Possibilities

For instructions on how to approach the exercises go to the Practicing area of the about page.

Please remember to use a metronome when playing the exercises.

General

• Tap your foot to the pulse. Clap out the rhythms with your hands.
• While using one hand to tap the pulse, tap out the rhythm with the other hand.
• While clapping out with your hands or tapping your foot to the pulse. Sing the rhythms.

Drummers

• Play each ex. with each hand/foot alone.
• Have one hand or foot play a quarter note pulse while the other hand/foot plays the exercise. This is good for that ol' independence. You have these options:

  RH vs. LH, RF vs. LF, LH vs. LF, RH vs. RF, LH vs. RF, and RH vs. LF.

  

• Have 3 limbs play the quarter note pulse while executing the rhythms with the free one.

  

• You can also use one of the exercises as the reference along with the quarter note pulse. Say you play no. 9 from the sixteenths group with a limb then play the other exercises with another limb.

  

• Use a bit of orchestration. As the limb that is playing the written rhythm goes along, move the limb between/around different sound sources.

  

• Use a Rudiment in one of the rhythms. Use a single or double stroke roll. Try a paradiddle or flam taps.

  

• Use the rhythms as accents in rolls. Double or single stroke rolls.

  

• Play the rhythms in an alternating fashion between different limbs while keeping a quarter note pulse with the remaining 2 limbs. An example would be to play quarters with the right and left hands while you alternate the figure between the right and left foot in a single stroke manner.

  

• You can substitute an exercise rhythm for one of the quarter note pulses in the above example.

  

• Use different rudiments between the limbs in the above example. Such as a paradiddle.

  

• Play the rhythms in a cycling motion between 3 limbs while the remaining limb plays the pulse.

  

• All your limbs can cycle through the rhythm while the metronome keeps the pulse.

  

  I'm currently working on getting this put up for more drummer related lessons.

Pitched Instruments

• Play your scales in the rhythms. Up,down, back and forth; as far as your instruments range allows.

  

• Play your arpeggios in the rhythms.

  

• If you play a instrument where both hands are free (such as piano), play a quarter note pulse in one hand (on any note or chord) and play the rhythms with the other hand. An example would be play the root note of an arpeggio or scale with one hand and play the arpeggio or scale over it in rhythm with the other hand.

  

• Use an arpeggio for the quarter note pulse while playing the arpeggio or scales in rhythm.