I wanted triplet stick control 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 new order that I practice them. But they are in groups of 2 – even if you swing the 8th notes. I wanted to work with triplets and groups of three. So I made a list of 64 possible triplet sticking combinations with 2 groups of 3.
Again there is no rule that I have to play these triplet stick control exercises in numerical order. Especially when using a metronome. I do not use the same metronome speed for all of the 64 exercises. I can play single strokes faster than double strokes which I can play faster than triple strokes etc. So I have divide the exercises into groups and set my metronome to the fastest tempo for EACH group. Much more effective.
You can play them with both hands on the snare drum and a bass drum and hi-hat ostinato of your choice. But what I usually practice is the Rs on the bass drum and the Ls on the snare drum with a swing or shuffle ride pattern. There are some really cool grooves. And as the tempo increases, you can really work your right foot on the bass drum.
Simple to Compound Tempo Conversion
Simple meter tempo division is different from compound meter tempo division. Essentially a simple 2 to 3 ratio conversion. When I was practicing the Stone Stick Control exercises I had a set of tempos. But those tempos were based on the quarter note (simple meter). When I started to practice these 8th note triplet exercises, which are based on the dotted quarter note (compound meter), I wanted a conversion to correlate them with my previous tempos for the 8th note divisions. Here is a conversion chart maintaining the speed of the 8th notes in compound and simple meters:
Dotted Quarter Note = Quarter Note
67 = 100
73 = 110
80 = 120
87 = 130
93 = 140
100 = 150
107 = 160
113 = 170
120 = 180
127 = 190
133 = 200
You may also want to see: Stone Stick Control Order for Speed and Stone Stick Control for Drum Set
For anyone still unfamiliar with this book, the following is a review from Amazon:
George Lawrence Stone Stick Control is the original classic, often called the bible of drumming. In 1993, Modern Drummer magazine named it first in the top 25 drumming books of all-time. In the words of the author, this is the ideal book for improving “control, speed, flexibility, touch, rhythm, lightness, delicacy, power, endurance, preciseness of execution, and muscular coordination,” with extra attention given to the development of the weak hand. This indispensable book for drummers of all types includes hundreds of basic to advanced rhythms and moves through categories of single-beat combinations, triplets, short roll combinations, flam beats, flam triplets and dotted notes, and short roll progressions.