Key Notes to Understand :
In what i refer to as "strict" snare drum technique, there are only 2 possible starting positions for each stroke
DOWN POSITION : STICK TIP IS LESS THAN 1 INCH ABOVE THE DRUMHEAD
UP POSITION : STICK TIP IS 90 DEGREES AWAY FROM DRUMHEAD
There are also only 2 possible ending positions for each stroke, which are the same as the first two starting positions
This leaves us with 4 Possible Strokes that can Occur :
Full Stroke - Starting Position (Up) , Ending Position (Up)
Down Stroke - Starting Position (Up), Ending Position (Down)
Up Stroke - Starting Position (Down), Ending Position (Up)
Tap Stroke - Starting Position (Down), Ending Position (Down)
Upon closer examination, we can find that all rudiments or movements on the drumset are made up of variations of these strokes. In strict snare drum technique, it is important that
.Each note of each rudiment is defined as one of the 4 possible strokes
.Only one hand moves at one time, unless the rudiment involves a flam
.All accented notes start from an up position, and all unaccented notes start from a down position
Why is the understanding and application of strict snare drum technique to learning rudiments/drumset so important?
SPEED AND TECHNICAL ABILITY IS 1% PHYSICAL ABILITY AND 99 PERCENT MANAGING THE DISTANCES OF THE DRUMSTICK TIP FROM THE DRUMHEAD
Let's examine the paradiddle.
The Classic Paradiddle. All accented notes are to be played from the up position, all non accented notes are to be played from the down position.
Let's move on to examine closely each of the eight notes of the paradiddle, and why it is important to use strict snare drum technique to maximise efficiency of motion.
The First Stroke : An accented right hand stroke (next right hand stroke is non accepted)
As the first right hand stroke is an accented note, followed by a non accented note the next time the right hand plays, by definition the stick should start at the up position and end up at the down position by the time the first stroke has ended. This by definition is a DOWNSTROKE
(It is here that i have to explain a personal belief about drumset technique - drumset technique is not about maximising rebound all the time which is a misconception that many have come to. Rather, it is the MANAGING of rebound to maximum effect to get the required result. Many who have the wrong idea that drumming is all about maximising rebound practice only rebound strokes, where the sticks start and end up at the same position. This way of practicing will only address Full Strokes (Start at Up, end at Up) or Tap Strokes (Start at Down, end at Down) and will not teach the student the other very important strokes such as the upstroke and the downstroke. Without a true understanding of the upstroke and the downstroke, the student is left with a lopsided approach to hand technique which fails to address two key points :
when an accented note follows a non accented note in the same hand, it requires the performer to make a stroke on the drum from the down position and PICK UP the stick immediately to the up position to get ready for the next accented note. Physics simply does not allow for the use of rebound in this instance because there is not enough force in the non accented note to result in a rebound that will push the stick up to the up position. Thus the performer has to learn to SNAP THE WRIST UP to get the stick to move up. There is simply no alternative in this instance. This is called an UPSTROKE.
When an non accented note follows an accented note in the same hand, it requires the performer to make a stroke on the drum form the up position and apply a SPLIT SECOND OF TENSION in the hand to hold the stick down and not allow the stick to rebound up past the down position of 1 inch of the drum. Allowing the stick to rebound anywhere past 1 inch of the drum is a waste of motion as the performer then as to move the stick BACK into position to play an unaccented stroke. Performing this stroke correctly, starting from an UP position and ending in a DOWN position, is called a DOWNSTROKE.
In 99 percent of musical situations, all musical articulations at all speeds required can actually be performed by the correct applications of these 4 strokes. Other motions such as push pull, moeller, finger technique and whatever other techniques are not without merit, but it is my personal belief that these additional techniques will only enhance the performer's approach when he as a firm grasp of the 4 fundamental strokes of strict snare drum technique. Conversely, the application of these additional techniques, without the understanding of the 4 strokes will only lead to a lopsided approach to technique where speed potentially can be achieved but it will be achieved without maximum CONTROL AND ARTICULATION - which in turn leads to a performer that does not have the ability to fully express himself on the drumset).
Ok, rant done. Let's move on to completing this lesson. We were talking about the first stroke of the paradiddle, an accented right, which will be followed by a non accented note the next time the right hand plays. Thus in preparation for the next note being a non accented note (which starts from a DOWN position), we would use a DOWNSTROKE.
Why is this SO important? Because drumset technique has almost nothing to do with physical gifts. Yes, if you want to be the winner of the world's fastest drummer contest, you might need to have some super fast twitch muscles, but for the vast majority of musical applications i can promise that if you master and understand this technique, you should be able to be fast enough. Not just that, you should feel completely in control of your dynamic expression which is the difference between someone who plays the drums, and someone who plays music (but that's another lesson).
The red arrow shows all the potential for wasted motion when either the rebound of the stick is mismanaged, or the stick is not pulled up in time. For example, if the first stroke was played as a full stroke instead of a downstroke, the performer would have to work TWICE as hard to move the stick back into the DOWN position to prepare for the next unaccented note. Whereas if he played a downstroke, by the time he finished the first note of the paradiddle, he would already be in position for the second note with no additional effort. What's most important is that he would already in position WAY IN ADVANCE of the next note as the passage of time goes by.
The next note in the paradiddle is a non accented left hand note, and the next time the left hand plays a note it will be an accented note. Thus, the left hand starts at a DOWN position, and has to end the stroke in an UP position because it needs to be ready to play an accented note when it next moves. The most efficient way to do this is to play an upstroke where immediately after playing the unaccented note from the down position, the performer has to PHYSICALLY PICK UP the stick using the hand to prepare for the next stroke. The beauty of this is that if the performer is aware that he is playing the upstroke he actually has the duration of time of the next two right hand notes in the paradiddle to get the left hand ready for the next accented note.
How does this differ from how the non aware performer plays the paradiddle? In most cases, once we get to the first left hand note, the non aware performer correctly starts from the down position, but doesn't work to pick up the stick until the 4th note of the paradiddle has ended. This means that instead of using an upstroke, which gives the performer the time and space of 2 right hand notes to pull up the left hand from a down position to an up position, the performer instead has to pull UP the stick and push it back DOWN from an UP Position in the split second with no time to prepare the stroke at all.
It sounds very technical, but in truth almost all technical problems that drummers face can be solved if we simply SLOW DOWN and examine exactly what it is that we're doing. An awareness of these 4 strokes, and how they apply to what we do and a thorough examination and application of this process of defining each movement will lead to breakthroughs in technical execution and musical expression and articulation.
Key Points :
When examining any rudiment/movement using this process, do it SLOWLY. I recommend nothing faster than 40 bpm
Don't cheat, DEFINE EVERY STROKE. The Down position starts from no more than an inch above the drumhead. the Up position starts at a 90 degree position from the drumhead. There is no in between when you are practicing this slowly to reexamine your movements
As you speed up the rudiment, of course the movements become smaller and you might not be able to pick up the stick to 90 degrees. But if you move metronome markings up very slowly, you should see that naturally your hands have become more efficient BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AND WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO MOVE TO AT ANY ONE TIME
Past a certain speed point, the "strictness" of the down up technique will disappear in the motion of the technique. However, remember that it is always present if you are playing efficiently, just that it might not be apparent to your eyes. Just because a master martial artist looks like he is punching in a straight line when he is moving lightning fast, does not eliminate the micro circular movements in his movements. Drum technique is the same - when you go faster the motion gets smaller but it does not change.
Now for YOUR homework - how would you define the next 6 strokes of the paradiddle?
All my Best,
Wen