over like this:

And so on until you reach the beginning again.

Variations:

1. You can also play this pattern with the feet.
2. You can break it up between a hand(H) and a foot(F). Changing it to this:

   

   Possibilities are: LF-LH, LF-RH, RF-LH, and RF-RH.

3. Break the pattern up across multiple surfaces.
4. When breaking up move the hands and /or feet to different sound sources as you play the pattern.

The second:

This one is basically the same thing w/ flams thrown in.

All of the above permutations and variations apply. Usually when I break it up between the hands and feet I flatten out the flams so the notes happen together.

The above example is pretty tough. Don't get discouraged. Really nail the upper ones first and the last one should be easier. Good luck and have fun.

If you have any questions feel free to email me and I'll try to help you out.

© Nick Marshall under the Open Content license.

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Practicing

Practicing is very important to me. I feel that the more technique I acquire makes it easier for the music to speak. When I started to play at the age a 12, I practiced for hours. Around 3 hours a night during school and around 8 hours during vacations. Now it's at the 1 hour mark. Responsibilities of life and learning to play pitched instruments are keeping it at that time limit.

I like to spend most of my practice time learning things I can't do. My approach is to grab something new; say a book, and just tear through. Mistakes are noted for reference to be cleaned up.

I modified a practice routine from Robert Fripp (guitarist for King Crimson) and applied it to my drumming.

• Start off with some warm up exercise.
• Practice some coordination.
• Go to reading of new rhythm material.
• Work on orchestration and getting around the instrument.
• Work on some music.
• Finally I just play. I improvise and see what happens. This often leads me to the ideas that come and get turned into concrete things. At anytime I'll break into the last step of playing if I feel that there is some music trying to come out. The other things will always be there, but when music is trying to come out, you have to be ready.

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