The Self-Defeating Cycle | Drum Lesson Concepts
We see many beginner drummers attempt to play faster grooves with great difficulty, they struggle to keep up with the tempo and this often results in a haphazard sounding groove. Eventually, fatigue starts to kick in and they arrive at the conclusion that they aren't able to play fast enough.
"Well, I know how to play the drums on this song, but I can't play it at the actual speed", does this sound all too familiar?
We have provided a detailed methodology in this Drum Lesson that will help break you out of this cycle of defeat!
Conscientious Drum Practice
Play a simple 4/4 drum groove that you are very familiar with
Start slow and ensure that you are not forcing your Hi-Hat and Snare Drum strokes
Your muscles should always be in a relaxed state
Watch your stick height as it indicates the amount of strength you are using
An exaggerated drumstick height proves that force has been used to compensate
Slow down when necessary as forceful strokes lack control
Having full control of every drum stroke is key to achieving speed
Increase tempo gradually while being mindful that forcing will be counterproductive
Avoiding The Self-Defeating Cycle In Drum Practice
Drum Groove Familiarity
Always focus on one aspect of improvement during each drum practice session, for this lesson it would be: Drum Stick Control. Being able to execute the drum groove through muscle memory alone will enable you to completely focus on your objective.
Control vs Speed
As with any sport, we all wish to swim faster, run faster and throw further. It is our innate response to use all our strength when we fall short. The irony of using force is that rather than achieving the desired result, we often end up with an opposite outcome. This is when we start to get frustrated and our overall performance deteriorates instead.
The key ingredient to achieving speed on the drums is practicing control. Having full control over your drum strokes grants you the freedom to express yourself on the drums at any tempo at which your limbs are already comfortable with.
Always start by playing a familiar drum groove at a slower speed first in order to allow your muscles to learn and develop control. Better yet, practice the Single Stroke Roll exercise as after all, all drum rhythms can be made up with a combination of single and double strokes. Remember that a slower tempo will give you more time to better examine each and every drum stroke.
Herein lies the importance of practicing your basic rudiments; upon attaining full control executing Single Stroke Rolls at a specific tempo, you will now possess the same stick control when playing a groove at a similar speed.
Drumstick Height
A great indicator of force would be to monitor how high your drumsticks are raised above the Hi-Hat or Snare Drum when executing a stroke. As you progress to a faster tempo, do your sticks start increasing in height as well? If you are not raising your sticks intentionally to look cool, then this simply confirms a lack of stick control.
Rectify this by slowing down the tempo to a point where your muscles are relaxed, you should now have better control over the height of each drum stroke. It is important to continue practicing until you feel extremely comfortable. The next step would be to challenge yourself by further reducing the height of each drum stroke, be conscious of your playing volume as it should decrease proportionately.
The Biggest Downfall
We will explain this section using the scenario of a drummer attempting to play a faster drum groove that is out of his comfort zone:
Without the appropriate stick control, our drummer is unable to keep up with the faster tempo
He starts to force his strokes in order to maintain speed which then causes him to hit harder
The harder he hits, the higher his drumsticks get
His strokes now take more time to travel down due to the increase in stick height
Instead of getting faster, he now takes a longer time to execute each stroke
This results in an outcome that is counterproductive to speed
We hope that these explanations will help you in understanding the necessary steps to achieving consistent speed. Remember to be mindful of your comfort level while practicing and most importantly, never rush the process by using force!
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