So Call Me A Control Freak …

I'm usually pretty laid back, but when it comes to the drums I'm all about control. That's because control is how we, uh, control things. Control of the sticks is both physical and mental, and when practicing I try to involve anything that will help me focus on and control what I’m doing. Greater focus leads to greater control and greater control leads to better technique. If find myself getting mentally lazy, remembering any of the following can snap me back from wherever I may have drifted off to.

Speed Limits
One of the easiest ways to engage the brain more is to play slowly, very slowly. In my early days of training, I could have set my metronome permanently to 60 bpm. It was a heck of a challenge at first, but it became easier soon enough. A bonus is that I now love diving into slow tempos.

Simplify
I like to KISS -- Keep It Short and Simple -- as much as possible. Most of what I practice is 4-way, but I often drop one, two or even three elements if it will help me to focus better on my moves.

Dynamics, Accents etc.
One of my favourite exercises comes from Tomas Lang. He recommends that you vary the volume of each component one at a time as you’re working on the full program. Accents are also a good way of directing your attention to your moves. I like to play accents on a tom or cymbal to make them more obvious.

Body Movements
Be Aware. I’ve found that a single move or variation in body position can enhance or degrade my practice. I like to focus on each body part, for example, foot, ankle, calf rather than just the pedal and bass drum.

Switching Gear
This is something we have to do all the time, so I make sure I can get into and out of the things I’m working. If I’m playing a complex pattern and think I’ve got control over it, I’ll do a simple fill. I often find that getting back into the pattern smoothly is not a given.

Watch and Learn
Focusing on the visual aspect of your playing can reveal all sorts of things. Many drummers advocate practicing in front of a mirror. That way they can get a better view of how their hands and arms are moving. Or make videos of yourself practicing and playing, and then analyze the your movements.

Encoding
We don’t often think about how our brains are capturing and processing information. I like to recruit as many resources as possible to give the brain lots to work with. You can see your  movements, and you can feel them through your proprioceptive nervous system. You can hear the sounds you're making. If you can read drum notation, then you can add this visual component to your encoding. I like to visualize the sticking, the notation or both to help keep me on track and to add yet another dimension to my encoding.