32nd notes

[Riding The Short Bus]

This is more of a practice tip than a lesson, but I figured I would throw it out there. I have wondered how to practice 32nd and play 32nd notes for a while. The best way I have found to do it, is count 16ths notes on your right hand, but still alternate rlrl.

Basically:

1..e..+..a..2.e..+..a..3..e..+..a..4..e..+..a
r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l r l

Note: I could not get the spacing right, the dots mean nothing. Look at the count. "r" should line up on all of the 16ths with "l" in between making them 32nd notes. That is the best visual I could get.

The way I practice them is start off with really slow quarter notes (I just recently started practicing this way, always start out slow) then go to eights, followed by sixteenths (alternate sticking for this) than do 32nds (do the pattern above) than do the same in reverse order. Also practice start the 32nd's on different counts. Example play 16ths up until the second beat, than play 32nds to finish out the measure. Or play 1e+a2e+a3e+a and than finish out with 32nds. The main thing is to not practice the same routine so much that you get locked into only being able to them that way. Once you get it down at a slow speed, go a little bit faster. Keep doing this until you can play them at a speed you would want to in a song.

That is the only way that I have found to count 32nds notes, other than actually counting them as 32nd notes. As this was my first lesson I would appreciate any constructive criticism on how to better present my ideas in the future. Hope this helps, and if I left anything out please feel free to fill it in, or correct me if need be.

[tapioca]

The way I count 32nds is also by counting/feeling 16ths. however, I rather count them in a 'double-time' feel (as opposed to half-time). this means I imagine 32nds to be 16ths, just twice as fast. so I'd be counting 1e+a2e+a for the first quarter note, except that I do not count them (I rather sing them, like "dagadaga").

also why avoid fivelets and sevenlets? it may be hard in the beginning but with time (within a month) you'll get used to the feel. (judging the sound I find them to be very similar to triplets.) I use that exercise to practice my singles/warmup, going from quarter notes up to 32nds with playing all the subdivisions within.
I'd recommend to play in different dynamics as well, going from quiet to loud and vice versa.

[Det_Nosnip]

Yeah, I do the same Tapioca. The best way to master any subdivision is to practice it ridiculously slow where you can literally feel every note.