Rudiments Renewal

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Here's a late addition to your list of resolutions for 2012- a renewed effort to bring your Percussive Arts Society International Drum Rudiments to the ultimate level of mastery. To achieve rudimental god/goddess stature, utilize the following resources:

1. The amazing resource that is the Vic Firth website. You're presented the rudiments in progressive tempos, applications of each rudiment, and a video of John Wooton demonstrating proper technique. No books or metronome? No problem.

2. Utilize THIS CHECK LIST I've created to track your progress as well as my formula for success:
a. Go to the Vic Firth website
b. Choose five rudiments
c. Sequentially test your chops. When you can no longer play comfortably without tension, stop and record your tempo on the check list.
d. Move to the next rudiment

In a little over a week, you'll have a baseline tempo of each rudiment and can begin the process of gradually increasing your tempo while carefully maintaining good technique. Take your time. Vary your dynamics (stick height). Change playing surfaces (pad vs. drums). Try different gradations of accents vs. taps. Evaluate what changes as you increase tempo. Track you progress every step of the way.

Before you know it, you'll be burning through all 40 rudiments and ready to tackle the inverted flam cheese, plutnduh, churruckitahs, and the rest of the latest hybrid rudiments.

Now get to it!

To grab some other useful checklists, visit the resource page of my website at www.jameswdoyle.com