disConnect is a pattern for fitting 6-note combinations in order to draw attention to the nuances of finishing out the rudiment and starting it again. Paradiddle-diddles and double paradiddles especially need to be finished strong, but very often the quality and clarity of the final doublestroke are sacrificed for a focus on accents and the beginning of the next repetition of the rudiment. There are many possibilities for what you can fit into this one, but written variations included here are: Doubles, Double Paradiddles, Shirley Murphies, Flam 3–2–1, Flam Paradiddle-diddle, Paradiddle-diddle, Singles, Slurred Six-Stroke Roll, Slurred Ruff, and Swiss Army Triplet.
Bed 'o Taps fo' Better Taps
Bed ‘o Taps Fo’ Better Taps was inspired by an experience I had while walking through a warm-up lot somewhere in Utah, once upon a time. I heard a snare line playing some 8 and 25 on some beautifully-tuned Pearl snare drums, and it was just about the most amazing thing I had ever heard. Then they played some two-height rolls stuff, and it was like I was hearing a completely different group of performers. Obviously, two-height roll patterns tend to present more challenges than monotone rolls, but why? This pair of exercises seeks to explore this question.
These two exercises are intended to bridge the gap between roll fundamentals and accent-tap fundamentals. It is very common that players who have painstakingly developed sufficient stroke velocity and fulcrum control for playing quality doublestroke rolls will nevertheless find those habits affected by the addition of accents to create two-height figures, like paradiddles and tap rolls.
Multi-Beat Cushion Strokes (& 14 Variations)
Multi-Beat Cushion Strokes is a two-height sticking pattern that combines the contrasting demands of multi-strokes—high velocity and high rebound—with those of cushion strokes: everything is exactly the same going into the drum, and after the stick hits the drum, it simply doesn’t rebound to the full height. Fourteen variations add different wrinkles to these demands by incorporating varying applications of fulcrum pressure.
Bapawappa
Bapawappa is a sequence of variations to a simple doublestroke pattern. Apart from the crushes, the lead hand stays basically constant throughout the exercise, although there may be subtle differences in timing and volume/height/velocity from variation to variation, depending on how you choose to interpret different rudiments. For additional practice, try feeling the doubles as ninelets (see the 4/4 Feel variation on page 2, with instructions on how to convert the tempo for your metronome).
∆Effort
∆Effort consists of a doublebeat/triplebeat pattern that can be treated as a multistroke, stick control, or timing exercise. Different variations check your timing, hand-to-hand consistency of motion, and sound quality.
Touch Doubles
Touch Doubles is a basic doublestroke exercise with some variations that will draw your attention to the second note of each doublestroke, so you can really examine how your hands work to create quality doubles. To overcome tendencies to play weak second notes, you are invited to explore the opposite extreme: make the second note of each double stronger than the first, either by increasing its height, or by increasing the stick velocity while attacking from the same height.
I pulled this exercise off the cutting room floor of the NC State Drumline exercise packet… I recently found a very early handwritten draft that included several exercises which, despite not making the cut, are actually quite versatile and worthy of study. This exercise does not lend itself well to a “drum camp” situation; it is more of a means to really get to know your own hands, requiring woodshedding, self-reflection, taking things nice and slow, and experimenting. The exercise of playing “Did Pat One” while maintaining a fully rebounded set position (something we did teach at the camps) was challenging enough, which is probably why this exercise didn’t make the cut.
Durrty Dubbles
Durrty Dubbles works on double beats using variations that allow for one hand to check the timing and sound quality of the other hand. You must variously create doublestop doublestrokes, doublestrokes where the first note of one hand coincides with the second note of the other, and singlestroke fours. The unison doublestrokes facilitate building a completely uniform doublestroke motion between the two hands. The half-unison doublestrokes force you to match sound quality and timing when the doublestop note is achieved through differing amounts of forearm assistance, wrist turn, and fulcrum pressure between the two hands. The single-stroke fours give you an opportunity to hear each note of both hands’ doublestrokes by itself, without being hidden within a doublestop.
Two on a Hand
Two on a Hand is a double-beat exercise that will really stretch your understanding of time, as well as your stick control on doublestrokes. I always meant to write this into an ensemble warm-up, but I don't think that's going to happen, nor do I think it would pay off much to try and get a whole line to play it. This is a very challenging exercise to get right, but I think it is worthwhile for individual practice.
