Rudiments Stink!

[hellven]

I have a confession to make.

2010 would be my 10th year drumming, and i can barely do a double-stroke properly.

Despite having played in over 15 bands and 30 live gigs, i look myself in the mirror and consider myself a beginner at drums.

There was a time where i lived in denial, thinking i can drum without being able to play any rudiment except the Righthanded single stroke. Well... of course i was an idiot.

I took up drum lessons from a good teacher, but lost interest because he insisted on sticking to a curriculum, when all i really wanted was to learn rudimental chops and nothing else.

So i guess all i really need is...

... a friend(s) to be accountable to who wanna improve chops. The kind that meets once in 2 weeks and we set targets and goals to accomplish by then, failing which something bad happens.

My god, i have no friends.

PM me if you'd like to join me!

 

[Anatomyofadrumsolo]

What you really need to do is to sit yourself down and force yourself and more importantly, your body to be used to the different coordinations which in this case, are rudiments.

Dont do it super fast.. practice at a comfortable speed. Most important is clarity and technique. If you have the rudiments of rudiments mastered, then improve your speed by playing at 70% of your personal top speed for a long period of time.

All great drummers go through this hard process you brought up. What you need to do is to really practice practice practice. Jojo Mayer said, "You practice for results, not for hours."

By the way, this method of practice works for me, but may not work for you. God made everyone special in his/her own way and so every drummer also has their own way to practice that would help achieve the results aimed.

Just experiment with different types of practice routines and find one that best suits you.

All the best in your drumming.

 

[Dark Heart]

hey yo buddy, i was so inconfident of my drumming in the past, thinking i'm a failure also.

Because in class, my teacher keeps saying, "hey, your timing cannot make it lah".
I thought that was the end of the world for me, because drumming is wat makes me confident around people.

I study at yamaha tampinese by the way. Group lesson

But now, i learn to accept the fact that i am a slower learner. I don't give up, i can do a whole lot better than others once i master the skills.

Now I am learning double stroke roll, same situation as you. My friends can do demi-semiquaver(32nd note) double stroke at the BPM of 55 or above, but i can onli do it at 45BPM, not perfect. Need to be able to do at least 55 or 60 bpm by next sun's lesson.

My friends who played for years and rarely touch double stroke also had a lot of difficulty at first, teacher just bring down the tempo and slowly build up.

Let's improve, haha. My timing still sux. Still need to improve.

 

[Dark Heart]

double stroke i learn

*RRLL RRLL RRLL RRLL*(semi-quaver/16th note) at 45BPM first, then comfortable liao, bring up the tempo and build up until 90BPM.

When you can do *RRLL RRLL RRLL RRLL* comfortably at 90BPM, you can proceed to doing *RRLLRRLL RRLLRRLL RRLLRRLL RRLLRRLL* (Demi-semi-quaver/32th note) at 45BPM.

Then you just at 45BPM, play *RRLL RRLL RRLL RRLL(16th note), RRLLRRLL RRLLRRLL RRLLRRLL RRLLRRLL(32nd note)*

That's wat i learn from the lesson just now. If i remember correctly.

Nah, you can forget about this if it doesn't help, i put it here to make me remember my practice method.:mrgreen:

 

[Dark Heart]

And i'm sure nobody wants to join someone whos going to drag others down.
So lift your spirit and think positively, i know its hard to think positively or there won't be so many psychiatrist around, or mental hospital won't be needed, haha.

Eat chocolate everyday la, or go out with your girlfriend if you are dating. They really make your day. No girlfriend go find one.

 

[Akira-Portnoy]

practice! practice! PRACTICE!!!

i went through that point of time during sec school.. Just when i thought i could "play drums".. a new conductor steps in. and asked me to play rudiments. i got stunned. HAHH.

 

[Dark Heart]

practice! practice! PRACTICE!!!

i went through that point of time during sec school.. Just when i thought i could "play drums".. a new conductor steps in. and asked me to play rudiments. i got stunned. HAHH.

OH you from school band ah, so good. Learn drum for free

 

[Akira-Portnoy]

dark heart: yup. but i don recall learning alot of things from THAT "school band". hahha really..

I guess things will work out MORE if u consciously do a self practice.. assessing urself on ur rudiments..

 

[ZachDrummer]

RUDIMENTS! There are many of them. I'm using only singles & double strokes all the time. LOL.

Anyway, rite! you just have to keep practicing. I'm always doing singles in my drumming & just started trying out doubles. I tell ya! It really sucks but then I didn't give up.

I had improved a bit but not much & I'm still working on it. Hope this helps to motivate you.

 

[RudimentalDrummer]

hellven : -

What.tttttttttt you say I stink izzit? wanna kenna Banned har here...hehehehhe ...Oooopppps see wrongly...so you are actually saying " Rudiments Stinks"

My nick is RudimentalDrummer and I know Rudiments are ... very very important, but I am equally a Drummer who does not spend time in Practicing Rudiments...so I will say " I stinks at Rudiments" not "Rudiments Stinks"..the other way round kekekekeke - it is very important to spend some time practicing Rudiments everyday if possible (like a Guitarist do Scaling) ... and I admit I dont...no excuses..

I'm just too Lazy and do not have Self-Disclipine anyway for so long - but ... I tell myself .... I must disclipine myself and have the Stamina to drum and practice Rudiments again and spend some time or do some practice each day (if time permits) ....which I dont for a year or more already..not that I dont have the time (I have) I am just too lazy to practice it as it is Boring.

You will get your Rudiments right oneday, all you need is Self-Disclipine..and after a while it will become a Habit (this is good) if the day comes that - oneday you find yourself feeling so uncomfortable not doing it for just oneday (like something is missing) - -

Get yourself an Instructor - it will push you (it did for me) cause i never have self-disclipine (this is my weakness) anyway everyone has weaknessess.

They say - Preach what you do (not what you dont do) - so I'm going to start - practicing my Rudimental Warmup back again tonite - with a Metronome.

Well you see- your thread inspire me too here - this remind me that I am lacking something and it's time that I need to push myself to my old self back then here again .

So - likewise - you do it - The only person who can help you is - You Yourself and your Own Self Disclipline and Determination here which is the most difficult thing to overcome..You have to find out for yourself (as only you understand yourself best here) - How to get yourself Motivated to do - Rudimental Practice...There must be a way.

 

[USADRUMMER]

**deleted**

 

[alvinthedrummer]

Yo Eric,

I find that setting goals in regards to playing drums really helps in the 'inspiration' department. Such as assessing the reason why you want to play: enjoyment, hobby, profession, or just a 'weekend warrior' sorta thing. I think whatever goal you set that you want to acheive will also determine how much time and effort you want to put into it. If you're 'lazy' about practicing, then how important is playing drums other than maybe a sideline or hobby?

This instructor at this jazz school I attended said that depending on how badly you want something, i.e. playing jazz in this case, will determine how much time you put into it, and how much time you put into it will determine how good you're gonna get. Just simple common sense type stuff.

Well said! I always tell my students that if they want it bad enough, they will get it! Practice, practice, practice!!

 

[DRUM YODA]

A lot of common sense spoken here.

Without doubt, practice, practice and more practice is the key to developing a sound and strong technique and impressive chops...BUT make sure one is practising the right things as otherwise one would be perfecting one's mistakes and bad habits. A good teacher would then be essential rather than trying to depend only on books and videos.

But technique alone will not make a good drummer, let alone a great one.

A drummer is also a musician and needs to apply his technique in a way that enhances the music, not distract and disrupt. Musicality and tasteful playing comes from exposure and experience for which there is no substitute. One can learn much from listening to records etc, and playing along with CDs but there is nothing like the real thing...playing with other musicians in a real performing situation, in front of an audience - and being comfortable of one's contribution to the music.

A drummer who does not get a chance to play often, but is armed with many hours of practice and a battery of chops will always be tempted to squeeze it into his playing...even if the music does not call for it. An over busy drummer is usually a nightmare for band leaders and music directors esp if there is no score for the drummer and he is left to his own devices.

In the jazz context there is more freedom for the drummer to improvise, and good chops are always a bonus. The same may apply to the heavy rock or metal genre albeit of a more athletic technique. But for most music it is incumbent on the drummer not to over play. The audience...unless comprising mainly of drummers.... do not want to hear a continual drum solo or aggressive comping behind what is expected of the music.

The point I am making is simple.

Do practise and do your homework but do find every opportunity to play with other musicians... and I don't mean as in drum exchanges where there are 3-4 drummers playing off each other in one huge wanking session. You need to play with in a rhythm section as part of a larger ensemble to acquire the skill of playing tight and with a good feel.

Jamming with good musicians is always a learning experience.. There are a number of regular jazz and blues jam sessions around town and in the CCs which drummers can hone their playing skills. Don't just practise blindly and hope to become the next drum hero. On the other hand, if you are gonna join a jam, do get yourself into a respectable shape and do not make a fool of yourself out there.