First things first: Download the transcription here, and get 3 bonus videos to improve your playing in 3 weeks.
The lesson I'm publishing this week is one I recorded just a week after I published the "are rudiments still relevant" lesson.
Since then, YouTube's kind of turned into a "show me your singles" contest.
Let me explain:
Two years ago, I did a lesson called "what I really think about hand technique". I spoke about things like back fulcrum, and the "overlap method" for making anything with doubles clean, slow-fast-slow.
I thought that lesson would start some controversy, but it was pretty well received.
Last month, I decided to circle around again to the issue of rudiments, since some of my YouTube brethren were weighing-in on it.
Now, I've always insisted that much of the way drums are currently taught is wasted time:
Practice pads...
Warm-ups...
Hours spent practicing the same abstract exercises...
But, in the latest rudiments lesson, I took a softer tone. Rudiments are important, I argued, for a number of reasons.
It's just that they've turned into a religion, or an orthodoxy.
Maybe, I hinted, if we spent 10% of the time we spent practicing rudiments on something else, it would be a better use of our time.
I called out my familiar culprits: lack of a clean sound, lack of hands/feet playing together when they're supposed to, and crappy time. And I showcased a couple of exercises to work on that stuff.
Most people were kind.
Some straight insisted on the rudiment orthodoxy without really engaging with the material in the lesson.
But a couple called out my rudiments. Haha.
At the beginning of the lesson, I played through a few standard rudiments, just to put some "skin in the game". If I'm taking a stand on rudies, I should put some of mine up there to judge.
I didn't think they were great - maybe B+.
I've stood alongside Maison Guidry when he plays singles. I've stood behind Greg Hutchinson as he played a solo on the snare drum. I've watched great classical percussionists play Delecluse. I have a pretty good idea what rudiments should sound like. (Haha look at me getting all defensive;)
Of course I was self-conscious, though. So I'll make another lesson soon devoted to everything that's awesome about rudiments, and will likely shed some material so that my rudiments are at least middle-of-the-road A.
But back to this week's lesson:
This week's beat is a good-natured "challenge" to everybody who thinks their singles are perfect.
First, I want to say, "congrats!" It's not easy, and you should be proud of your accomplishment.
Next, I want to offer this week's beat up, as the next thing to practice.
And let's keep it positive.
All things being equal, someone who practices a lot of rudiments is going to sound better than someone who doesn't.
Also, someone who sheds stuff like this week's lesson, and who can play it cleanly, will sound better than someone who doesn't.
It's not one-or-the-other. It's both.
Alright killers, that's where I'll leave it.