Rebutting Drumming Myths

I did a quick search of online resources and compiled a list of what the Internet considers to be drumming myths. A myth is something that someone believes but has not been demonstrated to be true. There are potential problems with drumming myths. At best they are harmless, but they can lead you down the wrong path. At their worst, they can harm you in a variety of ways. They can also cause you to discount things that you might otherwise find useful. So here is my rebuttal to things I found in the wild.

4-Way Independence Rules
Our limbs typically cannot act independently, and so we must train them to co-ordinate their actions as a team. We call it independence, but what we're really talking about is “co-ordinated interdependence”... the limbs are co-operating and not acting independently.

A Great Band Will Always Have a Great Drummer
There are lots of examples of successful bands who had less than awesome drummers, but rarely do we see a band succeed with a drummer who isn't up to the job or who isn't contributing something special to the music. A good drummer, on the other hand, will often propel a good band to even greater heights.

Bigger Is Better
“If you can't make it on a 4-piece kit then getting more drums isn't going to help you” - Todd Sucherman
Yes but, you say, Todd plays a HUGE set. To that, Todd would likely say that he’s just as comfortable on a 4-piece kit ... but a big set sure comes in handy at times.

Counting In Your Head Is Better/Easier Than Counting Out Loud
You really need both. Counting is merely a tool to help you to understand and take control of the metre and the music. Anyone trying to play in 5/4 for the first time will quickly see how difficult it is to do without some sort of counting. Counting out loud is a great exercise. It forces you to actually count and to focus on the count. It also calls into play a second area of the brain. Counting can even be liberating, so count whenever it helps.

Drummers Are Not Real Musicians
I've met too many drummers with music degrees -- PhDs, even -- to go along with this one. Rhythm is a core element of music, so someone who specializes in rhythm must also, logically, be an essential part of music. So it turns out drummers are musical VIPs (very important percussionists).

Faster Is The Way To Go
Speed is necessary at times, but speed is just one aspect of musical performance. There’s nothing wrong with working on speed, but it should not detract from the rest of your practice and playing.

If It Feels Good To You It Must Be Right For The Song
When I was just starting out, I played what I thought worked, and would occasionally be 'corrected' by a band member. Although it felt right to me, I lacked sufficient background at the time to play what was right for the music. It’s a good idea to become familiar with the idioms you'll be responsible for. And if you're not sure, ask.

It’s All In The Wrist
To say that it’s all this or all that can cut us off from a lot of things. I see many drummers who are trying to get by using just one or two fingers, and I'm amazed at how often the thumb is neglected. We should be using all the tools we were given: hand, fingers, thumb, wrist, elbow, shoulder, back.

Mistakes Are Bad. Always
Beethoven probably wasn't the first to say it: "Playing a wrong note is insignificant whereas playing without passion is inexcusable." As my jazz theory professor was so fond of saying, "A mistake is just an unanticipated outcome."

More Technique Is Always Better
You need to have enough technique and knowledge to do the job, and you should also have something in reserve. That frees you to play without worrying about technical or physical limitations.

Muscle Tension Is Bad
In general, you should try to be as relaxed as possible when playing. That doesn't mean you shouldn't dig in and work the muscles as needed. Different things call for different approaches. Just bear in mind that chronic muscle tension consumes more energy and limits your mobility.

Odd Time Signatures Are For Advanced Players Only
Jazzers started exploring odd time signatures in earnest back in the 1950s. Early rock musicians followed a few years later. Other contemporary musicians quickly adopted the habit, and would throw in an occasional 5/4 or 7/8 tune or section. While bands like Tool and Meshuggah take it to an extreme, the average player is quite capable of playing odd time signatures.

Perfect Time Exists/Does Not Exist
There are drummers who don't display remarkable technical ability on the drum set, and yet they are snapped up by top musicians and demanding producers. Why? Impeccable time (and taste). If you've got great time, everything else is a bonus. Note that perfect time, like perfect pitch, is very rare. Most of us have to work at it.

Practicing With A Metronome Will Make You Mechanical
A standard in music education and practice for more than two-hundred years, the metronome marks out a tempo in strict time. Most professional musicians use a metronome to help them continually improve their time. There is no downside to playing good time.

With Clicks, Good Time Isn't Necessary For A Drummer Anymore
Nobody wants to have an actual metronome on stage, although a click track can be useful in some contexts. For the most part, musicians have only their own sense of time to keep things on track, and the better that sense, the better the resulting music will be. And no click required!

You Should Work Toward Being Proficient At As Many Different Styles As Possible
Are you a specialist or a generalist? I'm a generalist. I can play lots of things fairly convincingly, and that’s a sensible stance for a freelance musician. On the other hand, you may be a specialist. There are lots of great drummers who have a limited palette of styles but it serves their music perfectly, Joey Jordison being just one great example.

My Top Dozen (or so) Drum Set Exercises

The material on my music stand changes from time to time, but certain exercises remain and get a regular top-up. Below are the exercises I keep on my practice schedule and which I revisit regularly. Note that while slow practice yields better progress, you should also work toward playing at working tempo as you gain control. The exercises assume right handedness, but  feel free to reverse the stickings.

Note: I have prepared a summary of these exercises in standard and Berger notation. Email me if  you’d like to receive a PDF copy.

1-Minute Maintenance
Singles, doubles and buzz rolls all deteriorate fairly quickly, so add them to your schedule. Basic beats can also do with frequent review. I do a quick 1-minute review of at least one of the ‘basics’ every day. (In fact, I do most exercises for 1 minute and that seems to work for me.)

Left-Hand Lead Inverted Doubles
There are a number of forms that double strokes can take, but this one has a secondary benefit. Lead with your ‘weaker’ hand and accent the down beat “double forte” to help build a better relationship with your non-dominant side.

L R R L / L R R L / L R R L / L R R L

Speed Builder
Play single strokes on the snare but play 1 & 3 on a cymbal. The feet play in Cut Time
Target the down beats (1 & 3) by throwing the stick against the cymbal. Also practice leading with each hand.

Accents on Toms
This exercise helps with getting the limbs moving in a natural and relaxed manner, plus the rhythms are good fodder for fills and soloing. I use Ted Reed’s “Syncopation”, but any book that has similar exercises will work, and put the accents on the ‘nearest’ tom: R=FT, L=ST.

Buddy’s 3's
Buddy used this pattern a lot during solos and it’s a great exercise for developing single stroke speed and for nailing the relationship between 16th notes and 16th note triplets.

3-way Combinations

I picked up this trick from Claude Ranger and have expanded it by applying the concept to G.L. Stone’s “Stick Control”. Right hand strokes are played with the bass drum and ‘L’ strokes are played with  both hands, on the snare and floor tom, HH on 2 & 4.

More about Claude Ranger:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ranger-claude-emc
https://youtu.be/5HOSCWCwAHA

Doubles Between Snare & Bass vs. Ride Rhythm
These are good muscle builders and they also produce some pretty useful rhythms. Play the diddle variations between the bass drum and snare while keeping a steady ride, 2 & 4 on the hi-hat.

Paradiddles Between Snare & Toms
Place one of the single strokes of a paradiddle on the ‘nearest’ tom (i.e. right hand strokes on the floor tom, left hand strokes on the mounted tom) and the remainder on the snare. Also apply two strokes on toms. Finally, put the doubles on toms.

Tony’s Warm-Up
Play single stroke 16th notes and switch to double strokes, also 16th notes. And repeat. Be sure to lead with either hand.

RLRL RLRL RLRL RLRL |  RRLL RRLL RRLL RRLL  | etc.

Diddles a la Billy Cobham
This is a good way to refine your double strokes. Using a book such as Ted Reed’s Syncopation, take the accented exercises and play a diddle for each accented note. This helps develop speed, dexterity and control ... and they sound pretty cool.

Half Diddles
This idea was inspired by David Garibaldi. The figures are actually the four Single Paradiddle forms, but with one stroke missing, and played between the snare and bass drum against a ride rhythm. The figures can be played with either a rock or a swing feel.

Quads
These are great for developing a better relationship with your limbs. The exercise consists of one stroke with each limb in various sequences: LH RH RF LF /  LH LF RH RF / RH LF LH RF  etc.

Tony’s Fusion Tom Work-out
Best done on a “fusion kit” (2 up, 1 down), these exercises are great for getting around the set and also for developing a more musical palate. Play a short figure (e.g. 2 8th notes) on each drum and go around the set playing the figure once on each drum. The principle can be applied to any sort of pattern. 

Bonus Tip: I like to practice stickings with a Cut Time foot pattern. That is, play “1” on the bass drum and “3” on the  hi-hat. You can then use your feet as targets for your hands.


Picture Credit: 1371580 © William Berry,  Dreamstime.com