Free Drum Lessons | Drum Exercise Leftovers Pt. 3

Posted by jparker7810 on May 15, 2013
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9780769220222Allright, let’s wrap uCombo 5p this recycle session.  For those of you who haven’t been following this little series, we’re taking a basic exercise from one of the first books I ever worked out of, Combination Study 5 from Understanding Rhythms by Michael Lauren.  So far, we’ve worked on our stick control by playing the exercise as softly and quickly as we can and we’ve gone to the other spectrum by playing the exercise on double bass drums while playing a simple groove over the top with our hands.  Now, we’re gonna travel to the R&B world and get a little work done on our hi-hats.

article-new-ehow-images-a08-8p-fe-make-chick-sound-hi-hat-800x800So, here’s the two ways we can work this out.  In either case we want to go at a silky smooth tempo around  75-80 bpm, and we’ll just play a simple groove of kick on 1 and 3 and snare (or cross-stick if you’re really feeling the R&B vibe) on 2 and 4.

  1. Our first way to work this exercise is to use two hands on the hi-hat.  This brings a little more complication into the groove, ’cause you have to remember to bring your right hand down to the snare.  But, I’ve always felt that two hands on the hi-hat put a little more “air” or space in the groove.  If you want, you can even try swinging the 16th notes to get that sweet click-a-click-a-click sound.  Also, don’t be scared to use a cross-stick on the snare with this version.  It can be a little tricky, but it can be done (check out this video from Carter Beauford for evidence).
  2. The second option is to play the exercise with just one hand on the hi-hat.  You’ll probably need to slow the tempo down just a bit for this one.  Playing with just one hand gives a straighter feel to the groove and makes it easier play around with different accents in the pattern.  Be sure, when you do this method, that you do it once with your right hand on the hi-hat and then with your left hand.  Open playing (using the left hand on the hi-hat) can really change the way you view the drums and present some new possibilities to you that you hadn’t thought of before.

Well, there you go.  Three lessons on three vastly different drumming ideas all based around one tired old exercise.  Have fun folks!

Free Drum Lessons | Drum Exercise Leftovers Pt. 2

Posted by jparker7810 on May 8, 2013
Posted in: Free Drum Lessons. Tagged: . 1 comment
Mapex_Double_Bass_Drum_PedalsThis week we’re gonna take our leftover exercise and spice it up by applying it to double bass drums. How many times do you go to play double bass, but all you can come up with is straight 16th notes?  And let’s be honest, there’s only so much dugga dugga dugga we can take.
 
Combo 5Again we’re going to use Combination Study #5 from Michael Lauren’s Understanding Rhythm book.  And again the concept is fairly simple to start.  We’ll play a simple quarter-note ride pattern on the hi hats or ride cymbal with 2 and 4 on the snare – you’re most basic rock groove.  Now try to play the exercise on the bass drums while you keep the groove with your hands.
 
9780769220222Once you’ve mastered that idea, you can bump up the tempo or change the ride pattern to keep your exploration going.
Have fun!
 

Free Drum Lessons | Drum Exercise Leftovers Pt. 1

Posted by jparker7810 on May 1, 2013
Posted in: Free Drum Lessons. Tagged: . 1 comment

9780769220222You ever find yourself wanting something to practice, but you’ve already worked through all your book and don’t want to go buy another?  Here’s some ideas to recycle your old exercises into new ideas for the drumset.

Combo 5For this series, we’re gonna use Combination Study 5 out of Understanding Rhythm by Michael Lauren.  This is the kind of exercise that’s really easy to recycle ’cause its relatively simple and bland. But let’s explore how we can add some hot sauce to spice up these leftovers.
If you don’t have this book, you can always download our example here. Or just go into your beginner books and find similar examples from your earliest snare drum or band books.
First off, let’s use our example to work on speed and finger control. This is a really simple concept. We’re just gonna play the exercise really fast and really soft. To start, try playing the exercise at 140 bpm and a ppp dynamic level (1 inch of the drum). If it seems a bit daunting, try just playing one line at a time.  Once you’ve mastered this tempo, bump it up and keep going. Our final target for this one is 200 bpm or higher.
By the end of the week, your stick control will really be refined and you’ll have a better idea of how to relax when playing fast.

It’s a Phat Day at Sabian!

Posted by jparker7810 on April 25, 2013
Posted in: Gear. Tagged: , . 1 comment

Sabian_logo - Transparent WhiteI’ve been working on this deal since last August, so please believe me when I say that I am majorly stoked to announce that I just signed a deal to be an Educational Endorser with Sabian Cymbals!  The reason I chose Sabian is almost the exact opposite of why I chose Vic Firth for my drumsticks.  I’ve always played Sabian.  Since 1998, I’ve  a very few other cymbals.  I’ve even tried to get away from Sabian before.  I looked at all the other cymbals companies out there and I never found one that had everything I wanted.  Some had great hats and rides, others had great crashes, and still others made killer effects cymbals.  But I’ve never found another cymbal company where I could build an entire set-up and love every cymbal I put on the kit.

But that’s exactly how I feel about Sabian:  I love every stinkin’ one of my Sabian cymbals.  I love the dark, raw energy from the HHX.  The cuts-like-a-knife quality of the AAX.  The old-school sound of the AA.  And the classic, mellow vibe from the HH.  And then there’s the Signature and Vault cymbals that get really crazy cool!  I just love everything I’ve ever played with a Sabian logo on it.  Heck even the entry-level stuff like the B8 or B8Pro have a great quality to them!  It’s just awesome.

If you’ve got questions, I’d be glad to answer ‘em.  I’m just pretty humbled right now that two major percussion companies think this kid from Wichita is worthy of a business partnership!

Free Drum Lessons | Drumline to Drumset Pt. 3 Check Patterns

Posted by jparker7810 on January 28, 2013
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Drumline Check Patterns

Drumline Check Patterns

In drumline, we use check patterns to assure that we are 100% accurate and precise with our note placement.  We also make sure that we use standard sticking patterns like right hand lead.

DS Checks Temp copy

Drum Set check Patterns

On drum set, we can do the same.  First, try playing the drumline exercise on your snare, and then try moving to different drums on each beat.  Once you’ve mastered that, try adding bass drum to all of the rests, like in example A & B in the drum set exercises.  You can also work on your four-way coordination by adding left foot hi-hats on the quarters.  Then try playing the same exercise on the hi-hats while you keep a basic groove on kick and snare.  Give it a try!