Exercise #1: "8 on a Hand"
In order to properly play rebound strokes, you must have NO tension in the fingers, wrist and forearm! Use only enough pressure to hold the stick and to throw it on the head. At the slowest tempo of this exercise, use a full, relaxed wrist motion. Faster speeds require the FINGERS to dribble the stick - smaller muscle groups equal faster speeds!
Exercise #2: "'8th's and 16th's"
Being tense when you play fast alternating single strokes is a common problem - as you play the second measure in this exercise, try to make the left hand feel just as relaxed as when you're playing the first measure (and the same with the last two measures). You can also try this: isolate the first two measures, but play the right hand on your leg or the rim. Sometimes it helps to hear one hand while you play the alternating strokes.
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If you've ever tried to dribble a basketball REALLY fast, you'd know that: #1, you keep it close to the floor and #2, you use a SMALL hand motion. That's because it's easier to achieve speed with smaller muscle groups. With a drum stick, you can achieve faster motion by using the FINGERS, because the muscles that tie the fingers to the wrist are smaller than the muscles that tie the wrist to the elbow!
The problem is, smaller muscle groups take more time to develop. If you're really interested in achieving maximum speed, you'll need to use the fingers to dribble the stick. Here's an exercise that you can do anytime - even while you're watching reruns of the Brady Bunch! |
| Put one hand in front of you, with the fingers extended. Slap the palm with the back three fingers, using a quick motion. For maximum advantage, try to make a loud slapping sound (if you can hear ANYTHING, you're doing good!). Start slow & gradually speed up. Once you reach the fastest speed that you can handle (are you STILL making a sound?), keep going until your forearm begins to burn - then keep going until your fingers start spazing out! Whoo-hoo. Now do it on the other hand. If you play TRADITIONAL grip, do the same exercise with the FIRST three fingers on your left hand & maybe even the thumb! |
Exercise #3: "Triple Strokes"
On this exercise, you will use one "large" motion for the first note, then allow the stick to rebound twice. You should NOT just let the stick bounce - control each stroke with the wrist & fingers.
Exercise #4: "Double Beat"
This is an exercise you also use to increase roll quality, but I've put it here because it can teach you to relax your wrists at the slow tempo & let the head do the work. Play with as little tension as possible. At the slowest tempo, you should go for two relaxed wrist strokes. As you speed up, use the finger to dribble the stick.
Exercise #5: "Fingers in 6"
There is a "check pattern" at the beginning of this exercise. Since this is the first warm-up that uses a check, I'll quickly explain it's purpose: A check pattern gets your hands moving in the tempo of the exercise that you are working on. Usually, you'll alternate the check & hopefully will compare the sound quality that you make on the check with whatever technique that you're mastering. A check also gives your hands as break between patterns (it's a point that you can use to relax the muscles and "shake out" any tension that the technique may cause). Finally, it sometimes serves as a brain relaxer - if the technique you're mastering requires intense concentration, you can relax your brain during the check.
This exercise works on extended finger strokes. I like working on exercises in 6 (really, in this case "12") because the sound of the triplet is more relaxing than the sound of "duple" time. Use your fingers to "drive" towards the downbeat change & strive for the same sound on the pattern as the check. Lower the sticks as you speed up.
Exercise #6: "Single Fives"
The accents in this exercise are not really meant to be accents, but emphasis notes. Use them to drive the notes to the downbeats (almost feel as though you crescendo through each set of three). Really strive for a relaxed wrist and finger motion as you speed up. Play twice through on the right, drop four, then twice through on the left. Does the left hand lead sound as good as the right? No? Well, maybe you need to work twice as much on the left to get it up to your right hand quality. You'll be amazed how much your rebound speed will increase when you strengthen the weaker hand!
Exercise #7: "Single Nines"
Same type of exercise, this time with nine stroke singles. Again, think of the accents as emphasis notes - crescendo the 16th's to the accents. If the alternating strokes begin to "lump up" on you, slow down a bit! Speed will come as a result of NO TENSION and consistent practice!
Exercise #8: "Speed Singles in 6"
This is a fun exercise. Start out with the prep exercise to isolate the fingers strokes before moving on to the 32nds in the exercise below. Use the alternating 16ths to relax the muscles between the 32nd's. Keep the heights consistent between the check and the singles. Always stay relaxed and let the drum head do the work for you. Ya GOT to get them fingers movin on this one!
Exercise #9: "Single 5's in 6"
Now that you've started to develop some rebound finger control, let's start alternating between the hands. At first you might have to use a bit stronger fulcrum to control the timing of the alternating strokes. As your hands develop a feel for the exercise, strive to loosen up. Use the accents for emphasis, not as downstrokes. If you're doing the exercise correctly, you'll probably gain some respect for the second measure. It's very tough to keep the timing of the 8th/16th rhythm perfectly correct at the same time that you strive to keep relaxed. Practice makes perfect.
Exercise #10: "Hertas in 6"
Don't push the tempo too soon on this exercise - way too many drummers get caught up in wanting to go fast & then can't understand why their hertas are uneven and have no quality. Your muscles must get comfortable with the motion before you move up to the fastest speeds. I tell my students that 90% of drumming is muscle memory - you've got to practice it correctly at least twice as many times as you practice it wrong!
Exercise #11: "Hertas in 4"
This is a great exercise if you want to learn how to alternate hertas. As always, stay relaxed & let the drum head do the work. Only use enough fulcrum pressure to keep the hands from lumping up. Don't speed up to the point that you are using unnecessary tension.
Exercise #12: "Fours and Sevens in 6"
Kinda the same basic technique on the fours that you use on the hertas. Think of "throwing" the sticks on the head & using the fingers to sustain the rebound (but don't actually decrescendo the four!). The seven strokes will require more finger control. Don't play the exercise faster than you can play the single sevens!
Exercise #13: "Two's and Three's in 6"
This exercise is more of a "velocity change" exercise than an actual finger or wrist control one. Still, if you're using great rebound strokes, it's a lot of fun! Strive for even heights - you might want to emphasize the downbeats slightly when you first start working on it until you develop the feel for the speed of the notes, but DON'T pulsate or accent! That will only tense you up and require you to squeeze the stick. If this type of exercise is fun for you, try out some of the odd grouping exercises on the "Timing Control" page.
Exercise #14: "Alternating Hertas"
As kind of an afterthought, I threw this exercise in to work on alternating hertas. I like the feel of emphasizing the double strokes, then matching the feel of the hands in the next measure. You can start off with a little "accent," but don't overdo it - remember, this works on REBOUNDS, not DOWNSTROKES. Alternating hertas need to be played relaxed, not stiff!
