 |
Snare FUNdamentals by Kirk Gay and Jeff Moore |
Mechanics
First, identify the three levers that we can use to play the drum. They are:
· Arm
· Wrist
· Fingers
Today, we will be concentrating mostly on the use of the wrists, however as you advance and play different figures, you will likely utilize combinations of all three.
The Stroke
The stroke is the movement of the drum stick before and after it hits the head of the drum. There are two basic stroke types. The first is the Rebound stroke. This is when you hit the drum and allow the stick rebound off the head and have it return to the point where the stick began. The second type of stroke is the Controlled stroke. With this stroke, the stick is stopped immediately after the head it struck.
The Rebound stroke should always be very relaxed and smooth. A keyword to think of is Hydraulic rather than Mechanical. The wrist should aid in the rebound of the stick, but you should not “whip” your stick back with the wrist. If the rebound looks like you are touching a hot stove then there is a problem!
Our first exercise is the old favorite “8 on a Hand” and it is just that. Keep in mind that the stroke should be smooth and relaxed. Try to make the strokes even and consistent from hand to hand.
#1 (8 on a Hand) R R R R R R R R L L L L L L L L
Next let’s play some sticking combinations from the Stone Stick Control book. Don’t forget to use your wrists and to use the rebound stroke.
#2 RRRR LLLL RRRR LLLL
#3 RRLL RRLL RRLL RRLL
#4 RLRL RRLL RLRL RRLL
A common problem for many beginning percussionists occurs in Exercise #4. They change their stroke from when they play RLRL to RRLL (or anytime the sticking pattern changes). One way we can work on this is to apply the Independence Concept within the Hands Separate approach. Here is a simple exercise to help us with this.
Independence Exercise
Now, using the concept that we just worked on in the Independence exercise, let’s continue with more stick control patterns.
#5 RLRR LRLL RLRR LRLL
#6 LRLR LLLR LRLR LLLR
#7 RRRL RRRL RRRL RRRL
#8 LLLR LLLR LLLR LLLR
#9 RRLL RLRR LLRR LRLL
#10 RLLR RLLR RLLR RLLR
#11 LRRL LRRL LRRL LRRL
#12 RRLR LLRL RRLR RRLR
#13 RLLL RLLL RLLL RLLL
#14 RLRL RLRR LRLR LRLL
Next let’s take a look at one sticking pattern from above called a Paradiddle. Again, your stroke should not change when going from single strokes to double strokes on a hand.
Paradiddle – RLRR LRLL
Double Paradiddle – RLRLRR LRLRLL
Triple Paradiddle – RLRLRLRR LRLRLRLL
Paradiddle-diddle – RLRRLL or LRLLRR
| A pdf version of this article is available here. |