In part 1, we started with general movement principles, and we now come to basic around patterns with standard drum rudiments. This is the material I usually show first-time players on day one (exercises included below).
If you have been playing tenors for any length of time, these patterns should Read more “How to Play Marching Tenor Drums, Part 2 of 7: Around Patterns”
Doubles Version
Singles Version
Today you get a double dose of exercises! Both versions cycle through the circle of fifths and utilize a thirds pattern, but the first version uses double strokes, and the second version uses single strokes. Both are valuable to learn, and both work important skills.
As mentioned a few days ago, all the exercises this week can be played individually or together as a full drum line. The snare part is similar to the common “Bucks” exercise, and the keyboard part cycles through 12 keys. Thus the exercise is called “12 Bucks.”
If you don’t know your scales and/or the circle of fifths very well, the main challenge on this exercise will be to switch between keys so quickly. I would recommend starting with the doubles version. You can initially learn it without the double strokes, and the technical demands will be slightly easier. It really is a great exercise for helping you know the circle of fifths intimately.
Once you get the notes down, you can add in the doubles. Then you can learn the slightly more challenging singles version. When playing doubles, make sure both notes are of equal volume. (Don’t “drop” the second note of the doubles.) When playing singles, make sure you don’t add accents when they aren’t written. With everything you play, work toward smooth, evenly spaced notes.
For more seasoned players, you may want to take the same exercises and play them with natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor, and/or other scale combinations.
Enjoy!
This three-drum timpani exercise utilizes a common situation, in which you must quickly play all three drums. To avoid awkward crossover situations and to play the passage with a consistent sticking pattern, most timpanists choose to play a double split among the two drums. (Tenor drummers call these “sweeps.”)
This exercise works both the right hand and the left hand. The accents add an additional challenge. Make sure the accents are distinct, but never overplayed and harsh.
The notes in the exercise are based on an A diminished triad. Any other grouping of notes could certainly work for practicing the technical skills, but tuning the written notes is important.
As always, start slowly until you have the exercise sounding great. Then gradually build speed.
Five-Drum Version
Six-Drum Version
To view the exercise, click on the images to enlarge. To download in PDF format, click here for the five-drum version, and click here for the six-drum version.
This exercise is written for either a five-drum setup or a six-drum setup. While the six-drum setup obviously has more options, the fundamental skills covered are about the same.
As the title indicates, this exercise focuses on sweep patterns. A sweep is a double stroke split among two different drums. The “A.N.S.” in the title stands for Adjacent Sweeps, Non-Adjacent Sweeps, and Spock Sweeps.
Adjacent sweeps are sweeps between two drums right next to each other. On the basic quad setup, this would cover sweeps between drums 2 & 4, 1 & 2, and 1 & 3. For a six-drum setup, this would also include the two spock drums.
Non-adjacent sweeps are sweeps between two drums not next to each other. On the basic quad setup, this would cover sweeps between drums 1 & 4, 2 & 3, and 3 & 4. (On the six-drum version of this exercise, I went ahead and included drum 4 to the farthest spock drum and drum 3 to the farthest spock drum. Technically, these would fall under what I call “spock sweeps,” but the movements are similar to non-adjacent sweeps, so they work here. These sweeps are somewhat of a gray area.) These sweeps require a farther reach than adjacent sweeps, and they are more difficult to play fast. When playing this exercise, feel free to take this section slower if needed.
Spock sweeps require a different type of movement than adjacent or non-adjacent sweeps. As the name indicates, these cover any sweeps utilizing the spock drum(s). When sweeping between the spock drum and drums 1 or 2, you must use a push-pull motion. This is quite difficult to play fast. Feel free to adjust the tempo on this section as well.
When it comes to tempo, take each section as fast as you can comfortably play it. Of course, you should initially start slowly to focus on your technique and accuracy. Once you have a solid foundation, you can start speeding it up. As always, focus on accuracy and great sound quality. If you keep hitting rims, slow down a little bit and reassess your aiming spot.
The odd-metered measures are intended to provide a little rhythmic interest between the sweep patterns. Focus on playing the 16th notes with steady time.
If you can play through this exercise smoothly, you will have a pretty solid grasp on all of the sweep combinations!
Click on the image to enlarge or click here to download in PDF Format.
I’ve got a brand new snare exercise for you today. I came up with it several years ago just for fun. It has been in my “private collection” of exercises that I use sometimes for individual practice and one-on-one with students, but I’ve never shared it anywhere before now.
This exercise focuses on stutters—that is, isolated diddles. These have a cool “stuttered” sound (hence the name), but they are also really good for focusing on your diddle quality between each hand. The 16th note check patterns help to keep your timing in check. Be careful to keep each “stutter” in time. If you play this with other people, it will be a really helpful exercise for checking that your diddle interpretation is the same. The last measure is particularly tricky to play cleanly with others. Happy stuttering!
