sejuba wrote:This thread is a bit misleading I must admit. I just wanted to talk about hand technique, thats all there is to it. I can care less about
metal drumming (no offense), or breaking the world record of single strokes. Of course it takes time and dedication to achieve
that, even a seven year old would have figured that one out.
Instead, describe what relaxation means to you. What does it feel like ? How have you achieved that and what were you doing
wrong before you got the hang of it.
Ah ok, controlled relaxation. How does it feel? Effortless.
You know when you see guys playing, and their faces get red, their neck is bulging out and they look they they are going to break in half? That's NOT relaxing.
I know when I'm playing very relaxed because it feels effortless, like I can play forever, glance over at the click and am nicely surprised at the marking being higher then it "felt".
There are lots of exercises to practice relaxed playing, that's why, every educator, player, etc advocates playing to a click smooth and RELAXED and only increasing the tempo when it doesn't cause you to tense up. Most people practice very tense, and practice doesn't make perfect - it makes permanent.
Honestly though, what you're asking is pushing the limits of text and not being in person. I would highly recommend you find a good martial arts studio (not that A.T.A., Karate, Etc crap), but a real one - if there are kids walking around with black belts, leave immediately.
Martial Arts is for the most part, the "peak" of relaxed power and movement, that's the entire operating principle behind speed, power and reaction time.
I would recommend finding a studio that teaches traditional Escrima. Not only are the weapons almost the exact same shape and size as drumsticks, but the majority of movements are nearly identical to swinging a stick around a drumset. If you want to learn how to move a 16" stick with your hand with extreme precision, power, control and speed - that's the art to study. I'm not saying devote your life to martial arts, but even 6 months will drastically change your playing.
Here's a couple drum exercises as well:
While playing accented 1 handed triplets on a pad, hold the non playing hand in the ready position while focusing on relaxing the hand, arm and shoulders. Switch hands every 4 bars. The key to this one is concentrating on relaxing that whole side of your body that is not playing, starting from the hand through the arm into the shoulder and on.
This can be applied to any 1 handed exercise, SVC Doubles, 8 on a Hand, etc, etc run with it.
Practice at very slow tempos to a click, with any given exercise/passage/solo/etc - maintain the most relaxed playing as possible. Gradually increase the click only when you can play at that tempo relaxed. If you feel your hands/wrists, etc tensing up - back it down a few notches and go again.
Learn to breathe properly - this is perhaps the most common non-technique issue that causes tensing up. Learn to regulate your breathing, it'll make a world of difference. Most people don't pay attention to breathing at all.
A good test is to be able to hold a conversation while playing drums, if speaking is too difficult coordination wise - then sing melody lines.
I believe part of learning to count out loud while playing inadvertently teaches this skill as I have noticed the breathing issue considerably more with students who did not learn to count out lout while playing.
And of course Posture. Posture is the number 1 issue I have observed drummers of all kinds, from seasoned to noob. People in general seem to have horrible posture. Having your body balanced, aligned and sitting upright makes all the difference in the world.
Get a big ol mirror from your local junk store and stick it where you can see what your back looks like while playing. Or video your posture, etc
Other then that, individual technique (how much fingers, wrist, power, finese) is kind of up to you, the sound you want to have as a drummer and the feel you want to have. I got a student who is missing an index finger, so his technique on that hand is different then the rest of us normal people. He still plays relaxed and with control.
Everyone has a different feel and touch, some very very light some very very heavy. Some loud, some soft. It's up to you.
If you wanted to practice speed for speeds sake, then you'd want to model your practice routine after athletics. If you want to practice for musicality and diversity, then you would model your practice routine to go after those goals.
