by Joshua Carruthers, Drum Instructor, Allegro School of Music
I have seen this a million times. A student struggles with a particular exercise, and after a bakers dozen or so attempts, they get one or two repetitions right. Then they look up at me with a face that says “Well, I’m did it! I’m done!”
Well, not really. You’ve only started to scratch the surface of what you will have to do to have the control, and the “muscle memory” to recall how to play this exercise with little premeditation or thought. Want to guess the reason why? You played it 6 or 7 times incorrectly, got it right twice and decided that was good enough. We all know math right? Did you get it right more times than you got it wrong? Does two times really seem like enough repetitions to get something down?
You ever hear the expression “repetition is the father of learning”? Some expressions stick around for a reason. And to learn something, no matter if it is drums, guitar, calculus, how to perfect your jump shot, repetition is key. Basically, you have to repeat things MANY times with attention to detail before you can do them without thinking too hard about them.
And this is not the most glorious fact about learning a musical instrument. You can sometimes go through WEEKS of working on the same groove before you can put it all together. You see these clips of drummers flying around the drum set and you get super inspired to play and go “Man I want to do that!” Only to realize it is not the instant gratification we hoped for.
What if, despite this delay in gratification, we still want to work on getting better to attain some of that ability that inspired us in the first place? Here are a few tips that have really helped me focus in on what I need to do.
1. Aim for Accuracy and Consistency, NOT speed
We all want to go fast! There is no shame in that. However, trying to play fast immediately upon picking up a pair of sticks is not the most efficient way of getting there. If you instead try to be accurate (playing the exercise correctly, as written) and consistent (many times in a row, with the same high quality in each repetition) you will gain CONTROL over what you are trying to do. And what is the most important thing we need to have over a beat, fill idea or phrase if we are going to play it fast? You guessed it! CONTROL!
2. Use a metronome
It might be hard to do if you are a beginner, or when you are learning something new or if the thing you are learning is very difficult. But metronomes are very useful in getting something to improve. Metronomes are devices that beep, click and count at a certain amount of beats per minute. They are meant to be used as a practice tool for musicians to improve their time, because a metronome’s time is virtually perfect, and our human time, is not.
Sometimes we may thing we have great time, and then we get with a metronome and we realize “Whoa, I’ve got some work to do”. Don’t be discouraged! While metronomes can be hard to play with in the beginning, they do wonders for your sense of time if you stick with it. If you are a beginner and you wish to introduce the metronome, start simple, maybe with single stroke 8th notes, or with a groove you can already play with some confidence. It might be tough at first, but it will drastically improve your sense of time if you stick with it.
3. Keep a timer Handy
Sometimes we don’t realize how difficult it is to play even something that is already within our ability for an extended period of time. Setting a timer forces you to play the same thing over and over again for a pre-determined period of time. Remember at the beginning when I said that students would play something 4 or 5 times and think they’re finished? Using a timer prevents this type of behavior. It makes us focus on an exercise for a given amount of time. I recommend 2-5 minutes, depending on the attention span of the student, even working up to 10 minutes can be a good thing to aspire to. I use these markers because if you think about the average length of a song, it generally clocks in anywhere from 3-5 minutes. Since our goal is to be able to play music, I’d say being able to play an exercise for the duration of the average song is a good place to start.
4. Look at what you are playing
I know, this one seems like a no brainer, but sometimes we can often forget really simple stuff. I mean you’re using your hands and feet all at once. You are working on something unfamiliar, and trying to read it at the same time. When there is a lot happening at once, we tend to let things slide a little without realizing, like actually looking at what we are playing. When you are first familiarizing yourself with an exercise, try to not look away from the page while you are working it up. This will help you execute it with more consistency, and you will also know right away if you are playing it correctly or not.
5. Count!
It always seems when I ask my students to count as they play, they take it as a sort of patronizing request. “Ok kiddos! Let’s count this one out loud together!”. In actuality, counting while practicing is a useful tool. It actually keeps us honest when we’re working on something. In terms of drumming, I’ve heard it referred to as “the 5th limb” because it is adding a vocal coordination challenge in addition to using both your hands and feet.
When we count out loud, instead of in our heads, we are forced to be more conscious of what we are doing. If we only count in our heads, our minds can wander, and we can make mistakes and before you know it, we are playing something incorrectly again because we weren’t conscious of what we are doing. I myself, still count out loud when working on things, especially something that I find difficult, because it reins me in and helps me focus on what I am playing, and where in time I am playing it.
6. Breathe…… and Relax!
Since we have a lot going on a once, and we can let the obvious slide as I stated tip number five, this warrants being addressed. When there is a lot happening, we can forget to do seemingly simple stuff, like look at what we are playing, relax, and oh yeah, breathe, the thing we need to do to survive! Breathing correctly can help address issues, like easing tension we have in our bodies (hands, shoulders, etc…), it can also help to address things like rushing the tempo. Us drummers do this a lot with fills. “Oh, here is comes!!” And we take a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig breath in……..and hold it until we are done with the fill. Our bodies are designed to want to breathe. So if we are holding our breath in, we are going to rush whatever it is we are doing so we can relax and breathe again.
7. Take breaks
Taking breaks is a very underrated tool in our tool box.
I’ve seen it in students, as well as experienced it personally. You’re working on something, and you’re having a hard time with it. The conventional wisdom is always to push through, keep playing it over and over. Obviously persistence is good, but there are diminishing returns if you are pushing and pushing but not seeing improvement in the quality of what you’re doing. In this instance I would usually tell my students to refer back to step one (Accuracy, not speed), but sometimes this still is to no avail. This is when I suggest a break.
Think about it, you’re playing the exercise over and over, and it doesn’t sound any better, and we try to push or muscle through it. Think about that terminology, push and muscle through. It brings to mind tension, and we want tension to be at a minimum when we are practicing. That starts to reflect in your body, your hands tighten up, your shoulders are tight and up by your ears, and not to mention your brow is furrowed and mentally you are probably frustrated. By taking short breaks when you feel this way, you can actual recover what was turning into an unproductive practice session. A minute, even 30 seconds can make a big difference. Take some deep breaths. Stretch. Get a glass of water. Oftentimes I have seen students and myself as well, return from a short break and play the exercise much better than before they took the break.
If you have found after repeating this process a few times that there is still no improvement, it is ok to walk away and return to the drums later that day, or even come back to it tomorrow. Pushing yourself is good, however there is a point at which it can work against you.
These are things that have helped me along the way, much of which I have discovered by trial and error, and I hope that they help you. Keep in mind mistakes and errors are apart of this process. Instead of seeing them as negatives, find yourself interested and curious when engaged and practicing. If you can do this, you will find yourself able to fall in love with practicing and learning.
Born and raised in Bridgeport Connecticut, Joshua is a newcomer to the Tucson area. Back east , he was active on the gigging scene, playing throughout Connecticut as well as some of the most popular venues in New York City for jazz and experimental music. Being a in demand freelance player, he is very knowledgeable in a variety of styles, and approaches them with respect, whatever the genre. Through learning these many styles he has formed an interesting way of expressing himself on the instrument, whether it be playing in a straight ahead jazz context, working with a Rock/Pop group, or even playing modern R&B and Hip Hop. He has done playing home and abroad, in Connecticut, New York, and California, to Morocco and Bermuda! Teaching has always been a big part of what he does. Having taught at many local studios and taught many private lessons in the Connecticut and New York area, he has a ton of experience in conveying ideas to students new to the drums, of all ages. He feels teaching is a big part of the experience of being a musician, and loves to share his knowledge with as many people as he can. Joshua is really passionate about sharing his love for the instrument, and helping people develop their unique way of musically expressing themselves. He’s happy to bring his experience and knowledge to Allegro!
