Grinding singles

JJKK

Member
So yeah my practice has devolved (player broke down so only the right earbud works) into listening to the metronome and banging out singles with my feet and practicing rolls with my hands.

I put the metronome on 70bpm and bang out sixteenths with my feet alternating, working more on my left because it loses control at 76 bpm @ 16ths. Occasionally I work on endurance and control with speeding up to 32nd notes, going as long as I can clean.

With single stroke rolls I work mostly on my left hand finger control which breaks down at 200 bpm and starts going stiff. It's been stuck there for a while now, with my wrist going crazy and back stiffens when I try to work on endurance @ 200. I use 150-160 bpm for blasts beats and rolls currently to work on my fingers on both hands. My timing has improved so I think the work has paid off somewhat. It's no longer just trying to fit the notes in between the clicks, but more like jamming while relaxed.

I gotta get a teacher soon with my practice being so simple minded, but hopefully I haven't been too far off with this sort of work.
 
My advice is to slow it way down, like 1 stroke a second. Once you get in the habit of playing relaxed at a slow tempo, you’re less likely to tense up at higher speeds
 
With single stroke rolls I work mostly on my left hand finger control which breaks down at 200 bpm and starts going stiff.

The same thing happens to me at about the same tempo setting. To work on single strokes above 200, I practice phrases that use short bursts of singles. I can't sustain that speed for any length of time without seizing up. It helps to write fills that leave a bit of wiggle room (e.g. throw in some rests instead of trying to play a solid roll of singles around the toms).

I'd suggest working on single fours and bringing them up to tempo. Then work on five-stroke rolls, playing singles instead of doubles. Then 9-stroke, and I'd stop if you can get a good 17-stroke roll, played with singles, above 200. Leave gaps or play time in between the rolls, so you're not abusing your hands and wrists.

And... you might want to consider developing a stronger double stroke roll. Unless you're playing severely aggressive music, there's no reason to play singles that quickly.

(I'm assuming your 200 is my 100. I play groups of 8 per quarter note, so about 800 strokes a minute.)
 
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