Practice Routine

  1. Bass and Knitting Needle Finger Exercises
  2. French Grip German Grip Fingers and HH
  3. Left Arm Rebound
  4. Rudiments For Sound
  5. 3 over 2 Polyrhythm
  6. Drum Concepts and Technique
  7. Mambo
  8. Sparse Samba
  9. Solos

Reminders:

Practice at a slow enough tempo to accomplish all of these.

Matched Grip Wrist

Suggested: No HH or bass. No Metronome. Start from medium low stick height. Notes: Play very slowly and work on accuracy and sound. Do only a few repetions. Experiment with grip close to end of sticks and close to fulcrum. Use some forearm rotation to drive motion.
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Left Arm Moeller

Suggested: No HH or bass. No Metronome. Notes: Use low catch and drop taps. Use some forearm rotation. Let wrist hang as elbow is rising. Let wrist turn at apex of motion. Work on accuracy and economy of motion. Repeat the series a few times.
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Left Arm Rebound

Suggested: No HH or bass. 60bpm 8th notes. Use combination of forearm rotation and wrist turn. Grip stick near fulcrum. Notes: Work on accuracy, control and consistency.
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Rudiments For Sound

Suggested: No HH or bass. Notes: Work on getting sticks to sound the same. Use wrist turn, keep thumb in contact with index finger, don't raise stick too high, keep index finger near fulcrum (watch for LH below fulcrum and RH above fulcrum.) Try to match grip subtleties of each hand.
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3 over 2 Polyrhythm

Suggested: Sing 1 trip a let. Notes: Work on making rhythms even. For (a) use DTU strokes; try both holding near fulcrum and holding near ends. For (b) use arm and fingers for right hand, grip stick near fulcrum with pad of index and thumb, accent the 1's; use wrist and fingers for left hand, grip stick near fulcrum.
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Stick Control

Suggested: Work at a comfortable tempo corresponding to 2min each exercise for 20-30x. Use SD1 sticks on black VF pad, or SD9 stick on aquarian pad; play HH on quarter or eigth notes as appropriate for exercise. Notes: Use German grip; experiment with grip close to end of sticks and close to fulcrum; use down and tap strokes for lower tempos, use rebound strokes for faster tempos.
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Stick Control Combinations in 3/8

Suggested: 60 3-beat 3 min each line 30x, or 80 3-beat 2 min each line 26x, or 92 3-beat 1 1/2 min each line 23x each line; use SD1 sticks on black VF pad, or SD9 stick on aquarian pad; play HH on eigth notes. Notes: For 3 minute tempo, review exercise in first minute, repeat 20x in next two minutes, similarly for faster tempos but with less review; use German grip close to end of sticks; use down and tap strokes for lower tempos, use rebound strokes for faster tempos.
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Jazz Ride Cymbal and Groove: Sound Quality

Suggested: Count whole notes. Take as much time is needed to get these to sound good. Notes: Grip stick behind fulcrum; use arm, wrist, and fingers; keep arm and hand relaxed; keep fingers in contact with stick. Work on getting the ride cymbal to sound relaxed, constistent, and driving forward; get phrasing of skip note to swing and get skip note to sound light. Record this practice.
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Jazz Ride Cymbal and Groove: Isolated Skip Notes

Suggested: Count whole notes; 76 q; as much time is needed; use tl on snare as needed. Notes: Grip stick behind fulcrum; use arm, wrist, and fingers; keep arm and hand relaxed; keep fingers in contact with stick. Get quarter notes on ride moving forward and get swing phrasing of skip note. Record this practice.
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Mambo

Suggested: Count 8th notes; 100q, 120q, or 140q; spend as much time needed. Notes: Work on playing quiet, then work on increasing tempo. Experiment with singing parts.
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Sparse Samba (Authentic Phrasing)

Suggested: 40 2-beat. Notes: Use cross stick at drums or backstick at pads.
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Samba (Authentic Phrasing)

Suggested: 40 2-beat. Notes: Use cross stick at drums or backstick at pads.
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So What 16th Note Feel

Suggested: 56q. Notes: Experiment with combinations and improvise.
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So What (New Orleans in between straight and swing)

Suggested: 52q. Notes: Experiment with combinations and improvise.
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Rudiment Preparation for 2nd Line Marches

Suggested: 58q (a-d), 88q (e-f). Notes: Experiment with adding Bass on q's and HH on 2,4. Experiment with grip, dynamics, accents and press rolls.
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5/4 (Take Five)

Suggested: Count quarter notes; 92 bpm, 5 quarters; as much time as needed. Notes: None.
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Brushes Exercises

Suggested: Use fingers and hands w/o brush on drum head to explore motion. Notes: None.
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Afro (Sabor a Mi)

Suggested: Brushes on HH, play along with recording. Notes: None.
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Traditional 2nd Line Snare Drum March Grooves

Suggestions: None. Notes: None.
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Solos

Notes: None.
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To Do - Study

  1. Watch Everything is Timekeeping videos again
  2. Watch Peter Erskine's Brushes videos (extra features on video)
  3. Watch extra features from Everhything is Timekeeping
  4. Watch DVD rom extras from Everhything is Timekeeping
  5. Compare Everything is Timekeeping PDFs to Drum Concepts and Technique
  6. Compare Everything is Timekeeping PDFs to video
    1. Identify any exercises from PDFs not covert in book
  7. Watch Steve Gadd Videos
    1. Up Close
    2. In Session
  8. Watch Tony Williams 1985 Clinic
  9. Watch Art of Brushes again
    1. Identify play along tracks to use for Jazz exercises
  10. Review CD from Art of Bop Drumming ; identify tracks to use for Jazz exercises
  11. Identify recordings to play along with
  12. Watch sections in Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer
    1. Finger exercises (French grip and German Grip)
    2. Controlled strokes
    3. Doubles and Inverted doubles exercises
  13. Watch Ginger Baker video again
  14. Watch Jim Chapin Moeller Method video again
  15. Watch Steve Smith technique and history videos again
  16. Watch Jojo Mayer Foot Technique video
  17. Watch Joe Morello videos
    1. Drum Method 1
    2. Drum Method 2
  18. Read Danny Gottlieb's notes on Accents and Rebounds from www.stonepercussionbooks.com
Notes: None.
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To Do - Practice

  1. Shuffle
    1. Art of Bob Drumming pg 56
    2. Drum Concepts and Technique, pg 84-86
  2. Tumbao
    1. Notes from lessons with Tony Martucci
    2. Alan Dawson Method pg 34
    3. Drum Concepts and Technique, pg 68-69
    4. Ideas from Salsa Ear Training webpage
Notes: None.
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Practice Ideas

  1. Samba
    1. Work on other snare rhythms from Drum Concepts and Technique, pg 60-61, 63
    2. Work on all of this with the other ride patterns (1 &a2 &a1..., e&a e&a, 1e a2e a1..., all 16th notes)
    3. Play agogo rhythms from Brazillian Percussion Manual on snare over all five ride patterns
    4. Play agogo rhythms from Brazillian Percussion Manual on toms over all five ride patterns
    5. Play agogo rhythms from Brazillian Percussion Manual on toms with both hands
    6. Play other rhythms from Brazillian Percussion Manual in all the above ways
    7. Learn drumset groves from Brazillian Percussion Manual
    Notes: Listen to Billy Hart in Art of Brushes Latin, Peter Erskine in Everything is Timekeeping , Steve Gadd in Up Close and In Session, The Art of Bop Drumming CD track 34, youtube videos, Black Orpheus soundtrack, and samba records for phrasing.
Notes: None.
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Reference

  1. Samba
    1. Art of Bob Drumming
    2. Drum Concepts and Technique
    3. Brazillian Percussion Manual
    4. Notes from lessons with Tony Martucci
    5. Alan Dawson Method
    6. Take it To The Street
  2. Generic Latin/Mambo/Mozambiqu/Tumbao
    1. Art of Bob Drumming
    2. Take it To The Street
    3. Drum Concepts and Technique
    4. Notes from lessons with Tony Martucci
    5. Alan Dawson Method
    6. Salsa Ear Training webpage
  3. Shuffle
    1. Art of Bob Drumming
    2. Drum Concepts and Technique
  4. Reggea
    1. Drum Concepts and Technique
    2. New Orleans Jazz and Second Line Drumming
Notes: None.
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