Wrist Twisters...

The rhythms above are some rudimental exercises and variations that I recently wrote out for a student. I originally posted these on Instagram the other day and Ted Warren reminded me to share them here as well. So here they are.

These are a few simple "wrist twisters" that I like to play and warm up with but there is some backstory in terms of how and why I play them too...

During my graduate studies at McGill University during the early 2000s I had the opportunity to study with Michel Lambert for a semester. He was a great teacher and really opened my ears to a lot of things that I still think about today.

Michel really encouraged me to "open" up my sound on the drums and explore my sonic and dynamic range by means of playing larger strokes. We would do this playing really big double and triple strokes around the kit, really exaggerating the strokes by not just playing from the wrist but by using the forearm as well. He also had me play big huge flam taps in the same manner.

Anyways, taking that sonic concept into consideration I use the above combinations with the same mentality in mind, meaning...create a BIG sound! (try it with brushes too...) Hope you dig it.

Thanks Michel!