Sometimes I think I practice just because I feel obligated to spend “time” on the drums. So I flip open some method books and play through various exercises at semi-challenging tempos until the hour is up. But recently I started practicing with the Pomodoro Technique.
One of the “must have” drum books is Ted Reed Progressive Steps to Syncopation. You can develop accented rolls using pp. 47-49 and pp. 53-58 . Play accented notes with a single stroke and all others as either an open or closed rebound.
I just picked up Ted Reed’s Syncopation #2 in the Jazz Idiom for the Drum Set. It is a series of variations on his original Syncopation for the Modern Drummer book pages 38 – 45 exercises 1 – 8. These exercises are arranged in a triplet feel with a swung 8th note (Jazz). The ride pattern uses the traditional jazz ride but a shuffle ride or quarter note ride also work.
I have been looking for a new snare drum to go with my Witt Percussion drum set which is a steam bent walnut set in 20″ bass drum, 14″ floor tom and 12″ rack tom. It is my jazz combo set. I was looking for a jazz combo snare drum. I wanted a shallow 5″ x 14″ shell. I looked at several manufacturers and shell materials before selecting a Ludwig Supraphonic 400 snare drum.
What is the deal with no internal mufflers on snare drums and toms anymore? I read complaints that they sometimes came loose and rattled and they didn’t allow for ultra-fine tone control. There other alternatives which can eliminate or control drum head overtone ring.
I have been tuning drums by ear for years. I’d like to think I’ve gotten pretty good at it. But it is a little “hit and miss.” Not an exact science to be sure. I have known about Drum Dial for years but never bought one. I decided to get one to try out.
I wanted some triplet exercises similar to the Stone Stick Control Exercises No. 1 – 72. I have posted previously about how I use those exercises on drum set and the order I practice them in. But they are in groups of 2 – even if you swing the 8th notes. I wanted to work with triplets and groups of 3. So I made a list of 64 possible stick combinations with 2 groups of 3.
Cowbells are a lot like cymbals. We each have personal preferences for manufacturers and models. We need to make different selections based on the gig. Over time, I have finally settled on a trio of cowbells that I frequently use on drum set.