hey guys, i'm new here, was only gonna just read posts, but your help always seem to be the best on any forum i've seen, so i'll start posting here.
i can't get any consistancy AT all to my single and double stroke rolls. i don't know if its to do with my grip. because my left hand has all fingers wrapped around the stick (loosely) whereas on my right i can't wrap all fingers round, it just won't happen. i've been playing a year, and i've tried the buddy rich snare rudiments book, but everyone seems to reccomend the 'stick control' book, so i ordered that. will that help me?. plus how long should i practice rudiments each day?, as i play on the kit for about 2 hours a day doing grooves.
please help!
fil

When I was starting out...that was last month by the way.  MY teacher/s really stressed rudimental playing.  I went thru the two Harr books/Pratt Solos and several other books where doubling and the rudiments in general were stressed.  I also had two sheets with the 26 rudiments all notated out.  There are 40 now-jeez that's alot.  Anyways...I wasn't allowed to cheat through them...I had to play them at prescribed tempos.

This required a ton of practice...so what I would do was go in the band room during study halls and play the practice pad for 40 minutes at a time at least 2x a day.  Some days I would just double the whole 40 minutes...go as fast as I could and then slow it down again.  Then I'd play my solos/rud's to a click.  And I would practice at night on my drumset as well.  Plus take some lessons.

Rudiments are it...don't skirt around them.

That is an unhealthy attitude.  If I were your teacher Misenko (but I'm not cause I would cost way too much munny)...I would instill in you a more positive outlook.  It's ok to be humble, but don't say you suk or someone else is way better than you or whatever.  It's not about that.  Not at all really.  I mean, yeah, you get a little crestfallen when someone shows you a thing or two but think of it as going to the art store to buy another color of paint.  Cause really, that is all it is.  And hopefully the more you paint, the nicer your pictures will look...you will get better at making the brush do what you envision in your head.

I keep wanting to call you "Hollywood" Commander after seeing your kit- no offense.  LOL-  Pretty tough crowd when you get a nickname on a peep board.

Geez I open myself to get made fun of and you call it "deep"?...better get with the game around here.

BTW...I don't play brushes, don't know where they came from and just plain think they should be kept on canvas, not drum heads.  

FLANER - why can't you wrap your fingers around the stick in the right hand?  Do they stick out like wings?  I think before you jump into stick control, it would be good to get a grip (no pun intended) on your posture.  The best materials for this is Jim Chapin's and Joe Morello's videos.  I think they're both on DCI.   Morello was a student of George Stone - the author of Stick Control - by the way...  Once you've got the grip and posture thing down - then check out the rudiments.  You can download a copy of the "official" forty Percussive Arts Society's rudiments at

http://www.pas.org/Publications/rudiments.cfm

Always practice them "open closed open" meaning slow fast slow.  The fast section should only be as fast as you can play it as long as you can play it.    Buddy Rich's book is good, but Alan Dawson's (written by John Ramsay - Manhattan Music Pub) book is much better.

I'd like to give you advice on how to get your doubles together, but you really need the aid of a teacher for that.  To find a good teacher, I would NOT recommend going to your local music store and employing one of their stock teachers.  Instead, find out who the first call jazz drummer is in your home city area (unless you live in LA or NYC) and give him/her a call.  Even if you don't want to play jazz, these people will for sure have a background in rudiments.  You might also want to try the instructors at the local University or even the percussionists at the  local symphony.  Don't be bashful!  You may have to spend more, but you're investing in your hands and musical capabilities!

GOOD LUCK!!

 

thanks for the advice guys. i do have a teacher, but i don't know if he's that good. he's only about 24, and i asked about my grip and he just said 'thats fine'. i'm gonna ask for him to concentrate on my rudiments. the problem is that i live in a part of england that doesn't have many good teachers, so you have to appreciate the ones you have...
another one of the problems is that i play on a practice kit 100% of the time, so i've lost the 'feel' for proper drum heads, so its harder accustimising to it. i can do my rolls pretty well on pillows and my pads, but its like the drum head is TOO bouncy.
its all a bit annyoing really  

If you can't find a good teacher, you definitely need to find all the articles you can about form.  I've found a number of good articles on the net.  Unfortunately, they all disappeared after a few months.

I have no idea what your library system is like, but check that out.  You might be able to ask your library to borrow materials from other libraries.

Another thing you might do is try to check out good drummers live, especially good jazz drummers.  Get the best view you can and look at the way they hit the drums, the way they move their hands, and their posture, instead of what they're playing.

If you're an extrovert, just walk up and ask them for advice between sets.

Misenko, you are being very hard onyour self. You hav'nt been playing for very long, give yourself a chance, theres no rule book that says, "IN FIVE WEEKS I MUST MASTER THIS, AND IN SIX WEEKS THAT".

Relax and let it flow, dont tense up and above all ENJOY DRUMMING.(and let your neigbours know too

You can check out my response to a similar question.

http://drummercafe.com/drummercafecgi/YaBB.pl?board=ask;action=display;num=1008179277