Double Time: Foot Speed
- Dexter Verrill
- Mar 25, 2016
- 4 min read
When I say "Thumper", what do you think of? I think of Bambi's most loyal friend, Thumper the rabbit.
Just humor me for a second.
Why is the rabbit called Thumper? Because of what he does: he thumps his foot on logs or the ground or when he's being loved on by his one rabbit crush.
Today's lesson is about working your feet to get the speed that Thumper has, and obviously WAY faster with time, hard work, and patience.
No more cheesy analogies, I promise--one thing that we need to have as drummers is control of our limbs. We need to have control of the spacing, the timing, and the speed of all the notes we play with our feet and hands.
With this blog there is a PDF for the lesson (click the link below to view and download). What you will see is a score sheet with four exersices.
For exercise #1, start by playing the high-hat on the quarter notes, and the snare drum on counts 2 and 4. The bass drum pattern is the first two of four sixteenth notes for every beat. If each beat is counted as sixteenth notes (1-e-and-a, 2-e-and-a, 3-e-and-a, 4-e-and-a), then the bass drum pattern is this: 1-e, 2-e, 3-e, 4-e. Again, the high-hat is played on the quarter notes (1, 2, 3, 4), and the snare is played on 2 and 4. Take a look.
For the second part there, you'll see that instead of playing on the high-hat, you'll be playing around the toms. Keeping everything explained above the same, except for the high-hat, play the high tom on beat 1, the mid tom on beat 2 with the snare, the low tom on beat 3, and then the mid tom again on beat 4 with the snare. Check out the link.
The second exercise is a permutation of the first excerise, for both parts. A permutation is, basically, taking the same notes and shifting them around together, moving them forward or backward. For these exercise we are shifting only the bass drum pattern forward one sixteenth note. So, for the first part we have the high-hat on the quarter notes (1, 2, 3, 4), and the snare on beats 2 and 4. The bass drum will be played on the e's and the and's of each beat (e-and, e-and, e-and, e-and).
For the second part, the hands play the same exact thing as the first exercise. The high tom on beat 1, the mid tom on beat 2 with the snare, the low tom on beat 3, and then the mid tom again on beat 4 with the snare. Bass drum pattern is the same--on the e's and the and's.
Moving along to exercise #3, we have yet another permutation, shifting only the bass drum pattern forward another sixteenth note. High-hat on quarter notes (1, 2, 3, 4) and snare on 2 and 4. The bass drum pattern is now played on the and's and a's of every beat (and-a, and-a, and-a, and-a)
For the second part, high tom on 1, mid tom on 2 with snare, low tom on 3 and mid tome on 4 with snare. Bass drum pattern in the same--on the and's and a's.
Our last exercise, #4, is our last permutation, shifting one last time the bass drum one more sixteenth note. With the high-hat on the quarter notes (1, 2, 3, 4) and the snare on 2 and 4, the bass drum now plays on every quarter note and the last sixteenth note of every beat--the a's. It will play like this: a-1, a-2, a-3, a-4).
The second part for this is the same as it has always been, High-tom on 1, mid tom on 2 with snare, low tome on 3, and mid tom on 4 with snare. The bass pattern is the same yet again--a-1, a-2, a-3, a-4).
This exersice will teach you endurance as well as muscle memory which both will lead to playing fast doubles and singles.
Try the exercises slow at first and get a feel for each one. As you become more comfortable, push yourself to go faster. You will find, as I did, improvement with your foot speed.
Think you've got a hold on it? Try your other foot, the weak one.
If you want to take this a step further to practice independence, play the high-hat and toms on eigth notes instead (1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and). Try this on both feet.
Want to build even more endurance with your foot? Play three sixteenth notes instead of two like it's written. Both feet.
I hope you all enjoyed this lesson. It's been awhile since the last post (March 9, 2016) but this is the tenth blog post I have presented to you! So, thank you for all the support, the likes and follows, and the comments. Keep doing so and share with other drummers.
I encourage you to check out the site, STIX Drum Lessons (yes, I have changed the name beacuse it's more practicle). Email me at dexter.verrill@gmail.com or use the contact form here if you have any questions about today's lesson or for any other questions you may have.
Stay tuned for more posts, especially within "The Snare Drum" series and more to come!
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