Adler Method

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Pocketplayer
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Adler Method

Postby Pocketplayer » Thu Dec 28, 2017 5:45 pm

I have been really working through Stick Control as of late...watching
videos from former Morello students on the "proper" way to use SC and
employing this instruction to the tee. One of the older cats that goes
by "ChickWebb"--religiously works through SC and has hour plus vids
talking to students mentioned he was a former Adler student who bailed
because he didn't care for it.

Hmmm....what exactly is the Adler method?

Then...I saw a video from a former Adler student and saw the difference...
grip is very different, use if wrists, no Moeller, some exercises that many
would find "controversial" to build muscles.

Bottom line...I tried some of this and my control, speed took off!
The last time I remember something like this was when I was a kid and my doubles
went from wrist to bounce...ahhh moment of bliss!

SO...not a lot out there on Henry Adler...anyone have first-hand experience with this
and can go into depth the difference between Stone and Henry? The "guy" today
who seems to carry his torch is Ted McKenzie--like him or not, but the commentary
is he plays like a Buddy-clone...no denying his chops tho...how he plays is on him,
but his chops from the Adler method.

I picked up his workout book and it is all telescopic wire brushes...a specific wrist movement;
Hand speed is developed by quickly moving the wrists to and from the four natural rebound positions:
(1) the down position, (2) the full stroke, (3) half stroke and (4) the1/4 stroke -all within a very slow
tempo. The student carefully monitors consistent hand positions and wrist turns until proper technique
is established.


https://www.tedmackenzie.com/the-method

Ultimate-Drummers-Workout-Ted-Mackenzie

Just curious...
Jeff Porcaro Groove Master
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Re: Adler Method

Postby Odd-Arne Oseberg » Fri Dec 29, 2017 1:01 pm

I think technique is controversial in general.

Brushes, pillows... it's the same idea, but any tool or surface is different.

Moeller is probably the most controversial of all, but people do it differently.

Ted comes from a school, but you don't have to search a lot to find a former Adler student who says he does a lot of stuff different fro Henry.

Technique has become like religion. I think we just have to be open to all ideas when building our own. It's not realy the same and apart from being built differently we use our technique for different things.
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Re: Adler Method

Postby Pocketplayer » Sat Dec 30, 2017 3:51 pm

"but you don't have to search a lot to find a former Adler student
who says he does a lot of stuff different fro Henry."

Actually, I do. Hard to find former students outside of Jason Bittner with Ted...
you are correct in Drummerworld forum where a guy says Ted falls short with the
wrist and ghost note adoption...just not a lot about Adler but a few old cats
with little content...the "A Clockwork Orange" Youtuber is kinda a joke to me...
most vids on Adler but a horrible representation in my book

Adler seems to have died out...next to nothing on him Internet wise...his VHS out of print,
Ted has tried to carry the mantle and watched The Ultimate Drummer but does not
make the effort Jojo and others have on hand technique...just a lot on use of brushes
to develop resistance training and allowing the brushes to dictate form, but the wrist
snap is huge and needs a much closer examination. The execution once mastered does have
a far less open sound...it is precise, machine gun like;

If anyone watches, would love commentary--good, bad, the ugly



This is the most in depth without buying something;



You really see the wrist movement here;



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Re: Adler Method

Postby Odd-Arne Oseberg » Sat Dec 30, 2017 4:18 pm

It's a shame Henry's stuff isn't available, but as it is these days if enough people are interested someone might do something about it like with the Dawson book.

Sometimes things show up in other ways.
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Re: Adler Method

Postby Pocketplayer » Sun Dec 31, 2017 12:18 am

Thanks Odds...caught your contribution to a similar thread years ago in this search.
Same with Murray Spivack...in college, he was THE GUY in LA...Chad Wackerman
was studying with him at the time. His disciples (if you will) are easier to locate.
Richard Wilson as well...most prolific is Chuck Silverman who takes a student through
his method in detail...there are some real nuances of detail to these approaches
that make a huge difference.
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Re: Adler Method

Postby Odd-Arne Oseberg » Sun Dec 31, 2017 4:45 am

Yeah. I went through Chuck's online thingn at some point.

As some of you know everything's been a lot of unintentional start on stop for me. In any case, I tend to go with something different every time I get going again and I try to check out everything and have a wide perspective as a teacher.

Currently I'm back on the big marching Hardimon sticks working on flow and also doing SC type exercise not just straight but several ways types of swing.
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Re: Adler Method

Postby Rene » Sun Dec 31, 2017 6:59 am

Pocketplayer wrote:....most prolific is Chuck Silverman who takes a student through
his method in detail....


Cause you write this in the present tense.... CS past away in 2014...
Here's him explaining Spivack's approach:

[youtube_https]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5fXiH9rbthw[/youtube_https]

I saw and studied HA's vid years ago, but learned more from the moeller approach.

https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Development-Technique-Henry-Adler/dp/6302802857

I would like to see the different views in a nutshell. But i think jojo's dvd explained the most.
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Re: Adler Method

Postby Odd-Arne Oseberg » Sun Dec 31, 2017 10:00 am

I think it's more about how than what.

Keeping a log is always key. That way you easily see what you're working on and the connection with other stuff you do will be much more clear as well giving chart of progression that works over any length of time or daily effort. Is there a change in your playing?

There's also this strange thing where one sort of has to keep the same progression as a book suggests. When we've been playing a while we should be able to see the overlap and then augement or add to what we already do, not ivent the wheel.

However, it's sometimes nice to just choose something new and work on it. Having reached a certain level and wanting to focus on e.g. something purely technical can be a nice break a change of pace and something you now finally feel ready or motivated to do.

With SC you only have to 1-4 to see that there maybe could be a couple of lines more of doubles, right? That's just a start. After using that book for ages who cares what the initial intention was. Can things be adjusted to fit your current needs. Can it be used creatively? How does it connect sith other stuff you'r working on. Are there things not worth spending time on or should you spend more time on one exerccise than another even to the point of skiping some? Some manu books ae just different ways of doing the same thing.

Working through all of SC is one thing, but then the overlap for anyone with a bit of methodical experience is pretty big.

It's not the exercises that ae the problem, it's when it becomes mindless repetition one might wonder.

It takes just a little bit of creativity to make it work for other areas. To me it's especially useful to combine things and make longer pharses.

Techniquewise I really only work on things that don't flow which are aexosed when going through a whle page. I then isolate that. This way you also expose things that can be worked on at any time. It's about the mind as much as the hands disconnecting it from stick technique into something puely based on sound or coordination with just clapping and stomping etc. will generally have a positive effect.
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Re: Adler Method

Postby Pocketplayer » Sun Dec 31, 2017 4:19 pm

I think this thread hit a dead end...

If anyone has DIGITAL access to Adler's video, please PM me...I can't find it anywhere.
The VHS is on Amazon for $50...but I don't have a VHS player anymore...I guess
I could find one somewhere, but $50 bones is too much right now.

Added:
Chad goes into the Spivack grip in detail here...3 finger grip



In detail
http://www.drumchannel.com/articles/Mas ... ay-Spivack
Last edited by Pocketplayer on Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:57 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Adler Method

Postby Rene » Sun Dec 31, 2017 4:37 pm

Little patience my friend. I'll try to find some stuff on adler . :D

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