Here are some Exercises that are easy enough to read and fundamental enough to be useful in warm-ups. These are all exercises born out of creating materials to compliment various students learning styles. Click on the “like” button or make a comment if you you have one. Feel Free to Post Links to These exercises – please give me credit – the use is free. Enjoy!
Joe Morello is given credit by many modern players but this is an age old standard exercise
Here is a video clip of some of these ideas
Here is the Table of Time applied to a waltz foot pattern
After you get the hang of this, you can go further into poly-rhythm with this
Further_excursions_3_4_polyrhythm – Copy
Once the Waltz pattern is familiar to your feet and you have a “set it and forget it” comfort, you can more easily expand the boundaries to 5/4 by adding 2 notes
Here is the Speed, Hand Technique and Motion I blogged about. I made a youtube video to o over the ideas in this exercise
Speed, Hand Technique and Motion
Here are some exercises using line 1 pg 38 from Ted Reed Syncopation. The accents in the stream of 16th notes correspond to the notes of that line in Syncopation. It’s hard! First get the hand pattern flowing in your hands. Then master the accents from the 1st measure, slowly increase speed until you can play measure 1 at a good tempo and only the accents stand out, all other notes are quiet. Then go slow again and play the 1st 2 measures. Repeat the process. after the whole 4 measure exercise is in control – go to the book and memorize how that 1st line works as a substitution system that you are using while playing the book. Apply that system to the 8 pages of exercise. Don’t use the 9th page just the 38 -45.
Here is a youtube video to help get you started – It has taken me forever to get my microphone and mixer to coordinate with the camera……
If you need anything or want to inquire about studies with me – mattthomasrums@gmail.com
Syncopation by Ted Reed can be a little awkward to read at 1st. This PDF takes each line from page 38 and has it written 2 ways – The First 2 lines are the same music written 2 ways. The First line is a more modern way of writing it out. The 2nd is how Reed wrote it. So it takes 2 pages to cover the material on Reed’s page 38.
Here’s a video of playing trough using triplets
Here’s doing it as doubles
Here’s the Latin Legos page
Here’s part 2 where we look at reassembling these lego pieces in creative ways
Matt Thomas Drums 