How to practice rudiments efficiently?

put on a met and play them paying close attention to control and consistency

put them through a grid

run them through the table of time
 
Focus on just a few at a time, get them down well. Learn to shift them through 8th -> triplets -> 16th -> 16th triplets and back again. (Took me quite a while to get a good feel for paradiddle as triplets.)

Try to learn the L hand lead version of everything for rudiments which don't alternate by themselves. Even with those, start some exercises with your L hand for extra awareness. Create some (short) transitions to switch from R to L hand lead version with non-alternating rudiments so you can play/loop them seamlessly.

Take stuff you already can do and create variations. E.g. Flam 5's can be phrased 5+5+5+5+3+3.

Be creative - e.g. take the pataflafla and shift the double flam to various places - feels different!

Involve your feet - simple ostinatos will do as a starter - and keep playing rudiments with your hands but keep moving on to different rudiments/variations every few bars to feel comfy mixing them up. Once you have the standard paradiddle down, learn the other variations, too (inverted, starting with the double, starting with the pull-out note).
 
Start slow, stay slow. Once you're completely comfortable at a given speed, only then should you increase the speed to the next level, and stay at that speed until comfortable, and so on. This may take a minute, or 5 minutes, or 5 days, everyone learns at different rates. If you are constantly parcticing a rudiment - or any drum part - by gradually increasing speed as you play, it's much more difficult to master a part. All you learn is how to speed up and fall apart.

Now, once you've mastered a part or rudiment, and you need an occasional refresher a month or even years later, you can start slow and quickly increase speed as you play. Once your hands/limbs learn a part, it's fast and easy to refresh, maybe 15-20 seconds and you're back in the swing.

It's like riding a bike - you never forget. Even if you haven't ridden for years, it only takes a few moments to get your balance back.

Bermuda
 
The best method to approach rudiments that I've encountered was taught on a VHS video by Henry Adler (Hand Development Technique). I don't know if this is even still available, but if you can find it, get it. Sell all of your flashy, hip drum videos to get this one video if you have to. Seriously.

Who is Henry Adler? On the back of the VHS case it reads:

...His former students read like a "Who's Who" of drummers and include such names as Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Roy Burns, Dave Tough, Sonny Igoe, Alvin Stoller, Phil Kraus and countless others....
His approach really needs to be seen in its entirety. Concerning rudiments, he uses a "freeze-frame" or "snapshot" approach where you practice the correct hand positions in sequence that make up the rudiment. The transition between the hand positions is done with a snappy motion. This allows you to practice the transition in "real-time", while pausing for however long to study and refine the hand position, muscle usage, and resolve unnecessary muscle tension. You end up practicing the mechanics AND developing speed at the same time: Extremely efficient.

The focus is to develop great efficiency and control of where the sticks need to be throughout the playing of the rudiment. It is the only way that's ever made sense to me for practicing rudiments. Practicing any rudiments outside of the few most common ones always seemed a bit silly because a lot of them just aren't practical for most drumming scenarios (anyone banging out Flamacues these days?). However, it all comes alive when you use Henry Adler's approach to studying them. Maybe those Flamacues aren't so bad after all...

You learn that the real purpose of practicing the rudiments is to develop an understanding of the mechanics of drumming. You learn exactly where your hands need to be, no wasted motions.

If you haven't guessed, I can't recommend this video enough. It is a diamond in the rough. EVERY drummer should own it. It's the Stick Control of drum videos.

If there's a better training source, I would love to hear about it.
 
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Slowly and perfectly.

Ge creative with them as you learn the.

Get the book The All American Drummer by Wilcoxon.
 
What is a grid? What do you mean "the table of time"?

a grid is playing every possible accent permutation

and this is the table of time

totime.gif
 
Agreed, slow and perfectly before even trying to raise the speed.

I usually warm-up with some single-stroke rolls first for a few minutes, and then try some paradiddles. Once I'm ready, I'll try some harder ones. But never trying to exceed the speed at which I'm 100% tight. If I start getting behind, or ahead, I slow the tempo back down a bit.

I've discovered a simple little new app (only the free lite version available so far) for my iPhone which works very well and is good for me, because I don't read music so well, and is very visual with virtual sticks on the screen showing me what I should be doing with my hands as well as the music sheet...
www.rudidrum.com
 
The best method to approach rudiments that I've encountered was taught on a VHS video by Henry Adler (Hand Development Technique). I don't know if this is even still available, but if you can find it, get it. Sell all of your flashy, hip drum videos to get this one video if you have to. Seriously.

Who is Henry Adler? On the back of the VHS case it reads:

His approach really needs to be seen in its entirety. Concerning rudiments, he uses a "freeze-frame" or "snapshot" approach where you practice the correct hand positions in sequence that make up the rudiment. The transition between the hand positions is done with a snappy motion. This allows you to practice the transition in "real-time", while pausing for however long to study and refine the hand position, muscle usage, and resolve unnecessary muscle tension. You end up practicing the mechanics AND developing speed at the same time: Extremely efficient.

The focus is to develop great efficiency and control of where the sticks need to be throughout the playing of the rudiment. It is the only way that's ever made sense to me for practicing rudiments. Practicing any rudiments outside of the few most common ones always seemed a bit silly because a lot of them just aren't practical for most drumming scenarios (anyone banging out Flamacues these days?). However, it all comes alive when you use Henry Adler's approach to studying them. Maybe those Flamacues aren't so bad after all...

You learn that the real purpose of practicing the rudiments is to develop an understanding of the mechanics of drumming. You learn exactly where your hands need to be, no wasted motions.

If you haven't guessed, I can't recommend this video enough. It is a diamond in the rough. EVERY drummer should own it. It's the Stick Control of drum videos.

If there's a better training source, I would love to hear about it.

All explained in Buddy Rich's book and displayed the on DVD. So its not hard to find, all his techiniques explained 100%. prob the vhs on dvd you talking about but wouldnt know cause have seen the vhs

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buddy-Richs-Modern-Interpretation-Rudiments/dp/0825634652/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355488510&sr=8-1
 
Hey, that looks interesting. I hadn't seen that before. It's not the same thing, but I'm sure it's good.

On the Henry Adler video, he explains to the viewer, and then demonstrates how to teach it to a "live" student. It's very helpful to see how a real student receives the information and how it has to be adapted to meet the student's needs.
 
a grid is playing every possible accent permutation

and this is the table of time

totime.gif

I've been practicing grids and the table of time for 2 weeks now with the single paradiddle. My hand control has improved and my paradiddles are much more effortless. I gained 10-20 BPM of speed as well. However I skip the 5 and 7 in the table of time, seems a bit too advanced for me right now.

I also found a cool challenging exercise, play the single paradiddle as triplets and play every third note with a foot together with the hand that's playing at the time. Really hard to get them together without flams between the hand and foot.

I also accent every third note with a foot but I play RLRR LRLL with the feet. Really cool exercise. Helps to synchronize the hands and feet.
 
I've been practicing grids and the table of time for 2 weeks now with the single paradiddle. My hand control has improved and my paradiddles are much more effortless. I gained 10-20 BPM of speed as well. However I skip the 5 and 7 in the table of time, seems a bit too advanced for me right now.

I also found a cool challenging exercise, play the single paradiddle as triplets and play every third note with a foot together with the hand that's playing at the time. Really hard to get them together without flams between the hand and foot.

I also accent every third note with a foot but I play RLRR LRLL with the feet. Really cool exercise. Helps to synchronize the hands and feet.


thats great news brother ....keep up the good work

a couple more ideas for you

mix up the accent patterns .....for example....one I love doing it this

paradiddle diddle ....2 in a row changing the accent placement

capitals represent accents

R l r r l l r L r r l l

flows really nicely around the kit as well

also ... rudiments are much more useful when connected and will help you creatively reach your destination points around the kit

to me all of these stickings are just avenues to our destination

try things like

9 stroke roll paradiddle 5 stroke roll double paradiddle

but tie the 9 and 5 to the diddle rudiments that follow .....meaning the last beat of the 9 or 5 which would be the accent would also be the first note of the diddle rudiment

like this

rrllrrllR l r r llrrL r L r l l

the possibilities are endless

there is a great book by Pat Petrillo that explores these options in depth
 
thats great news brother ....keep up the good work

a couple more ideas for you

mix up the accent patterns .....for example....one I love doing it this

paradiddle diddle ....2 in a row changing the accent placement

capitals represent accents

R l r r l l r L r r l l

flows really nicely around the kit as well

also ... rudiments are much more useful when connected and will help you creatively reach your destination points around the kit

to me all of these stickings are just avenues to our destination

try things like

9 stroke roll paradiddle 5 stroke roll double paradiddle

but tie the 9 and 5 to the diddle rudiments that follow .....meaning the last beat of the 9 or 5 which would be the accent would also be the first note of the diddle rudiment

like this

rrllrrllR l r r llrrL r L r l l

the possibilities are endless

there is a great book by Pat Petrillo that explores these options in depth

Cool. I will practice those things. The grid exercise is awesome, I accent all possible permutations with the single paradiddle, there is 16 of them I think.

Right now it's hard to decide what to practice so I just pick one rudiment every month and practice it in every way I can think of. This approach fits me great.
 
if you are using a practise pad then try putting the pad on top of an actual snare drum (on a snare stand) and then play the pad.

it will help give you a bit more dynamic sound and so its better for practising accents. it will also help smooth out your doubles so all strokes are the same volume. it sounds and feels more realistic and its lots more fun!

obviously the best thing is to practise the rudiments on an actual snare drum (which should be done whenever you can) but when you can't do that then try doing this.

slightly off topic i guess but I've just started doing it and its great. wish i'd thought of it 3 years ago. o well.
 
I practiced rudiments mainly on practice pad. Now I realise it was a big mistake. Practice pad is too forgiving to variation in dynamics. My dynamics is inconsistent.

So, I need to practice more on real snare drum. But a constant stream of 16th's on the snare is really loud. It kills my ears. I'm thinking of wearing ear muffles. But that means my ears will not be used to the actual snare sound and dynamics. Catch 22....

Do you guys wear ear muffles, particularly when practicing rudiments on snare drum?

I hope it's not a too silly question to ask.
 
I practiced rudiments mainly on practice pad. Now I realise it was a big mistake. Practice pad is too forgiving to variation in dynamics. My dynamics is inconsistent.

So, I need to practice more on real snare drum. But a constant stream of 16th's on the snare is really loud. It kills my ears. I'm thinking of wearing ear muffles. But that means my ears will not be used to the actual snare sound and dynamics. Catch 22....

Do you guys wear ear muffles, particularly when practicing rudiments on snare drum?

I hope it's not a too silly question to ask.

There are 3 choices: ear mufflers, mic the drum and wear isolation phones or play with hot rods. However hot rods are easier to play with and are kind of forgiving for dynamics as well.

The 4th choice involves being an idiot and I hope you are not one.

My suggestion is get good ear muffs that only lower the volume and don't cut off all treble. Also you will need a metronome that you can plug into some sort of speaker. Wearing headphones over ear buds muffles the sound as well.
 
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