This exercise takes a basic rock groove and goes through all 15 possible 16th note-based patterns on the bass drum. For beginning players, you should play each measure several times in a row until you have it down solidly. This will help you build a strong sense of 16th note timing on the bass drum. For more experienced players, this exercise will serve as good practice for changing bass patterns quickly.
The final line serves to give a satisfying conclusion to the exercise. The final three beats are written with slash notation. You can either give yourself a rest or create your own fills as you repeat the exercise.
To make this exercise groove, it’s essential to keep steady time. The final few measures are certainly the most difficult, so it’s important that you do not start the exercise too fast—or your foot will struggle to keep up at the end. Pay careful attention to keeping every note in alignment. Ultimately, each measure should groove, and you should have fun with it!
Originally written for xylophone, this fun little exercise comes from George Hamilton Green’s Advanced Instructor for Xylophone. This book is not as well-known as his more famous Instruction Course for Xylophone, but it is still quite good. (Both books are excellent and highly recommended.)
This particular exercise focuses on double stops (both hands playing at the same time), and the harmonic and rhythmic structure come from ragtime xylophone playing. The challenge of this exercise is to play a repeating two-note pattern with the left hand while playing a three-note pattern with the right hand. On the final two beats of measures 2 and 4, the right hand plays a four-note pattern that closely matches the movements of the left hand. The difficulty comes in transitioning back to the three-note pattern in measure 3 (and measure 1 on the repeat).
On the surface, the exercise looks simple, but it can provide an interesting coordinative challenge. Once you get it down, it’s really fun to play. As George Hamilton Green would advise, make sure you take it slowly at first. Keep your mallets close to the keyboard, make sure they both strike at exactly the same time, and make sure you are 100% accurate in all of your notes.
I’ve got a brand new snare exercise for you today. I came up with it several years ago just for fun. It has been in my “private collection” of exercises that I use sometimes for individual practice and one-on-one with students, but I’ve never shared it anywhere before now.
This exercise focuses on stutters—that is, isolated diddles. These have a cool “stuttered” sound (hence the name), but they are also really good for focusing on your diddle quality between each hand. The 16th note check patterns help to keep your timing in check. Be careful to keep each “stutter” in time. If you play this with other people, it will be a really helpful exercise for checking that your diddle interpretation is the same. The last measure is particularly tricky to play cleanly with others. Happy stuttering!
I teach at Paris High School in Paris, Texas. This past year, we added a lithophone to our keyboard percussion section. Sometimes called a stonophone, this unique instrument is handmade from slate, and it spans a 3-octave range. There are only a few individual manufacturers online who make such instruments; it is a pretty unique niche. Our lithophone was custom created by Jim Doble at Elemental Designs. He did great work, and his prices are very reasonable.
This video is just a short improvisation to showcase the instrument’s range and timbre. Since this video was recorded, we have had a frame and resonators added. While the instrument has a very rich tone, it is somewhat quieter (and more fragile!) than a marimba or vibraphone. You can’t strike it with the same velocity on the louder dynamic ranges. When using it for concert performances, it works best to have it amplified.
We are primarily going to use it to substitute for bass marimba parts in percussion ensembles. It’s about a tenth the cost of a 5.0-octave marimba, so it’s a very affordable option for schools and organizations on a tight budget.
The lower octave is not quite as resonant as the upper octaves. We discovered that the instrument sounds really good when parts are played in octaves. (This creates some interesting arrangement considerations, but the result has been well worth it.) The higher octave helps to emphasize the fundamental pitch, and the lower octave brings out the rich, bassy tone underneath.
I decided to post this in order to showcase the great workmanship that can be found by custom instrument manufacturers. There are a number of talented people who specialize in custom-made marimbas, xylophones, lithophones, and other instruments. Also, I want to encourage percussion directors and band directors to think outside the box a bit when it comes to instrument purchases. The mainstream manufacturers create some wonderful products, and they are certainly going to be the primary “go to” sources. However, with a little creative thinking, you can also get some very colorful textures in your percussion section by exploring what’s out there.
For the extra adventurous, you might even want to have your students build their own instruments. This could create a deeper sense of ownership among the whole section when they have put their own time into creating the instrument upon which they play.
How about you? Have you had any experience with custom-made instruments? Have you used other instruments not mentioned above? Share your stories and thoughts in the comments section below.
This entire week, we have been looking at different approaches to the “Shifting Paradiddles” exercise for various percussion instruments. We have previously looked at applications for snare drum, keyboard percussion, bass drum splits, and timpani. Our final instrument is the multi-tenors for marching percussion.
Before attempting this on tenors, it would be a good idea to review the snare drum exercise. This variation utilizes three drums. On the surface, it is pretty straight forward. The main thing that distinguishes this exercise from the snare drum version is that the accents are played as crossovers. The first two patterns—paradiddles and inverted paradiddles—are fairly simple to play as crossovers. However, the last two patterns—mills and alternating quads—are considerably more difficult.
As with all such patterns, make sure you bring out the accents, and keep the non-accents softer and closer to the drum. Contrast between accents and non-accents is of utmost importance in this exercise. Simply changing drums is not the same thing as an accent! It’s easy for tenor players to get lazy on accents and simply allow the momentum of moving from drum to drum to create a quasi-accent. When you play the accents with crossovers, make sure you are still bringing out the accents.
On the final four measures, play each pattern slowly at first until you feel comfortable with the quick movements involved in each crossover. On every double, be careful not to drop the second note. Strive for absolute smoothness in your 16th notes. Once you get everything down smoothly, every two measures should theoretically sound identical to the first two measures.
I hope you have enjoyed the exercises this week. Let us know what you think in the comments section. Do you like having an exercise that all sections can play together? Or would you prefer to see more specialized exercises for each instrument? Were these exercises a good challenge? Too easy? Too hard? Did you play through any of them with your percussion friends? Do you have any helpful tips to share?
Thank you for your feedback. We want to hear from you!
Throughout this week we have been looking at the “Shifting Paradiddles” exercise adapted for different percussion instruments. So far, we have looked at applications for snare drum, keyboard percussion, and bass drums.
Today’s variation for timpani may be the most challenging variation of them all due to its pedaling difficulties. The exercise utilizes three drums. It can be played along with the keyboard variation as it cycles through all 12 keys. As the key changes every two measures, the three drums are tuned to the root major triad.
The exercise falls into three sections, each ending with a quarter note…
Measures 1-8: The singles check pattern is on the highest drum, while the paradiddle variations are on the lowest two drums.
Measures 9-16: The singles check pattern is on the lowest drum, while the paradiddle variations are on the highest two drums.
Measures 17-24: The singles check pattern is on the middle drum, while the paradiddle variations are on the highest and lowest drums.
During the check pattern, you will have to pedal the other two drums—and during the paradiddle variations, you will have to pedal the other drum. Throughout each 8-measure section, each drum will progressively be tuned a half step higher. On the final measure, the quarter note should glissando smoothly into the next 8-measure section. For the final note of the exercise, you may want to utilize a downward gliss on repeats and use no gliss the final time through.
Of course, this exercise will be much easier if you have gauges on your timpani. If you do not, you can still achieve it with careful practice. Take it slowly and use a keyboard or pitch pipe to check yourself on every pitch change. Once you get all of the transitions down smoothly, this will be a pretty impressive exercise.
So far this week, we have had exercises for snare drum and keyboard percussion. They have all been variations on the “Shifting (P.I.M.A.) Paradiddles” exercise. Today we come to the bass drum variation. (It can be played by as few as two people or expanded to work for any size line.) The acronym in the title—P.I.M.A.—stands for:
Of course, a standard paradiddle has the sticking RLRR LRLL. An inverted paradiddle is like starting on the second note of a paradiddle: LRRL RLLR. A mill (think “single flammed mill” without the flams) is like starting on the third note: RRLR LLRL. Finally, an alternating quad is like starting on the fourth note: RLRL LRLR. (Of course, this final set is like a quadruple grouping of singles, simply alternating the starting note. Hence its name.)
In this variation, two players go back and forth between a basic 16th note check pattern and then split these different P.I.M.A. patterns. The first time through is all on the right hand. On the repeat, it should be played off the left hand. The best way to practice is with a metronome. Take it slowly, carefully subdivide the 16th notes, and focus on playing the rhythms smoothly with an absolutely steady pulse.
Tomorrow we will feature a variation on this exercise for timpani!
Every week we endeavor to bring you fun and interesting exercises on different percussion instruments. Some weeks we will have instrument-specific exercises that are intended more for individual practice.
This week, however, all of the exercises will be playable by all instruments at the same time. These can serve as fun exercises to play with your drum line or a percussion friend on two (or three or four) different instruments. Yesterday’s snare drum exercise focused on the single paradiddle and the three variations of shifting accents—which I call the inverted paradiddle, single mill, and alternating quad.
This exercise for two-mallet keyboard percussion uses the same sticking with ascending and descending scale patterns. As an added challenge, it quickly cycles through all twelve major keys. (Be careful on the final measure!) Enjoy!
Check back tomorrow! The remaining instruments to be featured this week will be: marching tenors, two-person bass drum splits, and timpani.
Throughout the week, we will feature exercises for different percussion instruments. Here is our first exercise for snare drum. It utilizes paradiddles and three paradiddle variations—inverted paradiddles, single mills, and alternating quads. These last three rudiments have been around for a while, but they have never quite gained the same popularity as their grandfather, the single paradiddle. Nonetheless, they are all quite versatile, and they make for a fun exercise.
As you play this exercise, pay careful attention to distinguish between your accent and tap volumes. As the tempo increases, the more difficult it is to bring out the accents, especially on the alternating quad.
A fun variation on this exercise is to play it with zero accents. Make it sound as smooth as possible. As you get it faster and faster, it should sound like a smooth roll.
Check back here regularly. We will look at different applications of this exercise on various percussion instruments throughout the week!
I am happy to announce that my new book The Art of Multi-Tenor Drumming is now available to order. It has taken me the better part of a decade to write it, and I believe drummers everywhere will find it worth the wait. For decades, drum set, keyboard percussion, snare drum, and timpani have had several detailed texts written for them. Now tenor drums finally get their turn. This is the book that the tenor world has been waiting for.
At 366 pages, this is the most thorough book ever written on the art of tenor drumming. It covers the absolute basics and lays a solid foundation for beginners, while giving intermediate and advanced players plenty of material to challenge them as well. This book has been a true labor of love, and I hope people will enjoy playing from it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I offer this book as an opportunity to raise the bar and set a new standard for the next generation.
Click on the link below to see the product page and learn more.
Click on the image to enlarge or click here to download in PDF format.
