What To Practice

Hi Everyone! Thanks for your patience as I have just returned from Cuba and had a million things to do. Being in Cuba is really an amazing experience. Just getting back home, dealing with life here, is very time consuming.

 

I have found some amazing things to practice, from my trip to Cuba. Of course, I knew I would! But this doesn't mean that you have to practice Afro-Cuban patterns. What do you practice to get better on the drum set? Here's what I've done with most of my time spent practicing.

1. I always include exercises for my hands. I learned from my teachers that daily practice of singles, doubles, and one from the other rudimental strokes (diddles, flams, drag strokes) is a good regimen to develop and stick to. In essence, one day I would do a singles exercises, a doubles exercises (some roll strokes) and then maybe "diddle" exercises.

 

2. Then I enjoy practicing double bass exercises. I've found several great patterns within the Afro-Cuban realm, such as conga and bell patterns. These patterns translate well to double bass, believe it or not! I also practice from the book I co-wrote with Dave Lombardo, Power Grooves. There's so much out there to find and utilize.

 

3. New grooves developed from inspirations of African influenced rhythms are next. These could be from Afro-Arabian music, Afro Uruguayan, Afro-Brasilian, or Afro-Cuban music.

 

4. Have fun and just play. Very important!!