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Picking up the drums again, need some advice


orbb

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I played drums when I was a kid, then went to college, picked up the bass and then the guitar, and got away from drumming. I recently bought an old Ludwig set and am starting to play again. It's slowly coming back.

 

My big problem is the kick - I am either lagging or spastic. Anyone know of any good drills or exercises to get back in shape?

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Use Stone's Stick Control, substituting the hi-hat foot for left and the kick foot for right.

 

Do some of the calf-building exercises recommended in many exercise programs; my personal favorite is to stand facing a wall, putting one hand on the wall for balance, and raising myself up on one foot, going slowly up and down, holding for a five-count when I reach the top.

 

Find a private space--like your basement--and stomp around for a minute or two every day. Sounds stupid, but it worked for me.

I've upped my standards; now, up yours.
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PRACTICE just the kick. Practice it until you can't stand it anymore. Then start playing to a fixed tempo via a CD, drum machine, whatever.

 

You don't want to practice your foot only mechanically, so start playing in a band or something. GEt the groove back in you, it will come back!

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Originally posted by orbb:

I played drums when I was a kid, then went to college, picked up the bass and then the guitar, and got away from drumming. I recently bought an old Ludwig set and am starting to play again. It's slowly coming back.

 

My big problem is the kick - I am either lagging or spastic. Anyone know of any good drills or exercises to get back in shape?

I am/was in the same exact spot as you recently. I played a little in Junior High and I've been a guitarist for 15 years. I just recently picked up a Yamaha DTXpress and that's what happened to me. My kicks were always just a few milliseconds behind where they should have been. I've been playing again for about three months now, three hours a week, not very much, and that overall 'retardness' as I call it, has gone away quite a bit.

 

I'd suggest just throwing a click track on at around 120BPM and practice some straight forward kick, snare and hi-hat beats. It's worked for me. :)

 

-Sys

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not saying this is the case here, but sometimes the pedal itself may need to be adjusted for a quick response. But it doesn't matter much if you play the pedal all of the time, you will eventually get on time through daily practice.

 

Jazzman :cool:

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