WhoIsTony?
Member
I'm very excited for you, but for most of us, mastering something as simple as a double stroke roll doesn't just come "naturally". You have to practice and teach your muscles how to properly control the stick. Its called practicing a technique.
Certain figures you can't play without practicing the technique required to play them. Their are many different ways to play the same figures. Breaking out of your comfort zone and learning to feel comfortable with all those techniques can only increase your overall facility on the instrument. You my find techniques that are more comfortable to you than you thought.
Case and point: My relationship with playing heel down on my kick. I used to be a heel up kinda guy, but I decided to learn something new and I've found I like playing heel down much more. If I had never done that because it didn't feel "natural" at first, I would be less of a music than I am now. And now that I am comfortable with both, I can express myself much much fluidly and dynamically on the instrument. Win Win. Why be against that?
I think you are misunderstanding me here
I have practiced double stroke rolls for more hours, months and years than I can count ..... but I never practiced a technique for doing so .
I just did what felt good and natural and what allowed the stick to do what I wanted it to do.
never sat with this or that name technique ... just did what my body naturally did to get those strokes clean and even .... and just happened to turn out to be some sort of version of "open/close"..... completely without intending it to be or chasing after that specific technique
when we chase techniques in my opinion most of us tend to over think our movements and start to focus on if we are playing the technique properly as opposed to do my strokes sound good .... which is the point of a "technique" to begin with
I don't want to sound like I am anti "technique" ... I am not .... I am anti obsessing over all these techniques that people love to name and love to tell you that you are doing them wrong......blah blah blah
if you are comfortable and sound good..... guess what... your technique is fine
if you can develop facilities to make the music you desire to make comfortably without putting a name to every stroke you take with the stick.... you are fine
I come from the school of Elvin Jones ..... and he always told me ....and I quote....
"forget all that shit man and just make music , ya dig?"