​The following essay is section Four of Chapter 3 from
Drummer's Insight, the Meta Pursuit of Musicianship and Meaning



Section Four | Practicalities



Slow practice

​Slow tempo practice can provide us with the opportunity to attend to the movements which affect all aspects of our sound, and to do so in real time. It gives us the chance to use our sensibilities to their fullest, with clear and present purpose: to shape, sculpt, and carve our sound. It gives rare insight into the art of controlling ourselves in ways which elevate our touch.

With intensive slow tempo practice, we are able to focus more deeply on a wider range of relevant points. The details are magnified and our focal capacity is widened. We focus not simply on the note values but see further back into the cognitive function of how we control our movements. This insight gives us direct control over our tone, dynamics, spacing, orchestration and technique.

Playing at or below 54bpm heightens our capacity for observation. Slow practice exposes the fact that, in a very real way, we are the instrument. The observational capability now available to us lets us control the body and mind in a way that is deliberate, with movements, dynamics, technique and spacing all readily controllable. We can sort out all the discrepancies and focus on sound and feel in ways that are not possible at a faster tempo.

Not only does slow practice let us control our movements and our sound, perhaps more importantly it engages our sensibilities. We hear at a higher level. It reveals that we are entirely responsible for the quality of the sounds we make.

With slow practice we can see, hear and feel everything in slow-motion, whereas at normal tempo notes are flying by too quickly for us to have conscious control over them in a meaningful way. In slow practice, everything is exposed. When done right, it is as if we are watching ourselves play from outside of ourselves. This unique perspective allows unprecedented control over both mind and body, and teaches us what we need to do to sound good. It is extremely helpful in creating a default setting or standard of what sounding good sounds like.

With cognitive space for us to think and react, we can make important changes and play with intention, dynamics, and expression; we can make every note matter. We can control our breath and our movements in real time without hesitation, panic or tension. We efficiently use the right amount of muscular tension and release any negative tension.

I like to combine as many relevant aspects as possible into one exercise. Work that combines not only playing the part correctly, but forces me to focus on multiple aspects simultaneously: spacing, dynamics, tone, orchestration, my breath and muscular tension.

For example, I’ll play in one time signature but count in another, place accents on combinations of limbs and voicings, omit playing some notes which fall on strong beats, place accents on anticipations preceding rests on the beat, and play with feel or consistency in a way that connects my notes into a flowing multi-dimensional rhythm.

It takes a lot of mental energy, and being in the proper mood is necessary. The feeling afterward is one of warmth, contentment, calmness and clarity, similar to the feeling following a physical workout or a meditation period. The slow-motion exercises in Bob Kaufman’s books, The Art of Drumming (Kaufman R. , 1993) and Deeper into the Art of Drumming (Kaufman R. , 1999), are useful tools to work on this type of multi-lateral mindfulness drum set practice.

Full engagement of the physical, mental and emotional states with exercises that are deep and broad helps internalize important aspects which improve overall musicality.

Releasing muscle tension

Slow practice can expose behaviors and habits which remain hidden in typical modes of practice. One important and often overlooked area that comes to light is that we are likely holding on to excess musculoskeletal tension.

Functional muscle tension itself is not a bad thing. It is a necessary and natural part of executing a task. Even when playing with comfort and fluidity, it is natural for there to be some amount of tension. After all, tension and release is the mechanism by which muscles function.

Yet unwanted muscular tension can be a reflex reaction with a variety of causes. Environmental and emotional stressors over the course of our lifetime can produce a continuous stress state, typically manifested within muscle tissue. This is problematic on many levels. Addressing the root causes takes considerable attention and effort. Massage therapy is helpful in the short term, but does not address the root causes.

Addressing the source of musculoskeletal tension is essential for making dramatic improvements to our playing, not to mention our overall health and well-being. Longstanding habits may be tough to break, but the payoff is well worth the effort.

Factors which contribute to sustained muscle tension can be addressed through understanding and implementing healthful conditions in the areas of diet, work, our environment, relationships, habits and in particular our mental and emotional states.

In addition to many of the external stressors of everyday life, we may also hold on to the functional muscle tension we use for playing. Particularly when playing louder and faster, efficient and fluid playing requires the rapid tensioning and releasing of muscles. All too often we do the tensioning aspect really well, but neglect the release of tension. Tension builds up rapidly and spreads throughout the body. We may not be aware of how much tension we hold and how much it inhibits our playing and our sound.

Tension can build up in several areas, such as arms, neck, shoulders, abdomen, and legs and in the breath. In other words - the entire body. Unwanted tension comes from a variety of sources, such as poor technique, an inefficient interface with the drumset, nervousness, or poor playing habits instilled long ago. It is directly related to our mental and emotional state.

During a live performance it is natural for our energy levels to rise, which can result in increased tension. Typically desired in a live performance, elevated energy means that any unwanted tension we had in the practice room will be greatly exaggerated on stage. What we want is to emphasize the dynamic musical energy, not the tightness which results from too much negative tension. Learn to distinguish between the different types of tension, and to establish a tension-free baseline as a default.

Playing from a mentally and physically relaxed state is a game-changer and I strongly encourage players to devote attention to making this their default state. Develop mental strategies that are built in to practice which direct attention to the task. Locate any and all negative and unnecessary tension, find its source or cause and take steps to eliminate it.

Once a relaxed state is reached it is easier to sustain and can easily become our new habit. We find we have more energy and power, plus our muscles can be used quickly and efficiently. But first we must work on identifying and releasing unnecessary muscle tension by addressing the source, not just the symptoms.

We can use slow practice to identify good tension, and to build-in the act of tension release within our movements. We can look for ways in which to incorporate the release of tension into our playing. The precise moment that we let it go can be integrated into the rhythm itself.

We should also be on the lookout for ways to use energy efficiently by incorporating momentum rather than force, and using only the amount of energy necessary.

Sometimes we hit a wall with how fast we are able to play. The likely cause may be holding tension from the previous note, not releasing it quickly enough before playing the subsequent notes. How fast we release muscle tension is important for speed and fluidity. Muscles spring into action more quickly when they are free of tension.

Deliberately focus on relaxing the wrists, ankles, and the abdomen. The shoulders are a huge repository for tension. Be conscious of this and let them down. Allow the elbows to hang comfortably. Generate energy from the elbow and from the looseness of the entire arm. Be careful not to give up control when loosening. The trick is to have a relaxed wrist with enough grip to maintain full control at all dynamic levels and on all playing surfaces.

Be aware of tension resulting from how we orient ourselves with the drumset. Understand the basic laws of physics we are working with and make setup changes which enable a comfortable and efficient physical alignment. This has far-reaching effects and is one of the most important things to consider. This is discussed at length in a forthcoming entry, Orientation/Alignment.

Rather than relying primarily on small muscle groups in the fingers, hand, wrist, foot and ankle, practice making the shift to using the larger muscle groups in the arm, shoulder and leg. Small muscle groups require more energy and can create more tension, while larger muscles work with momentum and can actually require less energy to activate (Toomingas, Mathiassen, & Tornqvist, 2011).

Larger muscles require considerably less effort and energy simply because they make use of momentum rather than force. Over time we train the large muscles to be used in smaller, more efficient ways. As a result, our smaller muscle groups are now looser yet we have more control. See the page on Technique.

Using large muscle groups has far-reaching results with regard to the lower body. The lower body can be a significant repository of tension, which spreads and affects the upper body as well. Playing loud and fast or playing complex four limb syncopated rhythms can generate tension in the legs, which leads to a tight abdomen, tight breathing, and limits range of movement in the shoulders and arms. It can also significantly limit our freedom of ideas without our realizing it.

Improper throne height and setup are also major factors which contribute tension, often learned and carried over from a young age, or from not observing unique requirements.

The dominant, most common techniques used to play the bass drum are known as heel-up and heel-down technique. There are others, but we will look at these two in order to understand the tension involved. We’ll see the inherent benefits and drawbacks to each, and gain insight into our own needs.

In both heel-up and heel-down technique, the toes remain in contact with the pedal at all times. Heel-down means to keep the heel down on the pedal, and to not lift the leg to play. Heel-up technique is to play notes mostly with the toes / ball of the foot via the ankle with the heel suspended by the upper leg. There are benefits and side effects to each.

One of the benefits of playing heel down is that due to both feet being firmly on the floor, our center of gravity is wider. We can feel more stable, since we now have a three-point contact to support the weight of the upper body: the throne and both feet. The extra stability from both feet’s contact with the floor lets us relax the leg and upper body more, and gives more range of movement to the shoulders and arms. A downside is that power, articulation and speed may be compromised, or somewhat limited, and there is extra tension due to playing mainly from the ankle and smaller muscle groups and tendons within the foot, ankle and calf.

This of course depends on the demands of the music.

Relying on the feet and legs for upper body stability can, in some cases, limit the dynamic range available with this technique. This can be mitigated somewhat but not eliminated by adequate throne height and by sitting further back on the throne, putting more of our body weight over the seat.

Heel-up technique allows us to get behind the note more and play with significantly more power, multiple-note speed, and with articulate control. There is significantly less tension in the ankle, calf and foot. There are a few downsides to be aware of when playing heel-up. We lose the sense of a wider center of gravity. It can cause us to lean to one side, placing weight on the hi hat foot in order to lift the bass drum foot. This greatly limits range of motion on the opposite leg. It also requires continuous tension in the upper leg and abdomen to sustain heel-up technique.

Since lifting both legs simultaneously is more demanding and disruptive to the center of gravity, drummers often play right and left foot notes alone rather than together. This is another example of how limitations can get built in to our playing, yet can be easily overcome by being aware of bodily tension.

With heel up technique, drummers may sometimes mash the beater into the head in order to support the upper body between notes, creating considerable needless tension. In most instances, it’s advised to avoid burying the beater into the head and sustaining pressure after playing the note. It generates a lot of leg tension and wastes energy. Unless that’s what we are after, it also produces a choked, tight bass drum sound, and generates tension throughout the body.

This is not an endorsement of one technique over another. As with all approaches, we have to explore the range of both the possibilities understand the limitations and decide for ourselves. Having awareness of the benefits and limitations allows us to find ways to work with or around them.

On the hi-hat pedal, some players have a habit of tightly depressing the pedal with the toes while the foot is arched and the heel is up in the air. This causes a lot of unnecessary tension in the entire leg and spreads to other areas.

If we also play the bass drum pedal with the leg, ankle foot tensed in this way, fluidity is somewhat compromised. Improper heel-up playing can contribute to lower back strain and tension, tighten the abdomen, and limit the diaphragm’s involuntary control of our breathing. Improper methods of playing the bass and hi hat pedals create a slippery slope of tension that not only spreads throughout the body, but easily becomes a habit that can be difficult to break.

There is a hybrid option for playing the pedals that I’ve been using for many years.

Blending heel-up and heel-down techniques on each pedal minimizes the compromises of each method outlined above. The two techniques can be combined to allow for minimal tension, good balance and a strong center of gravity, with great dynamic range, speed and articulation.

The hybrid technique prioritizes relaxing the leg muscles. The default at-rest position has the entire foot on the pedal and the leg completely relaxed with zero tension anywhere. It is from this position that bass drum or hi hat notes begin and end. The start and end points are the same as heel-down, except that notes are executed by a quick and efficient reflexive lift of the leg using the large muscle groups in the abdomen, lower back and upper leg. The ankle is relaxed and loose; the foot hangs down loosely on the upstroke and the toes / ball of the foot stay in contact with the pedal.
The mechanics are similar to the Moeller stroke. In Moeller, the stroke is initiated in the elbow. The hand hangs loosely from the relaxed wrist when the arm is lifted and the stick stays low. This applies to the leg and ankle – as you lift the leg, the ankle dangles, maintaining contact with the pedal via the ball of the foot. Single bass drum notes are played by dropping the leg, complimented by just enough push from the relaxed muscles in the ankle. The execution of the note is tied to releasing tension, then dropping leg and foot.

When playing rapid, multiple notes, the upstroke is the same as single notes, followed by a quick snap of the ankle to play one or two notes, similar to heel-up technique, then the entire foot drops down, returning at rest on the pedal to play the last note of a group. At that point we’ve returned to the default, at-rest position. A relaxed ankle prior to each upstroke makes it easy to play one, two or more notes rapidly.

The hybrid technique offers the best of both worlds. We get the relaxed three-point stability from heel-down technique, with the speed and precision of heel-up, only without the imbalance and leg-tension problems of playing continuous heel-up. Releasing tension in the small muscle groups in the ankle significantly increases the potential for speed and efficiency.

There are times when conventional heel-down or heel-up technique is adequate or required, and depends largely on the demands of the music. But they are not the only choices. In all we do, thorough examination and intelligent assessment are essential to serious improvement.

In order to achieve maximum effectiveness, all three techniques are dependent upon a properly adjusted throne. Throne height and positioning must be conducive to allow for an at-rest default position with zero tension anywhere in the leg, ankle or foot. A throne too high or too low can cause us to put too much weight on the feet in support of the upper body, preventing free and efficient use of the larger muscle groups.
At the right height and by sitting back on the throne, not on the edge, we get the center of gravity directly over the throne and our legs have more freedom for any of the foot techniques we may choose


Time and subdivisions

“Once I got in, I locked in. My sense of time was immovable” (Kaye, 2013).

On one hand, time and subdivisions are not open to interpretation. Thinking in terms of time juxtaposed onto a ruler, an inch is an inch, a half inch is a half inch, and a quarter inch is a quarter inch, etc. With precision, quarter-notes land on the beat as defined by a metronome, an eighth-note is precisely half way between them, a sixteenth-note one-fourth between them and so on.

On the other hand, humans are intelligent, flexible, complex and emotive beings, with an expressive sense unmatched on this earth. We can shape time to express a certain feel, and alter the syntactical parameters we often work so hard to uphold. Both of these things can be true simultaneously, that the measurement of time is both fixed and malleable, coexisting in a seeming contradiction of righteousness and human greasiness.

There are no automatic ‘slots’ where subdivisions land by default. We need to hear the subtle differences, and make fine distinctions to instinctively choose the degree of ‘righteous or greasy’ we wish to have any given moment.

Getting in with time does not mean to become machine-like. It means to create comfort in the rhythm in a way which matches the underlying and arching emotive feel of the music. There is not simply one way.

Rhythm creates energy for forward momentum. How rhythm is orchestrated and played across the ensemble sets the structural tone for how the music is received. Musicians play harmonically in tune with each other, and we use rhythms in a similar way that fits with and complements the other musicians and the music. A successful rhythmic arrangement is firmly orchestrated around a shared time-feel.

Humans have the ability to locate sounds in space and time with remarkable accuracy. The drums in When the Levee Breaks (Douglas, 1971) would not sound the way they do if John Bonham did not have such a solid internal ownership of the time feel. Because of his deep-rooted connection with time, Bonham was able to articulate dynamics and subdivisions effectively, with plenty of space and not a trace of rushing. The track was even slowed down slightly in mixing, which amplifies the groove’s exceptional depth and underscores its thick heaviness.

In contrast to the heaviness of a drummer like Bonham, Elvin Jones’s playing was both elastic and harmonic. The way Mr. Jones orchestrated time and dynamics multi-dimensionally across the entire instrument resulted in an effect that was highly propulsive. Jones made use of long and complex phrases of two, four and even eight bars, led by the ride cymbal but orchestrated using the entire instrument.

Rather than ‘independence’, Jones used all four of his limbs and all parts of the drumset in support of the ride cymbal to create a singular and complex highly-propulsive rhythmic idea. He greatly expanded the concept of the drumset as one instrument, pulling a wide variety of tone colors from the drums and cymbals (Elmes, 2005). Jones’s dynamic range far exceeded his predecessors, and the experience of hearing him with Coltrane’s group was thunderous and life-changing, to say the least.

Although their approaches were worlds apart, each drummer went deeply into the possibilities of working with time. Bonham grounded his rhythmic ideas on a firm quarter-note time feel, while Jones made use of the space within the beats to stretch, snap and propel the time. Jones orchestrated his ideas around the entire drumset and expanded time-keeping with embellishments in a way which harmonized his rhythmic ideas. The time he created was elastic and propulsive.

While Bonham had a time feel that was heavy and immovable, executed with a linear rhythmic sense, Elvin Jones’s strength of time was far more elastic and harmonic, orchestrating time in a more dimensional way across the entire instrument. He would stretch the space of the beats and measures, creating incomparable tension and propulsion. Each of these musicians made use of the space within time in very different ways.

Understanding the relationship between subdivisions and beats is of utmost importance. The beats form the foundation of the time flow in most music. Rhythms derive their clarity and structural integrity from the beats on which they depend. We think of beats as precise points of time, but as we saw in the discussion on the breath and voice, the space between the points is where the music lives.

Although beats are understood as consecutive points in time, their existence is defined by the continuous flow of measured space between them. For example, one meter is not simply the ‘1’ meter mark on a ruler, but is the entire space itself. Similarly, even though we refer to beats as ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’, 4’, it is more accurate to think of them as lengths of time and not simply points in time.

We create the feeling of movement through our touch and through the orchestration of notes as they relate to the beats, the music and the other instruments. By cultivating a deep internalization of the length of time within the beats, all the notes we play are strengthened and more emphatic. The quality of our sound and feel is indicative of the depth of that relationship. As a result, our sound has more clarity, more space, more depth, and more substance when it is anchored in solid time. The groove is fatter and more fluid.

By really feeling the space which comprises each beat we can know precisely the point where each one begins, the complete space it occupies, and where each ends.

Keeping time is an essential prerequisite for any musician. A deep physical and emotional knowing allows us to create, keep, and alter time. A deep internal connection with time gives us more freedom to depart from the confines which result from rigidly clinging to the beats via the notes we play. Clinging to time or to the notes we play for fear of losing time severely limits our ability to create. Feeling time more deeply gives us confidence to depart from the security of ‘playing the time’ without the need to play on every beat. The confidence of our inner time gives us the freedom to do much more than just keep the time.

Try not to be overly focused on achieving precision. The feel we create is far more musical.

In practice, working on the differences between precise subdivisions and looser interpretations can create interesting feels. Subdivisions may be measured precisely, such as in exact halves, thirds or fourths, etc., of a beat (eighth-notes, eighth-note triplets or sixteenth-notes, respectively), or they can be interpreted and placed in a more elastic way. This elasticity should be practiced at length to develop different interpretations of anticipated notes for more human, greasier feels. It also strengthens our essential hold on the basic quarter-note pulse as well.

How we interpret the feel is determined by the rhythmic requirements of the music itself. Our task is to make the music, the other musicians and the listeners feel good. On paper, written notes do not convey the feeling of their actual placement in time. Notation is not music. Much of the time, we really shouldn’t play the notes exactly as written. Elasticity of subdividing is an interpretation of time to convey a specific feel, such as that found in New Orleans music, Brazilian rhythms, many jazz feels, and contemporary drummers like Nate Smith (Kinfolk, Brittany Howard, Fearless Flyers), who stretch the perception of time in interesting ways.

When the space of the beats is measured consistently, subdivisions can be placed anywhere in relation to that solid time-feel. The strength and confidence of strong inner time provides freedom to interpret subdivisions loosely or strictly. This is a special sauce that must be appropriately used.
In this way of feeling inner time, we are not measuring time via subdivisions but rather by an overarching inner confidence of solid beat placement. We know precisely the length of an entire beat, therefore are able to divide it more accurately. It is a knowing based on finely developed sensibilities, not by precise incremental measurements.

On their own these incremental subdivisions - anticipations and subdivisions - are an unreliable gauge as to where to place the beat that follows. Unless our measurements are dead on, unless they are well-placed, feeling time by our subdivisions is shaky, at best. Rather than possessing a well-rooted internal time-feel, we are only scratching the surface. We are simply attaching each note onto the preceding notes. Rushing the subdivisions, even a little, results in trouble with time-keeping, and we may speed up or slow down through rolls or transitions.

If we tend to speed up in high-energy sections or in metric shifts, it’s a sign that strengthening our inner time is needed.

If we interpret time as pieced together by inaccurate subdivisions it may cause us to come up short - the beat that follows will be slightly early. The time, and as a result, the band, sounds muddled, undefined and shallow. Rushing or dragging deflates the buoyancy of time.

The effectiveness of our anticipations depends on the beat that follows. The beat, the foundation of our notes, is related to the beat that preceded it and to the beat that comes after. Notice that I’m making a distinction between beats and notes. Our anticipations and subdivisions become more malleable, our groove, deeper. Once the overall time is internalized, we can then begin to effectively alter the feel through a more slippery note-spacing.
American music is highly syncopated, and the effectiveness of syncopation depends on our deep internal connection with time. (See forthcoming entry, Syncopation)

The practice of deepening our internal time allows us to place rhythms in relation to the beats, not place beats in relation to notes or rhythms. Create a strong sense of internal time that’s well-grounded, and insert the notes into the internal, solid time feeling. The rhythm will sound more integrated because it is.

We do the work of establishing strong internal time in our practice sessions so that when we make music, we can draw upon this sensibility instinctively, without conscious thought.

In the next section we’ll look at how a metronome delineates a very small marker of the continuity of time. Each click is only a tiny fraction of time. We work to feel the complete space between the quarter-note clicks on the metronome; to know the full space which makes up the beats.

Like much of what we do in practice, strengthening our internal time requires internal work.


The metronome

Regular practice with a metronome plays an important role in establishing a strong internal time feel. The benefits of strong internal time feel go well beyond developing consistent tempo and sustaining it at any speed through any metric shift. That said, it’s important to play both with and without a click. Use a click for working with time. Working without a click frees up limited cognitive capacity that can be used for touch, spacing, technique, dynamics, relaxing, etc.

The intent of regularly working with a click is not necessarily to instill perfect mechanical time. Rather it is to acquire a deep rooted, instinctive inner time feel that allows us to embed our notes within it; one that strengthens and clarifies our subdivisions and enhances the effects of syncopation. With a deeply rooted time feel we need not continuously play time. The notes arise from our internal time, not the other way around. We are able to easily depart from time-playing while maintaining it internally to embellish, to syncopate and so much more.

In addition, working with a metronome results in increased focus, awareness and improves listening skills and responsiveness. We hear at a finer level, detect discrepancies and fortify our subdivisions. These internal resources are applicable to all we do.

Steady time is something we need to have in order to play well and is a prerequisite for all musicians. It is a fantastic feeling to have a group where each member feels the time flow in the same way, and can be quite burdensome and discouraging when one member does not.

But it is a narrow interpretation to define our musicality as drumset players based on precision or unwavering time. Don’t be that guy. The ability to keep time, and not speed up or slow down inadvertently, is everyone’s role. It is the most elemental aspect to playing music, regardless of age or experience. What we will focus on here is deepening our own internal time source, so that we may depart from it, change the feel, and create phrases that need not adhere to this elemental aspect of beats and bar-lines. As we shall see, needing to play time and not having it deeply within us severely limits our musicianship. When we must play time for fear of losing it, then the possibilities are limited to only what we are able to play without losing time. With a deeper internal time source, we no longer need to hold on to the safety line. It’s there instinctively and we need not attach all of our notes to it.

Many of us view working with a metronome as practicing to keep and hold steady time; such as not speeding up or slowing down. But most of the time, strict, unwavering metronomic playing across an entire song is not desired. In reality, a certain amount of tempo fluctuation is normal in dynamic music.

Instead, what we are trying to do with metronome practice is create within ourselves a stable internal ownership of the time flow that is unaffected by any creative ideas we play. We are never thrown off time, no matter what happens, and the boundaries of our creativity are pushed further out since we need not cling to time via the notes we play. Time is not attached to the notes, notes are attached to the time.

Once we have stable internal beat ownership, we can build upon it to create a deeper musical experience overall. Even if we lose the time in our notes, internally we are rock solid and can always regain our footing. It provides the certainty from which we stretch the boundaries of rhythmic possibility, whether between the beats, phrasing across the bar-line or increased freedom for improvisation.

The internalization of time should be at the heart of much of our practice. Whether practicing quarter-notes at slow tempo, syncopated backbeat grooves or swing based music, spend time focusing on the beats and carefully placing subdivisions in relation to them. In clave- based rhythms such as Afro-Cuban, New Orleans second-line feels, West-African rhythms or funk grooves, it is important to feel clave as the basic pulse upon which we base rhythmic ideas.

There are many different ways to strengthen inner time and make it immoveable. Invent some of your own. For example, any exercise that places an accent on an anticipation followed by a rested beat is helpful in developing a strong internal beat. This work also lets us carefully move the anticipations with more elasticity to create different feels in relation to our solid time feel.

Below are a few examples for strengthening our time through metronome practice.

• Practice exercises that challenge our grip on time with accents in both natural and unnatural places, paying careful attention to our touch while anchoring the notes in a solid time feel.
• Feel the beats more than the notes, regardless of their complexity, accents or syncopations. Let the beats feel heavier than the notes, especially rested beats.
• Practice exercises with sharp metric shifts, such as 32nd-note bursts within a groove.
• Practice syncopated, dynamic grooves that leave open any of the major beats, particularly the ‘1’ and the ‘3’.
• End phrases on the ‘4’.
• Play time on the ride cymbal while playing triplet anticipations of each beat with the foot on the hi-hat, using an economical, relaxed stroke yet with a crisp and defined sound. Try altering the spacing for different feels.
• Or, place either the hi-hat or the bass drum on the anticipations, with no cymbal beat at all, with only the voice counting the quarter notes, making the rested beats feel heavier than the anticipations.
• Develop rhythmic phrases or hemiolas that cross the bar line and change their relation to the beats, while counting the beats out loud.
• Practice any rhythm or solo while simultaneously counting beats out loud and / or keeping clear quarter-note beats with any limb. Link the voice to time and drive time inward.

​Strong inner time clarifies where to place anticipations wherever they may be.

Only use the amount of energy that is required and no more. Use intention and momentum rather than force and tension. Consciously work with your voice and bring the sense of time deep within, in the gut. Confirm your internal time against a metronome; don’t just let the metronome tell you where the time is. Make time internal and listen for the multi-dimensional sound that results. Incorporate / integrate the click into our rhythm.

Here are five strategies for metronome use during any type of practice:

1. Use a metronome.
2. Count out loud ‘1’ ‘2’ ‘3’ ‘4’.
3. Definitively tap your left heel on each beat.
4. Know precisely where the beats fall in the rhythm you are playing.
5. Physically feel precisely where the beats are in the rhythm you are playing.

Metronome patterns need not be unnecessarily complicated or challenging, such as clicking on only the ‘1’ every fourth bar. This is more of a game or test and does not help us to deeply internalize the beats, nor does it contribute to our creativity.

Here are some straightforward suggestions for metronome settings:

1. Quarter-notes (all around, the most appropriate setting)
2. Click on beats ‘2’ and ‘4’ (my favorite; great accompaniment)
3. Click on ‘1’ and ‘3’ (half-time / helps in playing fast)
4. Play in 3/4 time while metronome clicks on beats ‘1’ and the ‘+’ of ‘2’ (3 over 2)
5. Click on the ‘a’ (third note of the triplet) in 1/8th note triplets
6. In a four-bar phrase, program to click on quarter-notes, with the entire fourth bar muted, then the last two bars muted, then the last three bars muted.

Making it feel good

Always work to make something feel good. When working on something new, it usually does not feel good at first. Often our initial attempts feel wrong, uncomfortable, and even awkward. This actually demonstrates the need for more work in this particular area. Proper practice should not sound or feel good at first and is inherently unpleasant (Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Romer, 1993) since we are excavating new ground. We need not let this discourage us from working. It’s best to be in the proper frame of mind before such a deliberate practice session.

Practice typically consists of work on time, improvisation, free play, learning new rhythmic ideas, reviewing recent work, maintaining skills overall, learning or creating parts, and technique. But the one area that is most important and should be a part of everything is our touch. Through it all, we ought to be using our senses to make what we play sound and feel great. In practice, our target is to make what we play feel good. Not just “okay” or “I guess it feels good”, but rather, “wow, that feels really great!” When it gets there, we’ll know it. We need to be honest with ourselves.

Once we get something to where it feels really good, it will sound good. It means we have reached a higher level of physical and emotional comfort.

This is part of the drumset becoming an extension of ourselves. We create a harmonious match between the instrument and our own natural vibrational energy. It feels like home. It means that we have reached a level of touch which carries into everything we play.

This applies not only to what we play, but to the way the drums and cymbals feel, as well. If we tune a drum so that it simply feels really good, it is likely to sound really good, too. If we find a cymbal that feels just right, one that matches the way we play, vibrates with our own natural dynamic energy, it is one that is more likely to sound good.

Make whatever we play into something special. Make it so it can stand on its own. Creating something that feels good is not simply a matter of what we play, but more related to how we play it. Accenting, re-arranging, messing with the feel and spacing, fine-tuning our touch, blending and contrasting sounds, accenting, simplifying, clarifying, orchestrating, creating an attitude, are all ways to shape an idea into something that feels good.

When we develop our touch, what we play starts to become something tangible, something we can hold, and something we can share. Something we want to share. We are then creating our own sound. Make the groove or whatever we play into something real. Make it matter. After all, that’s what we do. When it happens, others can hear it, too. Making something feel great depends on how we hear it, how we imagine it, how we do it, how we express it. It’s mostly us.

Touch comes not from simply playing a lot, but is acquired by our sensibilities reaching a higher and higher level of awareness. We are able to translate what might be possible and bring that out of ourselves and our instrument. How we hear determines how we play.

Making things feel good involves looking at things from many different perspectives, and seeing the ways in which they fit together. It requires that we hear in a more dimensional way, a more musical and conversational way. Speak clearly. Think of putting the components of a groove together based on their compositional relationship rather than the notes’ physical relationship with each other via your limbs or the drum kit. Listen for the musicality, the shape, the contour, not simply the complexity, speed or precision.

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Mental habits for smart practice / Go beyond simple repetition

• Listen.
• Be thoroughly engaged in practice.
• Musical context is the goal and ought to be the means. Play music with others, practice along to recordings, and listen to music new and old. We are all students of the music.
• Sing melodies and progressions, follow the form and embellish or improvise.
• Listen carefully to peers, past and present. It’s all part of learning. Borrow what you may, but make it your own.
• Our work should develop, use and maintain a variety of skills and sensibilities.
• Work on things you cannot do. Get comfortable getting out of your comfort zone. Gaining new skills and abilities means making what feels uncomfortable comfortable.
• Find an experienced teacher whose judgment you trust and who knows how to teach / has a good understanding of the learning process. Just because they can play doesn’t mean they can teach.
• Carefully select work which supports a larger goal. Work on only a few things at a time. Choosing what to work on is important, but the most important part is doing it.
• Have clear targets before, during and after practice. Know what it is supposed to sound like.
• Know what you need to do to make the target (“This, not that. Here, not there.”) (Coyle, 2009, p. 170).
• Understand what you are trying to play prior to playing it.
• Use complete awareness, mindful of even the smallest movement, anywhere in the body.
• Hear and visualize rhythms and syncopations as melodies rather than a grid of notes.
• Internalize the quarter-note pulse.
• Continually develop all your senses. Hear what is possible. Hear what is and what is not there.
• Focus on one detail at a time at first. Expand it; widen it to observe the musical context.
• Slowly move your focus from limb to limb, controlling movement and sound.
• Always pay attention to how it sounds and how it feels.
• Be cognizant of everything, internal and external. This is your most valuable asset.
• Develop practical strategies for rooting out problems and for solving them.
• Break things down if necessary, practice different combinations of limbs.
• Identify precise areas that need improvement, zero in on that one spot and determine the problem, locate its cause and clarify the solution.
• Isolate chunks, particular patterns or sections, from their context to be practiced independently.
• Break it down as much as necessary so it can be played comfortably and correctly, adding any remaining components gradually.
• Isolate that one segment and play it by itself, slowly and correctly, then gradually re-insert the segment into the larger passage.
• Watch for incongruities, work toward fluidity within the pattern and within the context at large.
• Practice SLOWLY (40 - 80 bpm). This is gold. When combined with sharp focus and awareness, it has tremendous benefits for all areas. It is also the key to playing fast.
• Work out the details of touch and movement at an ultra-slow tempo. Slow tempo does not necessarily mean slow movements.
• Practice at a wide range of tempos, with and without a metronome.
• Use a variety of dynamics across several bars, within one measure, within a phrase. Accents that may come naturally may not be musically relevant.
• Work on independent dynamics.
• Orchestrate your ideas across the entire instrument. Create a multi-dimensional propulsive rhythm.
• Watch for logistical limitations; develop strategies to overcome them. Check for unsubstantiated habits.
• Know the limitations of particular techniques. Don’t get stuck in any one technique. Use technique to support an idea - don’t let technique be the idea.
• Establish a neutral emotional state and sound before adding dynamic expression.
• Practice patterns or improvisations to mental renditions of the 12-bar blues form.
• Sing familiar melodies, progressions and song forms in your head while improvising.
• Play familiar songs using entirely different rhythms, feels or time signatures.
• Feel cycles of four, eight, twelve or sixteen bars without counting.
• Distinguish between loud and fast; distinguish between soft and slow.
• Count the beats out loud. Use your voice.
• Carefully listen to how the rhythm and its syncopations align with the beats. Clarify each beat, one at a time. Align and settle the time. Use these five ways to identify each beat:
  • count out loud
  • know precisely where each beat lies in whatever pattern we are playing
  • use a metronome to click the quarter-notes
  • use the heel of the left foot to precisely tap the quarter-notes
  • let your notes come from the beats, not the other way around
• Locate and let go of unnecessary tension anywhere in the body. Play efficiently.
• Ask, what am I focusing on right now? Use and maximize your cognitive skill productively at all times during practice.
• Do not stare at music notation or a book unnecessarily.
• Learn by ear as much as possible.
• Take rhythms and patterns from written text and give them life.
• Understand the appropriate use and benefits of down-, up-, tap- and full-strokes.
• Keep the legs relaxed. Relax your midsection and let yourself breathe.
• Think through and economize your orientation and instrument positioning.
• Use only the energy that is required, no more.
• Use momentum rather than force.
• Play on the surface, not into, the drum cymbal or pad. Try feeling the lift as much or more than the down-stroke.
• Work to fully relax the wrists and ankles. Avoid stiff joints anywhere.
• Position the arm and wrist so the fingertips work with the natural movement of the stick.
• Work with, not against, the laws of Nature.
• Use the ring and little finger to follow and guide the natural momentum of the stick as needed.
• Avoid an excessive pinch point at the thumb and index finger.
• Let the elbows hang loosely below the shoulder.
• Get a good sound no matter how crappy the drums and cymbals sound.

And in general,

• Use a mirror or video to observe from as many angles as possible.
• Make recordings.
• Follow through and track progress, keep notes.
• Keep a comfortable, clean practice area.
• Change your sounds regularly and observe how they inspire you in different ways.
• Books and recordings organized, sheet music, notes in a binder, easy to find and access.
• Run through current practice immediately after a lesson to remember all that was discussed.
• Go over ideas, concepts and details away from the drums.
• Listen to all the good music you can.
• Practice a healthful lifestyle. Eat well, rest well, connect with nature, and get exercise. Read, laugh, practice compassion and make yourself useful.

 
Thanks for reading.                                                     
​  --Brett F. Campbell, 2021




References

Coyle, D. (2009). The Talent code. New York: Bantam Books.

Elmes, B. W. (2005). Elvin Jones: Defining his essential contributions to jazz (Masters thesis). Toronto: York University.

Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Romer, C. (1993). The Role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological review, 100(3), 363-406.

Kaufman, B. (1993). The Art of drumming. Rottenburg N., Germany: Advance Music.

Kaufman, R. (1999). Deeper into the art of drumming. Rottenburg N., Germany: Advance Music.

Kaye, C. (2013). Session Legend Interview Part One. Snapshots Foundation. (S. M. Foundation, Interviewer) Retrieved 2016, from Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/40482013

Toomingas, A., Mathiassen, S. E., & Tornqvist, E. W. (2011). Occupational physiology. Boca Raton: CRC Press.




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