Welcome Back! In Parts One and Two of this series I introduced the concepts of Translation between the hands, four tasks each hand needs to master, how the four tasks relate to Stroke Types, and the standard exercises “8-on-a-hand” and “Tap-Accent”. In this part I will discuss multiple bounce techniques, and rolls.
There are many paths to achieving multiple bounce technique, and I find people tend to get one method first, and use it to help understand the others. I’ll introduce several methods in this post, which you can take on in any order you like.
“Down-Up” or “Open Closed”
I first learned how to play open rolls using a method taught to me as the “Down-Up”, and later as the “Open-Close” method. It it important to note that “Down-Up” is not a reference to the Down and Up forces or Stroke Types, which is confusing, so I’ll be using quotations to differentiate.
It begins with the arm high and the Down force closed. As the arm drops “Down”, the Down force “Opens”, and the Fulcrum allows the stick to bounce vertical. Then the Down force “Closes”, and the arm moves “Up” after the stick hits the head. Blending this into a single “Down-Up” arm motion results in two notes, one as the arm moves “Down” and one as it moves “Up”.
This technique extends from two notes to three, four and five by simply lifting the arm “Up” and moving the Down force “Closed” after the desired number of notes. Practicing this way in both hands will even out buzz roll sound, and improve placement on Flam Taps and Swiss Triplets.
Down Orientation and Up Orientation
There are three things that contribute to multiple bounce mechanics: The elbow moving the whole forearm, the Driver, and the Down force. Isolating, developing and strengthening each part will greatly improve the overall quality of the technique.
Down Force Isolation: 16-8-4-2:
This is an 8-on-a-hand-style exercise but using mostly the Down force. The goal is to increase power and stability by pumping the Full strokes with the Down force, and closing the Down stroke at very high speeds. Tempo is 16ths at Quarter = 80-110
Driver Isolation: 16-8-4-2:
The same exercise as above, but this time on a surface with as little bounce as possible, like a pillow or a towel. The goal is to increase Driver speed and efficiency by placing every note from a closed position. Tempo range is 80-100.
Mastery of Down Orientation will balance the speed and power contributions of the Driver and Down force, and emphasize timing of each individual note as the tempo increases.
The previous exercise finished each set on a hand with a Down stroke. Up Orientation requires ending everything with a Full stroke, in an upward position.
16th-Double:
The exercise switches between alternating 16ths and doubles. Every note ends high. Balancing in this new approach requires increasing the tempo range to 16ths at Quarter note = 100-160
Mastering this motion adds the flow needed for open rolls, while utilizing the Driver and Down force power and speed developed from 16-8-4-2.
Arm Motion
Blending Down and Up Orientation and adding a downward arm “push” completes the open roll motion. The arms pump straight up and down, the right hand is like bouncing a ball in the palm while the left is like a chop with the outside of the hand. The elbows in both arms should react to this motion if the shoulders are relaxed correctly.
8th-16th Double/16th-32nd Double:
This exercise switches between alternating 8ths and 16th doubles. The arm motion is always moving in 8ths, which creates a “check pattern”. Find a balance in the Down force where it is the same in both 8ths and 16th doubles. This means the rebound from the 8ths will be slightly absorbed, making them into something between a Down and a Full stroke. The result is that the stick and arm motion will look basically the same throughout. When it gets faster, it makes more sense to think of it in 16ths with 32nd note doubles, which is standard roll notation.
The volume of every note should be the same, as if they were played as single strokes. This technique draws on all the previous material: The “Down-Up” arm motion, the strength, speed and placement of the Down Orientation, and the flow of the Up Orientation.
These three posts together complete what I call The Big Three techniques of rudimental drumming: 8-on-a-hand, Tap-Accent, and Multiple Bounce. Any rudiment or passage of rudimental literature can be understood in terms of these three concepts.
In the future I may add some posts applying these ideas to more advanced material. Please comment or email me if you have any specific requests for content.
Thanks for reading! Happy Drumming!
Whenever I introduce people to the principles of leadership, I begin with John Maxwell’s Law of the Lid from his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. The Law of the Lid simply states, “Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness”. This means that if you see a successful person, group, or organization, the underlying reason is the level of leadership that is present.
I teach my groups that a leader puts a lid on the potential effectiveness of their people. On a scale of 1-10, a leader who is only a 4 will have an organization that is no better than a 3, because an organization cannot outgrow its leader. If we want to be effective in life, and for our organizations, we need to master the principals of leadership, because those principals will determine our level of success.
John Maxwell has been teaching leadership for over 30 years, and is much better at it than me. What I wish to add are the percussion-related lessons I’ve learned while studying his work, and I hope my Lid-Lifting moments will help you to lift your own Lid and increase your effectiveness.
The most obvious incarnation of this law in the percussion world is marching band. Consider the following leadership hierarchy:
Directors > Staff > Drum Majors > Section Leaders > Squad Leaders > Members
If a member plays well, is respectful of others and is always prepared and on time, that’s great. If a squad leader does the same thing, they are an example for 3-7 other people in their squad, who they can hold accountable. If a section leader does it, they are an example for perhaps 20 people. Drum Majors are an example for the whole band. Staff are an example for people in their specialties, as well as the band. Directors are an example for everyone, and hold everyone accountable.
Now consider the reverse of that situation:
If a member is not playing well, is rude and consistently shows up 15 minutes late to everything, that does a certain amount of damage to the group. If a squad leader does the same thing, that stands as an example for the 3-7 other people in their squad. If a section leader does it, it compounds to 20 people. If the drum majors, staff or directors do it, it begins to effect the whole band.
In both situations, the example of the leadership sets the Lid on everyone beneath them in the organization. The good behavior of one member cannot rise above the Lid of a poor squad leader and the 3-7 people they infect, nor can any one staff member correct the issues caused by a director who spreads his or her disfunction to all levels of the organization.
Recently I heard a great quote from one of the finest percussion instructors in the whole world. “When my [students] go out, they are an extension of my personality. How they act is how I act”. His students have won literally dozens of world championships. I knew he was a great leader before I met him, because I know only great leaders can set a lid that high for their organization. When he said that, I understood exactly why he is a great leader. He lifts his own Lid, and models the excellence he expects from the people he is leading.
This law also plays out in terms of musical preparation. Imagine coming to the first rehearsal of the season and the director had never looked at the music or drill before. No amount of preparation done by the band membership can overcome that Lid, because without the director to run rehearsal, none of the individual and section work can be coordinated.
I tell my students that each level of leadership must be one step further ahead than the people beneath them, so their followers can grow without restriction. If the members are learning a tune, the squad leaders should already know it and the section leader should be close to memorized. Same with drill unless everyone got it and had to immediately set it together, in which case I expect leaders to learn faster so they can help the others. Lastly, I always expect percussionists to be one step ahead of their wind colleagues. In order to do their best, the winds must be able to trust what they hear from the percussion section. In that way, percussion sets a lid for the whole band.
I have 3 questions I ask when applying any leadership lesson:
- What situations or people do I know who succeed or fail at this lesson?
- What are some situations where I personally succeeded or failed at this lesson?
- Where can I apply this lesson right away to see some results?
If you have mastered a lesson, you should be able to look at a situation and reliably predict the results of any action you might take. Awareness and action combine to make consistent, predictable success.
Feel free to share your experiences and answer the above questions in the comments section! Thanks for reading!
I am fortunate to be able to study Afro-Cuban music. I have numerous teachers, and we trace our educational lineage primarily to Michael Spiro and his teachers from Cuba. I highly recommend that anyone check out Spiro and his work, as he is a watershed figure, crossing many cultural and professional boundaries and bringing this music to the university community. Spiro’s Book and DVD are especially good for beginners.
One of the barriers people have to cross to get into this music is the timing and coordination of rhythms against the Bell Pattern. There are three common versions of this pattern, and I’ll be dealing with one of them in the following posts.
The Bell Pattern is in 12/8 time, divided into four beats of triplets. A triplet has three “partials”, and each partial can stand alone against the Bell Pattern.
What you will hear and see is:
1) A low bell on a foot pedal keeping the beat in four
2) A high bell playing the Bell Pattern
3) A block playing one partial of a triplet in each beat.
Feel free to start by playing only one part at a time, or playing only two parts together. The videos are designed as a play-along, so you can replay as many times as you want. Each one has a fast and slow version.
In Part Two I’ll play two partials of the triplet against the bell. Thanks for reading!
Welcome back! In part one of this series I introduced the concept of Translation between the hands and the four tasks each hand needs to master. Now I will discuss how the four tasks relate to Stroke Types, and the standard exercises “8-on-a-hand” and “Tap-Accent”.
Stroke Types: Same for both hands
Full stroke = Begin high, end high. This is a same-height stroke. The Driver supplies the power, the Fulcrum allows the stick to pivot, the Down force is in an open, relaxed position, and the Up force is disconnected, not touching the stick. The “Up” of this stroke comes from the rebound of the playing surface.
Tap stroke = Begin low, end low. This is a same-height stroke. The Driver supplies the power, the Fulcrum is mostly not used, the Down force is activated in a closed position, and the Up force is connected to the stick, supporting it between each note.
Down stroke = Begin high, end low. This is a transition stroke. The Driver supplies the power, the Fulcrum is mostly not used, the Down force absorbs rebound after the stroke in a closed position, and the Up force is connected to the stick, lifting before each note. Down strokes are the same relative volume as Full strokes.
Up stroke = Begin low, end high. This is a transition stroke. The Driver supplies the power, the Fulcrum is mostly not used, the Down force is activated in a closed position, and the Up force is connected to the stick, lifting after the stroke. Up strokes are the same relative volume as Tap strokes.
8-on-a-hand:
This is standard exercise composed mostly of repeated Full strokes. A Down stroke brings the playing hand back to rest just above the head when it finishes a set of Full strokes.
Right hand: Full wrist motion, relaxed fulcrum, open back fingers, stick off the back of the hand. For the last note close the fingers and absorb the rebound, connect with the back of the hand.
Left hand: Full arm rotation, relaxed base of thumb, relaxed thumb/first finger connection, ring/pinky fingers tucked back off the stick. For the last note activate the thumb/first finger connection and absorb the rebound, connect with ring/pinky fingers.
Tap-Accent:
This is a standard exercise which starts with repeated Tap strokes and adds an Up/Down motion to create accents.
Right hand: Small wrist motion like knocking on a door, relax fulcrum, activate back fingers to maximize volume at low height, connect with the back of the hand. For the Up stroke pop wrist up quickly after low note, back fingers remain in closed position, connect with the back of the hand. For the Down stroke back fingers absorb rebound in closed position, connect with the back of the hand.
Left Hand: Small arm rotation, relax base of thumb, activate thumb/first finger connection to maximize volume at low height, connect with the ring/pinky. For the Up stroke pop palm up quickly after low note, thumb/first finger connection remains in closed position, connect with the ring/pinky. For the Down stroke thumb/first finger connection absorbs rebound in closed position, connect with the ring/pinky.
Part three will continue with multiple bounce application, completing the foundational technical material for rudimental snare drumming.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!
It’s summertime! For me, that means it’s drumline season, and right now I’m teaching quite a lot of traditional grip snare drum to beginners. Several years ago I began teaching by “translation” from the right hand to the left. This afforded me two advantages: first, each working part of the left hand is identified and assigned its tasks; second, the commonly more-developed right hand may be used as a point of reference. In this post I will set out the basics, which are designed to be easily put to use at moderate tempos.
There are four tasks to assign each hand. The Driver, the Fulcrum, the Down force and the Up force.
Right Hand:
Driver = Wrist. The motion of the wrist powers every basic stroke on a marching snare. Use of arm and finger is variable with style and content but the wrist is always there.
Fulcrum = Thumb and First Finger. This is the point where the stick pivots. My preferred method of playing sets the fulcrum back toward the middle joint, as opposed to the last joint used more commonly in concert snare playing.
Down force = Back Fingers. The pinky, ring and middle fingers wrap around the stick and push it into the head. This is different than the wrist, which supplies power. The back fingers deliver that power, and can be adjusted on their own.
Up force = Back of the Hand. The squishy part on the outside of the hand holds the stick off the head and lifts the stick in an upstroke. This is often overlooked by beginning players.
Left Hand:
Driver = Arm Rotation. Not wrist rotation. Wrists don’t rotate. The whole forearm from the elbow forward turns, which also turns the hand. When the arm is fully turned out the palm faces more or less straight up.
Fulcrum = Base of the Thumb. The stick itself rotates in the webbing at the base of the thumb. This can be painful at first, as the stick rolls over the lower thumb joint, but the body adapts in a few days.
Down = Connection of Thumb and First Finger. Different than the arm rotation, which supplies power. The connection of the thumb and first finger delivers the power to the stick, and is adjustable on its own.
Up = Ring and Pinky Fingers. Much weaker than the back of the right hand. The ring and pinky fingers hold the stick off the head and lift the stick in an upstroke.
Part two will cover Down, Full, Up and Tap strokes, and how stroke mechanics translates from Right to Left.
Thanks for reading! Stay Tuned!
Welcome to DanKrummPercussion! This site will be a resource for my students and anyone else with an interest in percussion. It will be under initial development through June 2012, and will be updated continually thereafter.
Please comment and feel free to offer advice and make requests for content now or at any time. I’m always interested in growing and developing myself and my work, and welcome the chance to better serve the percussion community.
DanKrummPercussion 