Sometimes I surprise myself and end up playing new stuff without even knowing it. That’s why recording your practice session is so important. I actually had to sit down and transcribe my own playing. Turns out I ended up playing a, what I call, Inverted Half Time Shuffle variation. Here’s the video from my practice…More
Tag Archives: drum practice
Leaving Space Grooves
In the age of flashy YouTube and Instagram drumming stars it’s easy to forget that it’s surprisingly hard to play slow beats with lots of space between the notes. It makes sense to me: The more notes you pack into a beat, the easier it is to get away with sloppy placement or bad timing.…More
Bomba de Corazon
This quarantine has me practicing stuff that’s out of my comfort zone. Good. That’s the only way to grow and get better.More
Rates & 16th Note Variations
As a drum teacher I’ve noticed that one of the most difficult things for beginner drummers is to switch rates, e.g., to go from triplets to 16th notes, and moving between different 16th note variations. This short exercise is designed so you can play along with me (or the click only), get comfortable with counting,…More
Time Feel Exercise
This is great exercise to deepen your pulse and improve timing on the drums. I start playing a beat at the downbeat, then move it to the “e” of the beat, then the “+” and the “a.” I’m basically moving through the 16th note grid, using each 16th note as a new starting point. More
