A curious exercise to test the balance of your hands and fingers

[London Prophet]

make of it what you will...

You need to hold your stick with your hand upside down, so your thumb is underneath and your fingers rest along the top of the shaft. The stick should be pointing out away from you and your hands should be in the same position as if you were going to eat a very wide but thin burger.

Play notes on the hi-hat by pressing your fingers down from the top. Now start doing paradiddles between your forefinger and middle finger, then middle finger and ring finger, etc etc. Harder than you might think.

[MatthewMeredith]

I don't get it...

[Win A Rabbit]

i don't either. diagrams possibly?

[London Prophet]

I apologise in advance for my abilities on paint:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/londonprophet/handsthing.jpg

Paradiddles between fingers 1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 4, 2 and 3 etc. Both hands together.

[MXicanDrummer]

???
Point

[Win A Rabbit]

maybe it's just me, but that's not difficult at all.

[derryk]

maybe it's just me, but i don't see a point..

[White]

not to hard, takes some getting used to. Im sure it could help in time I just on't know how lol.

[moogoogaipan]

make of it what you will...

You need to hold your stick with your hand upside down, so your thumb is underneath and your fingers rest along the top of the shaft. The stick should be pointing out away from you and your hands should be in the same position as if you were going to eat a very wide but thin burger.

Play notes on the hi-hat by pressing your fingers down from the top. Now start doing paradiddles between your forefinger and middle finger, then middle finger and ring finger, etc etc. Harder than you might think.

This isn't new you know?

[London Prophet]

This isn't new you know?

Did i say it was?

[Cocaberry]

I don't get it either. What's the point? Why would someone do this exercise?

[Jezen]

Possibly to ensure they have a good fulcrum point on the stick, meaning when playing you are letting the stick do the work for you.

[moogoogaipan]

Did i say it was?
beats me... I don't care

[Tyler3295]

...is kinda pointless

[Josiah]

Practice how many controled bounces you can get from a single stroke. That'll test the balence of your hands/fulcrum.

[London Prophet]

It was an interesting rather than practical exercise, not something I would ever do regularly.

I mean if you're just practising control then, as Josiah said, try for a lot fo controlled bounced. Triples are also good (RRRLLLRRRLLL).

[FullMoon]

i get the point but its kinda stupid but it helped me get a little more indepence some how

[some jive turkey]

nah, I'll just stick to playing the drums.

[Music rockS]

Its a finger control excercise. I dont know if it works, but that is what it is supposed to be. And if you guys dont get that....

By manipulating your hands and sticks so that ONLY your lesser used fingers will do the work, you create better finger control. Better finger control = better playing.

[Josiah]

"Better finger control = better playing."

Not really. The fingers are really the last on the line of need be isolated and practiced things.. if you don't have all the other stuff in front of that. Odd's are it will be detrimental to your playing to work on finger only stuff. You start to use them more then they should be... because you didn't have the other stuff down first.

See a LOT of people on these boards going after finger technique when they are lacking the basic mastery of a rebound stroke.

[Music rockS]

But would it not be that if you can develope good rebound strokes, than apply finger tehcnnique, there is the potential for much long, tighter, dynamic rolls?