single strokes

[plainsman]

just something i thought i'd like to share with fellow softies.. one of the things simon phillips showed that really caught me was him demonstrating 1-2-3-4 strokes exercise.

i think it is really useful, if approached appropriately helps clean up technique or identify problems with grip and stroke. also, some of us often focus a lot on double strokes in order to get better, but tend to forget that the way to good even double strokes (esp at slower bpms) is sometimes to have a good single stroke first.

what he showed went along something like this:

single strokes - set #1
RLRLRLRL RLRLRLRL RLRLRLRL RLRLRLRL (1 stroke per alternating hand)
RRLLRRLL RRLLRRLLR RRLLRRLL RRLLRRLL (2 strokes ")
RRRLLLRR RLLLRRRL LLRRRLLL RRRLLLRR (3 strokes ")
RRRRLLLL RRRRLLLL RRRRLLLL RRRRLLLL (4 strokes ")


some guidelines for you to start from:
1. start at bpm 160 and move up from there. if u find you're having trouble getting smooth natural strokes, and exerting more wrist, finger muscles than necessary, move down to 150, 140 bpm. go back up when you established the comfort zone.

2. ALL strokes are eighth notes (same note value) the objective here is not explicit speed - its ACCURACY, EVENNESS of stroke... then gradually speed resulting from the 1st two.

as an additional guideline, hit with moderate loudness and vary the dynamics from there.

3. note that when you move upwards from 3 strokes to 4 strokes, at one point your right hand has to play 6 single strokes in a row.


5. as a variation, move downwards from 4 strokes back to 1 and back up again


6. also, if you cut 1 bar from each pattern, it will add up more nicely:

single strokes - set #2
RLRLRLRL RLRLRLRL RLRLRLRL
RRLLRRLL RRLLRRLL RRLLRRLL
RRRLLLRR RLLLRRRL LLRRRLLL
RRRRLLLL RRRRLLLL RRRRLLLL


similar exercises can also be found at

Thomas Howie's Drumming Web - Monthly Lesson #19 - The Killer 1

Mark Wessels Rudimental Technique - Exercise #1 - Rebound 8's


do feedback if you have anything related to share :lol: woodshed away!!!


cheers

 

[shred5]

Thanx bro!! Very valuable and very enriching!

Thanxx again!

 

[plainsman]

no problem mon!!! :lol: :lol:

 

[yosh]

nice excercise..

been trying to figure out my basic stroking these few days.. this will help!

 

[17wil]

very good exercise man....thank alfie!

 

[Funkifized]

Use rebound or not?

 

[plainsman]

funkifized, if possible, its best to make use of the bounce that all skins have. although on skins like floor toms, the bounce is very little most of the time our practice skin is either the pad or the snare drum, which has good amount of bounce. of course, utilising the rebound doesn't mean pulling back - must try and throw down in a smooth motion with some force and then getting the rebound back without letting your fingers and/or hand get in the way.



also, a fellow drummer friend kindly provided this which is closer to what simon demonstrated =)

"actually, the exercise that Simon demonstrated was based on 4 bars of 16ths, with the sticking that u said, 1st bar singles, 2nd bar doubles, 3rd bar triples.. you will be short of 1 beat, so you start the quadruples on the "a"of 4. At the end of the phrase you will be 1 16th short, and that where he did the 2 accents in the row. The only thing i'm not sure is which hand he did the last accent on.

it goes like this

Rlrl rlrl rlrl rlrl
rrll rrll rrll rrll
rrrl llrr rlll rrrl
lllr rrrl lllr rrrL


thanks to lchen3 from sg drummer's circle =)

 

[drummar-buah]

nice...

 

[spink_grrl101]

thank you for that tips n guidelines! truly appreciate it!