1 or 2 Books Ontop of Rudiments etc?

[Retarded Chipple]

I am currently working on Stick Control/rudiments, the Art of Bop Drumming and the stuff my teacher gives me. I also have New Breed but haven't started it yet.

Should I start going through New Breed on top of everything else or should I finish Art of Bop Drumming first so I can really concentrate on each book individually rather than a little of both at the same time? Stick Control/rudiments and my lesson practice are something that are always going to be in my practice schedule. I'm wondering if I should go through 2 books or 1 in addition.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of working through lots of things at once?

Thank you!


ATM my drumming is kinda worked out like this:

Monday: Lesson exercises + Stick Control (revised)

Tuesday: Art of Bop Drumming

Wednesday: Drum lessons + Stick control or rudiments

Thursday: Lesson exercises

Friday: Art of Bop Drumming

Saturday: Free to practice anything

Sunday: Band Practice


Should I keep this or try and fit New Breed in there too?

[Josiah]

I think those kind of practice plans are the worst really. They lead to boredom and are not very efficient.

Here's what you do -

Take your time alloted daily forpractice.

Take all the things you want to practice, including freeplay (very important).

Given you have 1 hour everyday to practice, and 5 things to practice:

For you here I have:

Lesson stuff
StickControl
Rudiments
Art of Bop
Free Play


These are your 5 modules.
For every hour a day you practice, go through at least 3 modules, never the same 3 in the same order. If you find your mind drifts or you become distracted, take a short break (1-3)mins and move to the next module, or a different one. At the end of each practice session spend a fw mins free playign and incorperating the ideas you have worked on or learned. Nothing too forced here, just let stuff flow.

[Retarded Chipple]

Oh, kinda like a little and often approach?

So it'd look kinda like...

Monday: 20 mins of lesson stuff, 20 mins of Art of Bop then 20 mins of free play

Tuesday: 20 mins of Stick control, 20 mins of lesson stuff and 20 mins of free play

etc for the rest of the week

Something like that? I try to get like 2-3 hours of practice a day, including free play. Would it be better to cut it down to an hour or add extra modules in i.e. New Breed?

[Josiah]

Exactly, I would try for at least 3 per day if you have 5-6 'modules' to choose from.


Little and often is far better for human learning then large and not as. That's mentally speaking, it's twice as much true for physically, muscle memory.

[Retarded Chipple]

Exactly, I would try for at least 3 per day if you have 5-6 'modules' to choose from.


Little and often is far better for human learning then large and not as. That's mentally speaking, it's twice as much true for physically, muscle memory.

Thats amazing. Thanks a lot man, great help! I'm assuming you'd advise on starting New Breed as a module now as currently I only have like 4 things to work on. Maybe even buying/starting another book too?

[Josiah]

Sure.

Or just allocate time to things like, your technique, time, just closed rolls, just buzz's, just cross sticking, hybrid ruidments, learning a snare solo, a cadence, orchstrating that cadence for the kit..etc

the possibilities are incredible, don't feel you need a book to learn. Your mind is the most powerful tool you have, learn how to teach yourself and learn and be creative.

[Retarded Chipple]

Sure.

Or just allocate time to things like, your technique, time, just closed rolls, just buzz's, just cross sticking, hybrid ruidments, learning a snare solo, a cadence, orchstrating that cadence for the kit..etc

the possibilities are incredible, don't feel you need a book to learn. Your mind is the most powerful tool you have, learn how to teach yourself and learn and be creative.

Yeah, if I "try" to get creative, nothing happens! It's something that randomly comes out of the blue.

So here is my new schedule taking your advice:

Monday:
Stick Control *revised
Art of Bop Drumming
Free play

Tuesday:
Lesson stuff
New Breed
Free play

Wednesday:
Drum lesson every fortnight (alternate with Art of Bop)
Stick Control
Free play

Thursday:
Lesson stuff
Learn a new song
Free play

Friday:
Art Of Bop Drumming
New Breed
Get creative with new concepts, ideas etc
Free Play

Saturday, if i feel like it, I need a social life after all:
New Breed
Rudiments
Lesson stuff
Free play

Sunday:
Band practice
If I have the energy, anything that takes my fancy when I come home!

*revised=going over the first few pages of Stick Control on my hands, feet then trading the exercise between limbs.

I've added learning a new song to my list as its something I've never actually worked on. Also some days hove more modules than others as I have more free time to practice.

[Retarded Chipple]

Bumpage...

Been practing like this the past few days now and it doesn't feel right. 30 mins on each module doesn't feel like enough time for me to get my teeth stuck in and actually make any progress. Do you think I should keep at it or is it a case of "what works for one person may not work for another"?

[Josiah]

Depends how you are approaching things. The idea is not to have a rigid practice routine you must follow.
But to give yourself flexibility in learning.

You may nesd to adjust things and find what works ebst for you. The concept of a lil everyday vs a lot less often is proven for learning. It's a matter of application.

Depends how you are practicing too, 30 minutes is a long time to work on just 1 thing in concentrated practice.

Areyou marking your progress in thebooks, etc? seeing progress?

[CARMEN77]

I have a similar scehdule but I usually play from the same books everyday and I see signifcant progress from day to day let alot week to week.

1.Usually warm up with stick control, 1 new collum a week or until I can play each "exersise" perfectly.
2. 45min of new breed
3. Trade RRRR LLLL at 100 bpm for about 30min sometimes 45-1 hour.
4. 4 way coordination or advanced technquie 30min.
5. Stick control at 60bpm for double bass.
6. Lots of free play.

[Josiah]

3. Trade RRRR LLLL at 100 bpm for about 30min sometimes 45-1 hour.



There's a lot more benificial things you could do for that time then that.

[CARMEN77]

my teacher recommended I do that for some reason haha.

Usually do it infront of the tube.

[Josiah]

.. that's even worse.

There's a myriad of far better things to do then 4 on a hand, esspeccially with no concentration or change to it all.

Normally when you practice something, it's with a specific goal in mind at improving 'X' function.

Spend that time going through the 40 rudiments, keeping accents big and everything else small. Or/And while doing that, moving the accent(s) through all the possible positions in the given rudiment.

At least do 8 on a hand with dynamic change, cresendo each 8, from 1" tap to 13" stroke. or decresendo each, 13" stroke to 1" tap.

[CARMEN77]

thanks ill take that into consideration.

It might not be the best exersise but it has improved my chops. Im not the most skilled player so the exersise is rather difficult to keep going for a long period of time. I also do it with marching sticks if that makes a diffrence.

[Retarded Chipple]

Depends how you are approaching things. The idea is not to have a rigid practice routine you must follow.
But to give yourself flexibility in learning.

You may nesd to adjust things and find what works ebst for you. The concept of a lil everyday vs a lot less often is proven for learning. It's a matter of application.

Depends how you are practicing too, 30 minutes is a long time to work on just 1 thing in concentrated practice.

Areyou marking your progress in thebooks, etc? seeing progress?

Well I've been practicing each module for about 30 minutes each. Like 30 minutes on New Breed, then 30 minutes on lesson material and it just don't seem like its long enough to make any progress and really get into it.

I'm not marking my progress down, how would I go about it?

Also, what are your views on practicing with the TV on in the background?

[Josiah]

I encourage people to make notes in their books. Tempo markings, maybe a lil note about something that was particuarly difficult over others, etc

It's always interesting the concentration level of different people. Some people had sat with me while practice rudiments, and are toast after a few mins. I like to hit things hard and intense. No matter what it is.

You really gotta push yourself, mentally and physically. If you don't push your self forward, then you'll just kind of meander around and 'sorta' get better. Push a little bit everyday, and the body gets used to it and progresses faster, learns faster and gets better faster.

Stuff should be hard, like making you sweat after a few mins hard, from mental effort. If it's easy, then make it harder. Either by making every note perfect, or striving too, or changing the tempo, slower or faster. Making the rhythms more complex, etc

After 30 mins of rudimental/pad practice your forearms should be sore or feelin it in a big way at least.


Personally, I don't count it as practice if a TV is on. Most people go "it's easier to concentrate with something in the background.."

Wich is true, but it's not true. It's easier for people to 'concentrate', but really that isn't true. It's easier for them to focus on something how they feel comfortable doing it.
Most people, when brought to bear on a single need for conctration, in the proper envoirnment, get very uncomfortable. People are used to active and multiple stimuli, it's the comfortable surrounding. Lotta folks have issues focusing on just one thing.

Envoirnments are great. For drummers, you should have your own little place of comfort to practice. Rudiment and drumming posters, sticks around, etc.. but no distractions.

[Retarded Chipple]

Hmm, maybe thats where I'm going wrong...when I get something that really challenges me, I stick at it until I properly nail it and am satisfied with it. Maybe why only getting 15-30 minutes into the challenge doesn't feel right. I believe what you're saying though and will continue to use your approach...hopefully I'll get used to it!

It's weird, I sat at my pad for 4 hours once, just going through Stick Control. I didn't actually progress that much either!!! I really need to improve my concentration though. I'm talking actual focusedness. Every time I play my mind wanders. I'll be sat doing a paradiddle and I'll be focused for about 2 bars, then I'll think "hmm, that was embarresing that time I dropped my sticks during a show." Its really annoying as I can never count how many bars I've played when reading or playing with my band etc

[Josiah]

It's weird, I sat at my pad for 4 hours once, just going through Stick Control. I didn't actually progress that much either!!! I really need to improve my concentration though. I'm talking actual focusedness. Every time I play my mind wanders. I'll be sat doing a paradiddle and I'll be focused for about 2 bars, then I'll think "hmm, that was embarresing that time I dropped my sticks during a show." Its really annoying as I can never count how many bars I've played when reading or playing with my band etc


Ahhh ok ok. See that is exactly it.

You have to develop that kind of concentration, it's a skill that's learned. So by working on it everyday, you will get better.

You can get a lot out of just 10 mins of practice time. It's simply a matter of approach.


As you say, people can idle through stick control for pages on end... did they practice it? Sure, to an extent. Did they progress? No, not really.

Once you can understand the difference, and apply it. You'll really start to soar.


It's not so much what you practice, as how you practice. With the time you have, and the materials presented. You could be a drum god in a years time easily. Simply a matter of application and concentration.

[Retarded Chipple]

How do you develop proper concentration though?

Looking back on a previous post you say you make your forearms hurt after like 30 minutes etc. I thought you meant "make yourself sweat" as in get stuck into the challenging exercises straight away. What affect does this have, like hitting harder etc?

[Josiah]

Well just by concentrating, forcing yourself too.

The forearms comment was for anything chops related really. If you want to improve your hands, you gotta push your hands. If you arent' feeling it, then you aren't pushing it.
Doesn't mean hitting harder, just more and better. Though in many cases harder because most people don't put enough energy into the intial stroke to realistically expect to be able to do particular things with it.
It does take a particular amount of force to generate a particular amount of notes. That's pretty set in stone.

For other things, where it's not as much just hacking out muscular practice (movement) but thigns that require mental concentration. It's the same thing, you want to push it, and so that takes effort - in those cases. Mentally. You must concentrate on each note, reading, the independance, etc

[Retarded Chipple]

Sorry dude, I'm a little confused as to what you're getting at. You're saying that the best way to improve is to practice in short bursts as you'll be more focussed...I get that but the whole pushing yourself thing is beyond me. I understand about pushing yourself in a sense of reaching a target etc but the "if you aint feeling it, you aint pushing it approach" has left me a little confused...

sorry for being a little slow

[Josiah]

Ah well keep in mind. It's short and more often vs longer and less often that is the best.
15 mins a day will learn you much faster then 1 hour every 2 days. ODd as it seem.

Hmm ever play sports? Soccer? Football? etc.. I played sports so it's easier for me to relate things that way. It's dropping intot hat bigger/knarlier wave then the last. Or running that drill a lil faster then the last. Or putting the long pass a bit more acruate then the last.

There is a limit of your abbilities, in every area. And within those outter limits, are inner limits. Those are the places your are comfortable with. Make sense?
Then there is what you play, wich is generally the lowest point.

See now we have 3 distinct markers. What you play (generally in front of others), what you are comfortable with on your own, and your absolute limits.

It's very common for someone to work on something, really nail it in their practice space, and blow it infront of a instructor or others. That is exactly what the "comfort" limit is. You can play 'X', on your own. And it feels good, you are confident, but it's just not quite there so you can nail it in front of others.
There is where you stretch out even, beyond that, where you get uncomrfotable, and mess up a lot. You try and reach beyond the limits of your abbilities.

Odds are greatly there are ideas running through your head you can not play, and in attempting to want to maifest your ideas into reality, is a key drive for getting better.


Lets take PataFlaFla's for example -

Now I bet you can play them pretty friggin good at say, 56 bpm. But as we increase the tempo.. quality drops off. Now, at 80pm, it's really not that much faster. But it might seem so, and it might feel so.
But that feeling is not a physical limit. Your hands can play FAR better then your mind can make them. They just have never done that motion, and so need to learn it.


You should be able to feel things, as you increase tempo, stick hieghts or work for cleaness, you can feel yourself pushing or pulling the notes in order to get them where you want.
It's in those differences of movement you'll get soreness or such. Mental effort as you will, because you have to concentrate, it's not ingrained, because it's new.

[Retarded Chipple]

Got ya! Thank you very much Josiah, incredibly great help!!!!