I’m going to talk with you today about 5 stick control beat applications. Specifically I’m going to show you how having more control over the drum sticks will allow you to play certain beats on the drums. And while I’m on the subject I’m going to dispel certain myths concerning stick control.
Ok so first of all when I talk in this lesson about stick control, I’m talking about stick technique, control over the drumsticks. I’m not specifically talking about the book Stick Control For The Snare Drummer by George Lawrence Stone. Stick control is a concept or tool for playing the drums. The book by George Lawrence Stone is a book of exercises for developing control over the sticks. But the concept of stick control has been around probably as long as the drum itself has existed.
The second thing I’d like to say about the subject of stick control, also known as stick technique, is that it is possible to play the drum-set well without having great stick technique. I first became aware of this fact my first year of college. My first semester, there was another drummer in the jazz band with me. He had probably the worst hand technique of any drummer I’ve ever seen. He could barely hold the drumsticks, and he probably couldn’t play a drum roll to save his life. But he sounded really good playing with the jazz band. How is that possible?
Well he knew how to play a good drum beat that the band could follow. And that my friend is the single most important thing a drummer needs to know. It’s not always about how fast you’re capable of playing. It’s about learning to use whatever technique you currently possess to play something that works musically for the band. So you should definitely start by learning to play drum beats that fit the music you’re playing with.
So why would you want to practice stick control? Why would you want more control over the drumsticks? The simple answer is that having more stick control gives you more choices over what you are able to play.
In the video I demonstrate 5 examples of beats that require a good degree of stick control. These are things you simply won’t be able to play until you have better stick technique, better control over the sticks.
1.Two-handed 16th beats that include double stroke 32nd notes. To play this type of drum beat you need to have good control over double strokes which is one of the things you learn by studying and practicing stick control.
2.The Train Beat. In order to play this drum beat you need good stick control concerning accents. Most students need to really study the movements, things like down strokes and upstrokes in order to play drum beats like the train beat.
3.Uptempo Jazz. This drum beat requires the ability to use the french grip. It uses a lot of finger technique which again you learn by studying and practicing stick control techniques.
4.Half-Time Funk Shuffle. To play this type of shuffle drum beat you need good control over your double strokes which I mentioned earlier.
5.Street Beat. Playing this drum beat requires you to have control over buzz rolls and buzz strokes which is yet another stick control technique.
So to sum up everything here again – it is possible to play the drum-set well without great hand technique, without great stick control. But you are definitely limited in what you can play unless you really get your hands together.
If you do want to get your hands together and really develop your stick control I’d like to help. I’d like to send you 10 of my best exercises for Speed that I’ve created absolutely FREE! These are the same type of exercises that helped my student Matthew Lam win a fastest hands drumming competition two years in a row! Just follow this link so I know where to send them! Again it’s completely free. And I’ll see you next time!
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