Here’s a set of simple four limb warm ups, that are heavy on the unisons… an underrated practice item. Take your pick, run p. 38 of Syncopation with 4-5 of these, at a reasonably bright speed, before a rehearsal or gig.
If you can’t do any of them— take half an hour and work them out, you may be missing the boat on something basic coordination-wise, there’s a hidden weak spot in there that may be interfering with you in other areas.
6-9. Play melody rhythm with three limbs in unison, running 8th note on remaining limb:
Summaries of all of those systems:
1. Play the melody rhythm with all limbs in unison.
2-4. Play melody rhythm on cymbal and bass drum, fill in spaces with snare drum/hihat (played w/foot).
2-4. Play melody rhythm on cymbal and bass drum, fill in spaces with snare drum/hihat (played w/foot).
Play with R on cym / L on snareL on cym / R on snarealternating sticking
5. Play melody rhythm with both hands in unison, fill in spaces with both feet in unison.
6-9. Play melody rhythm with three limbs in unison, running 8th note on remaining limb:
hands + BD over HH (foot)
hands + HH (foot) over bass drum
feet + LH over RH
feet + RH over LH
10-12. Same as 2-4, with swing interpretation, filling in triplets.
13. Same as 5, swing interpretation filling in triplets.
14-17. Same as 6-9, swing interpretation with triplets.
And of course, you may want to do the 8th note things in a swing interpretation.
[h/t to my student Matt S. for mentioning #5 as something Dejohnette was doing, setting this whole thing off.]
I am happy to help you with any of the materials on the site, and with anything else drumming related— contact me for private lessons, online world wide, or in person in Portland, Oregon. All levels of players, and all people, are welcome.
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These are really fun. Seem kinda obvious in retrospect but i hadn’t thought them.
running eighth notes on the cymbal with the right hand and BD/snare unisons is good for getting the left hand and right foot synced up, which i struggle with. also works with quarter notes on the cymbal. or upbeats on the cymbal but i found that awkward