Practicing rudiments may not be the most fun way to spend your time, but they can make a huge impact on your technique and timing as you learn how to play the drums. Once you’ve learned the essential drum rudiments (Vic Firth has a great guide to all 40 of them on their website), most teachers will recommend spending the generous portion of your practice time on rudiments.
So how do you stay focused, but not get bored with the repetition? The good news is you don’t have to practice in complete silence. One great strategy is to turn up your favorite song, and then run through each pattern while you’re playing along. Mix it up as the song moves from verse to chorus, and focus on staying in time – make the song your metronome, essentially. For example, start out playing on 8th notes, then sixteenth notes, and so on.
Other musicians suggest practicing the patterns while watching TV, but this will only work if you don’t get distracted or tend to zone out after a few minutes.
Readers, what other strategies do you use to make practicing rudiments more exciting? Leave a comment below, or stop by our Facebook page to share!
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Photo by Akash k.
Suzy S.