Having been on the road for a good portion of the past two months, my Real Feel practice pad got a good workout during my travels. It's important to keep in shape while traveling and always a challenge to come up with things to work on that challenge both the technical and creative aspects of being a drummer without the benefit of shedding on an actually drum set. I always bring a pair of sticks and some form of drum pad with me whenever I'm on the go.
Here's a few exercises I've been working on:
1) STICK CONTROL - PAGE 6:
This is something that John Riley showed me, that Joe Morello had showed him.
Take the first few pages of Stick Control and apply the following stickings:
R = RLRR
L = LRLL
So the first line of Stick Control (RLRL RLRL) would look something like this:
RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL etc.
A double stroke sticking (RRLL RRLL) turns into this:
RLRR RLRR LRLL LRLL RLRR RLRR LRLL LRLL
A single paradiddle sticking (RLRR LRLL) would look something like this:
RLRR LRLL RLRR RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL LRLL
2) STICK CONTROL TRIPLET VARIATION:
A variation I came up with uses the same concept but uses triplet stickings instead:
R = RLR
L = LRL
So then a double stroke sticking (RRLL RRLL) would turn into this:
RLR RLR LRL LRL RLR RLR LRL LRL
And a paradiddle sticking (RLRR LRLL) would look like this:
RLR LRL RLR RLR LRL RLR LRL LRL
* For all these exercises and variations, put an accent > on the beginning of each paradiddle/triplet *
Ya' dig ?
Here's the first few lines of Stick Control to get you started:
3) TIME KEEPING AND THE DRUM PAD
I always have to keep in mind that hand technique is important - but it's not music (!) So when I'm working out on my drum pad, I always make sure to address some exercises that at least have me thinking about time keeping and swinging.
One thing I like to do is a play a medium tempo swing ride cymbal pattern with my Right hand and go through some different triplet variations against that with the Left hand. I try to get it to swing and feel as "triplety" as possible.
Check out this youtube clip of Ulysses Owens demonstrating his pre-gig warmup, as he basically does the same thing as I do:
My teacher, runs the school where Joe Morello teaches, and he often tell me about Joe and his teacher, George Stone, who wrote Stick Control. George Stone's second book, Accents and Rebounds, was actually all of the accents and other things that Joe brought back in after Stone sent him off to practice, thats why there's that big picture of Joe in the front of Accents and Rebounds. Stone wanted Joe to write the book but Joe was touring with Dave Brubeck and all, so he said Stone should write it.
ReplyDeleteMy teacher has me play line to line in Stick Control. He says that whenever his hands feel kind of weak, he just puts on a metronome and plays through the first 15 pages. Thanks for this post!