lolodrums Says Re: practice routine help

Submitted On: Thursday, Jan 10, 2013 - 2:50 PM

Hi , i went thru several complicated excercises in the past who lead me nowhere....rigth now i focus on the basics , that is , singles ,doubles , paradiddles , 6 stroke roll and no more than that . Almost all of the drumming rudiments are made of singles and doubles . Having a solid singles & doubles is an endless way to be creative on drums....but sometimes they are overlooked .

cc drums Says Re: practice routine help

Submitted On: Sunday, Nov 15, 2009 - 12:12 AM

A lot of great advice here so I'll just add to it.

This has helped me. First, I needed to establish some short term goals and then, some long term goals. Then, I set up my practice routine like this to help make my practice routine not feel so.........uhhhh, routine. I have 3 categories that I use; Musical Drumming, Technical Drumming and Building My Library. Under these 3 categories, there are 5 sub-categories that I could use based on my short term and long term goals.

For example, under Musical Drumming, one sub-category that I include in my practice routine is, Play-Along Songs. I make sure that in a practice session I set aside 20-30 minutes (YMMV) to play music. In each practice session, this may be music that I'm not familiar with.....like jazz.

Under Technical Drumming, one sub-category that include in my practice routine is "Drum Rudiments". I set aside 10-20 minutes to work on rudiments.

Under Building My Library, one sub-category that I include in my practice routine is "Double Bass Drumming". I set aside 20-30 minutes to practice double bass grooves.

With those 3 categories, that's about 1-1-1/2 hours of daily practice. But what's more important, I can vary my practice routine mixing up the 3 categories utilizing each of the 5 sub-categories based on my short & long term goals.

This method isn't something I created but a method I obtained from another online drumming site.

It's really easy to get into the habit of playing/practicing the things you know.

So.....you really have to goals, know how much time you can practice, then maximize that time by working on the things that you don't know or need improvement to get the best results.

Hope this helps......

cc

hardcorelogo Says Re: practice routine help

Submitted On: Saturday, Nov 14, 2009 - 3:09 AM

I feel the best thing you can do, to get the most out of your practice time, is to consider not only WHAT you practice, but HOW you practice.This seems self evident, but as you described, many people just jump right into a method book or songs, or as most of us get sucked into, playing the stuff we already can do. You need to have something that is consistent and relevant to you goals, and a system that allows you see progress. The best thing you could do is find a great teacher , even for a couple months, to help point you the right direction. In the mean time here are some tips....start with a warm up.something like the lesson Billy did about triplet double bass.Lock it in with a metronome, but speed is not an issue.Play at a speed that keeps you working, but not all out, this is just a warmup.Next, I like to do a couple roll pyramids(straight and in triplets)Then with the metronome set to sixteens, starting maybe around 70-80 BPM I like to just alternate between two beats of single stroke(16th) and doubles(32nd), then do the same with eighth note triplets.Next you could move on to stickcontrol, Ted Reed etc.Now it's time to break out the drumset method.This will help keep the practice fresh since, we hope, the goal is to moving forward and replaced with new methods.Now end with what ever your current interests are...a sick hand foot combo, or maybe a playalong track.Mix it up, the best part is you are warmed up and at your best, this is the best time to be creative!
Few more tips
1)use a click AND a mirror, two of the best investments!
2)if you are tight on time, take a fill or cool hand foot combo, linear beat etc and make that a drumset warmup.Lock into a click and just repeat it until you feel relaxed.
3) have a way to physically document your progress.Make a chart to record date, exercise and BMP.This way can set real goals and most important, see progress.

Hope this helped!

King Says Re: practice routine help

Submitted On: Monday, Nov 2, 2009 - 3:27 PM

One good place to start is your rudiments. For example, take a paradiddle and learn to play it by displacing the accents. Accent the first note, then the second, third ect.(Rlrr, Lrll, rLrr, lRll, rlRr, lrLl and so on) Then start to break it up over the kit during a fill, then play it as a beat. One hour of focused practiced can be more beneficial than just playing to music or particular songs. It helps, don't get me wrong but make sure to set a goal for yourself before you sit down on the kit. If you really want to get crazy, try playing the stick control patterns on your feet!

drumfreak Says practice routine help

Submitted On: Sunday, Nov 1, 2009 - 10:43 PM

Try drumming along to metronome tracks at http://drumalongs.com You'll see that not having someone to play to is quite insteresting. Have fun with that!