Drumming Blog

This is a coordination exercise written in 4/4.. This can create rhythmic tension in your songs and solos.

Check out the Ahead 5B Crossroads drumsticks!

I’d like to introduce you to Nate.

We all have those days when you sit down at the drums and nothing seems to be going right, the playing is sloppy, the timing is off, and it just isn’t inspiring. Here are some things you can do about that.

Along with analyzing other drummer’s parts, also analyzing what the other musicians are doing in your favorite songs will help you to become a more musical drummer. Here is how I suggest you go about doing that.

Lessons are about much more than music. They teach you life lessons that you learn along the way.

If you’ve ever gone through a period of time where you feel like everything you play sounds the same or you just want to come up with some new ideas, here are some things to help you get creative with your playing.

If your drums are in good condition and you want to keep them that way, I recommend investing in cases or bags for when you transport them.

Ladies and gentlemen, Dustin Rasmussen!

Here is a list of apps that will help you with your drumming journey.

A good way to work on your musicality is to play and record yourself playing along to music, with and without a click.]Here are some places where you can find tracks with no drums that you can play along to.

You can play a really cool sounding polyrhythm by phrasing the bass drum every 3 sixteenth notes in a standard 4/4 pattern. This can add some rhythmic tension to your playing.

The double paradiddle is a versatile and musical rudiment to apply to the drum set. Let’s look at a few ways to do that.

Sometimes the difference between a good performance and a great performance is expression; playing and moving the music dynamically. One of the best ways to improve your playing is to work on your dynamics. This article discusses some things that will help you play more dynamically.

This is an introduction to using the hi-hat foot in your playing.

You can get some really cool sounds playing 16th note hi-hat beats with alternating hand and foot patterns. The challenge is to alternate the hi-hat with the hand and foot without getting any open hi-hat sounds. This exercise explores some things you can do with this concept.

Here are some more linear beats to work on.

Use these exercises to build your linear vocabulary.

Use the paradiddle to get some melodic phrasing around the drum set.

This is the 16th note version of the Basic Beats Study. Play each exercise with a metronome at different tempos.

The beats and fills in these four measure phrases are a good introduction to what’s most commonly played on the drums.

Linear drumming (playing only one drum or cymbal at a time) has a funky, syncopated feel to it. This lesson will get you started.

Working on reading drum notation is primarily about developing hand-eye coordination. This lesson will help you to do just that.

We are going to take a basic beat and modulate it using different subdivisions. This gives the impression that you are speeding up or slowing down but the actual tempo does not change.

The single stroke 4 is frequently used as a popular fill around the drum set. This rudiment seems plain enough but if we apply it to different drums, experiment with the phrasing, and work it up to speed, it can sound really impressive. Here are a couple of variations.

When you’re trying to find drumsticks that feel great to play, it is helpful to know the characteristics that affect their performance. Let’s take a look at the things that make the difference.

Have you ever been told that your solos sound like drums falling down a flight of stairs? Here are some thoughts on making drum solos musical.

Even more 2 limb coordination exercises.

More 2 limb coordination exercises.

The following are two-way independence exercises to help increase coordination between the limbs. They will make it easier to play complex patterns on the drum set.

If you play the drums with the goal of being in a band, the sooner you can start playing with other musicians, the better. If you are having trouble finding other musicians to play with, an option could be to attend an open mic night jam at a nearby bar or club.

The following questions will help you think about your drumming goals to keep you on track towards a year of progress and improvement.

You can help your child by encouraging them to practice. Here are some tips that will help.

Now we’re going back to the first gear exercise to add accents on the first of every 4 notes in each subdivision.

Once you feel comfortable with the subdivisions from the previous exercise, go through these pages to switch between all of them.

One of the many benefits of practicing the rudiments is the control and coordination that you get by applying accents, flams, and drags to various stickings. These exercises extend that concept by using triplet marching grids.

This is an introduction to playing jazz swing time on the drums. These exercises will give you the basic independence needed to play jazz.

Working with a metronome will help to improve your sense of time. Include it in your practice routine. Here are some tips to help.

Keeping track of what you practice can show you what needs attention and give you the motivation to keep going. You can use this log below to keep track of your progress. Write down when and what you practice, metronome settings, and other info.

If you’ve lost the motivation to play or practice, here are nine things you can do to bring back the desire and passion you once had for the drums.

This is a great way to build your speed and control using hertas.

You can subdivide notes into any denomination. Practice the following exercise to get used to the feel of each subdivision.

Whether you’re auditioning for a local band, national tour, or a recording session, here are some tips to help you with the auditioning process.

Love it or hate it, most drummers would agree that they should practice with a metronome on a regular basis. Here are three reasons to make metronome work a part of your practice activity.

Here is a brief interview with my student Joshua Skinner.

Here are five suggestions that can simplify your setup and tear down time.

Experiment with getting different tones out of your snare by playing it in different spots.

For some, performing in front of others can produce feelings of terror and anxiety. Here are some strategies and thoughts on what you can do to deal with stagefright.

I want to introduce you to my student, Amanda.

In this third exercise, we will continue using singles and doubles to balance the limbs.

This second exercise is commonly known as a paradiddle pyramid. It uses the strategically placed singles and doubles to balance the limbs. The concept is to play two single (paradiddles) followed by two doubles and two triples; then back to two doubles and two...

The rudiments are the ABCs of drumming. Practicing them consistently can do wonders for your control and co-ordination.