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Music
is our universal language, and building a vocabulary
to communicate our ideas
is an essential step for all musicians. Included
in this article are some fundamental elements of percussion
we all use as players and writers. Mastering
these basics will help you organize your approach to
practice, soloing, and writing music. Be patient! Go
slow and gradually speed up when you feel comfortable. Use
a metronome and keep track of your tempo during all
practice sessions.
I. Basic Beat Patterns and
Accents
Develop a consistent motion in your
strokes. Establish a comfortable grip and relax
your fingers and hands. The natural reaction
is for the stick to rebound. Let it happen! Play
these at all dynamic levels.
II. Rhythmic Building Blocks
For Reading
Use the "natural sticking" method
(RLRL) to learn the Check Pattern and 14 Duple Variations. Go
slow at first! Tap your foot, and feel solid
downbeats. With consistent practice all syncopation
should feel natural.
III. Expanding the Building
Blocks
Let's use the 14 Duple Variations
to learn the basics of 32nd note roll sequencing. Just
add a double beat in the space of each rested 16th
note. Maintain the basic 16th note motion of
the sticks at all times.
IV. Rudiments
Every percussionist should learn
the 40 International Drum Rudiments. For your
convenience the Percussive Arts Society has compled
a simple 2 page handout with all 40 rudiments. Approach
the sticking patterns of each rudiment as a single,
double, or triple beat. This method is a great
tool for teaching and helps to reinforce the use of
the Basic Beat Patterns presented at the beginning
of this article. Good luck!
V. Musical Development
Now let's show you how to develop
some parts using the fundamentals presented so far. We'll
make use of the 14 Duple Variations, accents, unaccented
notes, rolls, and flams.
VI. Stone Control Patterns
George Lawrence Stone was one of
the great percussion educators of our time. Let's
borrow some ideas from his method and use them with
the Check Pattern. Just like rudiments, these
sticking patterns are combinations of single, double,
and triple beats. Concentrate on maintaining
a natural flow of the sticks by using the rebound. Play
these at all dynamic levels.
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