As some of you may know, I've been working on a book on drumset technique. In a world of pedagogy filled with a multitude of technical study materials why in the world do we need another person giving another perspective on the subject?
I would hope whenever it is completed that it can add value to some people because of the way I'm approaching the topic
I am writing the book with a few things in mind
Being naturally very uncoordinated and definitely not born with fast twitch muscles, I can only perform the way that I do because I've had to make the absolute best of what I had. I think the material might be helpful to the student who like me, is not a prodigy, but has a basic amount of ability and a lot of drive
I'm trying my best to put into words what i am feeling internally in my body and in my heart and mind when I am trying to work on my technique for musical expression and I find that the written word works better than a youtube video for this
Not enough has been said about how to connect technical studies to the end goal of PLAYING MUSIC - and I hope through being methodical about my own personal process it can help some people who are currently struggling with the same issues I have in the past
Just today I was having a conversation with a great drummer friend who was asking on advise on how to get through mental blocks in a performance setting, and I thought this little excerpt might be helpful. I definitely hope you do.
Hearing Rudiments As Melodies
It is important to understand that while rudiments are fundamental technical exercises, they are also the fundamental vocabulary of expression on the drumset.
I find it helpful to understand that each rudiment is like a word in a language. True mastery of any language requires the complete understanding and recognition of the sound of the word, but also requires that the communicator understands how the same word can have different meanings when used in different contexts and when spoken with different inflections.
The more the student is able to transmute a sticking into a SOUND in his inner ear, the highest the likelihood that his inner ear will be able to tell his hands what to execute in a performance setting without any blockage between the conception and execution of a musical thought.
This is more of a conceptual chapter than a technical one, and seeks to address how and what we should be paying attention to when working on technique.
To illustrate my point, we will again go back to using the Single Paradiddle as an example.
It is a misnomer that the drumset is not a melodic instrument. All instruments HAVE to be melodic as melody is defined as a single musical line. While the instrument may not be a fixed pitch instrument, inflection and articulation can contribute to the paradiddle being used to create a complete melodic line, even when executed on a single surface like a snare drum.
Depending on where the accent is placed, different melodic lines can be formed using the paradiddle. Each accent set requires for a different set up upstrokes and downstrokes for articulation to be achieved
(R) L R R (L) R L L
R (L) R R L (R) L L
R L (R) R L R (L) L
R L R (R) L R L (L)
Notes in ( ) = Accented Notes
If we listen the sound of the complete set of eight notes in a paradiddle, we understand that each line is a unique melodic structure, even though the sticking is exactly the same.
ONE OF THE KEYS TO PRACTICING AND ATTAINING STRONGER TECHNIQUE IS BUILDING AN EXTREMELY STRONG MIND BODY CONNECTION
The end result should be that the student should be able to hear in his mind’s ear the whole melodic line of whichever of the 4 variations of the paradiddle he wishes to execute, and the SOUND in his mind’s ear should be strong enough to tell his body instinctively what to do to execute the SOUND.
So many students forget this very important part of practicing. In the haste to check off finishing technical exercises and moving on to the next, we forget the whole purpose of doing these things in the first place. The whole purpose of practicing is to be able to increase our level of comfort when performing and to increase our realm of mastery so that we are able to effortless execute whatever it is that we HEAR in our mind’s ear. But we can’t HEAR what we’ve never listened to and I meet so many drummers who don’t even LISTEN to themselves when they’re practicing.
Please let me be clear - they way we perform is a direct result of how we practice. Can you imagine speaking to a person who can speak very fast, but does not know the meaning of anything he is saying, does not know how loudly or softly he is speaking and basically has no control over what is coming out of his mouth?
Well if we practice without understanding that we’re simply trying to build a connection between a MUSICAL THOUGHT and a PHYSICAL EXECUTION and we focus only on the PHYSICAL EXECUTION, then we can completely forget about playing music.
I find there are a few stages in connecting any new technical study towards a true melodic understanding and they are :
Attempting to execute the mere movements (much akin to a baby gurgling when trying to form its first word - there is intent to execute but no success yet)
Being able to execute the movements, but with much mental effort (like a person who has learnt a word in a language and is trying to use it for the first time, he can do it, but it takes so much effort to put it in a sentence that he can’t really be focused on the conversation)
Being able to execute the movements, with less mental effort but not yet having connected the movements to an musical thought and an emotional connection (a person who knows a word and can speak it, but hasn’t really found a way to use it in in many contexts yet. He may be able to put the word into a sentence, but is not yet at a point where he has attained the comfort with the vocabulary to be able to truly express 100% of what he means to say
Being completely fluent with the movements and all the different permutations (now the person is completely fluent with the word and can express himself using this word)
Being completely fluent with the movements, and all the different permutations, and the SOUND QUALITY of every single note that is produced that even playing the rudiment in the simplest permutation will have a profound effect
The idea of learning the rudiments as individual melodic lines gets extended when we start splitting the rudiment across two surfaces. Moving the right hand to the floor tom and keeping the left hand on the snare creates a melodic line with two different fixed pitches. If we name the floor tom sound (Low) and the snare sound (High) we get
(Low) (High) (Low) (Low) (High) (Low) (High) (High)
Depending on where we place those accents we may get (accented notes will be bold
(Low) (High) (Low) (Low) (High) (Low) (High) (High)
Or
(Low) (High) (Low) (Low) (High) (Low) (High) (High)
Honestly the possibilities are quite endless as this example involves each hand staying on its own surface for the duration of the paradiddle. We can also have the hands move across different drums during different notes of the paradiddles, which then creates melodic lines with multiple tones and accent melodic possibilities.
It is very important that the student understands this concept - Just because he can EXECUTE a melodic line with a high note and a low note by simply moving his right hand to the floor tom and keeping the left hand on the snare drum, it does not mean that he can actually HEAR FIRST in his mind’s ear what it is that he is doing.
The drummer that needs to hear the notes on the drumset after he plays them to know what they sound like is always going to play music the way a person who doesn’t know what he is saying speaks.
All music is a reflection of what we internally hear first BEFORE we transmute that sound into and through the instrument. If we hear nothing before we move our hands, then the notes we play will reflect that. We will truly only be hitting things aimlessly with no control or intent to create or communicate anything of beauty.
It is for this reason that i advocate that students really give themselves the time to learn not just the technical execution of anything that they are trying to do, but to also give their minds hearts and ears the time to really form an emotional connection what whatever it is that they are trying to learn. I find that once this is truly formed the student almost never has to revisit the material and will be able to execute the material at will in a performance setting because it has become as natural to the student as breathing.
I find taking the time to thoroughly learn each melodic possibility one at a time to be worth it because I find the most efficient way to practice anything is to do it to a point where I never have to practice is again.
I hope this way of thinking of practicing helps you frame your own thoughts for your practice - we don’t need to know a lot of words to communicate profoundly. We just need to have a deep meaningful connection with every single thing we say.
All My Best,
Wen