You won't get an argument out of me on your point with the exception of "at any speed." I'm not sure if that's practical. Even Jojo Mayer draws a line at some point and says, "I'm in control playing many strokes in this break beat, and I'm going to move on to something else." I could be wrong, but I don't think he sits down every day and challenges himself to play break beats beyond known standard tempos (and in drum-n-bass, there's a lot of double time!).

I wouldn't want one of my students getting hung up on trying to break the WFD record for double strokes in 60 seconds at the cost of him learning how to play with other musicians (requiring much more maturity and selflessness). I know YOU know that, but I wasn't certain if I understood your statement as something in a different light.

Really don't agree, except the Taco Bell thing - not Mexican food, but I too love it anyway.

I just don't buy your two comparisons - as they both have a fair amount of music attached (and I really can't buy corp drumming being merely the application of rudiments). And as you say the WFD has nothing to do with music.

Which brings us back to - if it has nothing to do with music, what does it have to do with drumming?

David

Do you have a video player? I think I can help if I could just see you play along to a metronome. Maybe post a video to YouTube?

Gone.

Bermuda, I totally respect your perspective because your body of work is all evidence needed to understand your appreciation of drumming in a musical context. I also resist criticizing WFD because I appreciate its primary agenda, which is to create interest in drumming fundamentals. Some people will always come along and go to excess and miss the point, but it's difficult to be critical of any organization that has so many young drummers captivated by rudiments. Without WFD, I think those foundational elements were doomed to be lost on future generations.

I have to strongly disagree with your perception of drum corps. So many professional drummers today come from that background. In my generation, no one was more hard corps drum corps than Pat Petrillo, a DCI snare champion, and I think we can agree he career as a drum set player has been stellar. I think you would be stunned to learn how many successful pros started out at corps, or were instructed by corps vets.

Drum corps has incredible value to future musicians. Ensemble play, discipline, exposure to a large body of music and genres, dynamics, appreciation for teamwork, development of positive and professional attitudes at an early age. I suggest a drum corps vet is better prepared for the world as a professional musician than those who take another route. As things have evolved in DCI, even reading music -- something not always practiced in the early years -- is now a strength.

I take no offense, but I feel you have a wrong perception of drum corps I hope I can convince you otherwise. Unlike WFD -- and I don't mean this as criticism of WFD -- the musical application of DCI at the extreme other end of that spectrum. The perception that drum corps drummers having difficulty transitioning to the drum set is just that -- a perception, and not a good one. Drum corps is not a hurdle to becoming a great set player. It can be an immense advantage for those who wish to properly capitalize on the experience.

And here I'd always thought it was about selling those little counting gadgets.

Kinda off topic but I will try to get up to B.C. and join you cats for a bean burrito 

I have a drumometer.  I don't use it much now, but should get back into it.

When I was using it alot there were some surprising things happening to me aside from getting faster for just speedy sakes:

At most musical tempos I can play a dbl or single grouping roll now. This I found to be nice developing my singles.  I played them much more smoothly and it tended to make all my drumming a bit easier.  Melifluous perhaps?  I would say that is a musical benefit to an unmusical practice routine.

The other nice thing about drumometer is that it really locks in your time.  One can be playing 16th notes with the click going but how many beats did you actually play?  It's surprising if you play these groupings for say 5, 10 , 15 seconds a minute or whatever that yes... one does drop a few beats or even add them!

So it helps to really perfect ones time, if not- it helps with concentration and an airhead like me can use all the concentration help available 

Just my take on it.  I'm not a big supporter of WFD but the drumometer is not a bad device at all, in fact I find it very unique.  YMMV!!!!

120bpm 1/4 note continuous 32nds is fast in my book, especially for singles; don't let them kid you Tme.  If you did that at 150 bpm, holy shnikes that is 1200 beats in a minute.

Hmmm lets do a search and see how fast I was getting "back in the day".  I think my absolute fastest was flirting with 1000 beats in a minute so lets do the math...hmmm, *carries the one, scratches head, and chew on eraser*  That ='s 125 bpm.  or 16th's at 250.

And actually I don't think I ever hit that mark. I definitely should get my drumometer cooking again- it was a bunch of fun I thought.

Playing over large gaps of silence as a test of ones ability to maintain a tempo is great for an occasional test. But as a tool to actually help get your time sense there? I don't know.

I would think that most would agree that for working on "locking in" there is nothing like the constant, beat by beat, "making sure you are exactly with it" feedback provided by a metronome. And of course seeing as it's not always about "being right" but rather "feeling good" - there is no better tool in my mind than playing along with and trying to fall into the pocket of a great player on a great record.

dc

Cool topic.  I had to chime in because I think Bermuda and  David have missed the point of WFD.  The WFD was really created to help sell a product.  Because of the WFD contests and their famous contestents Mangini and Rabb, the drumometer has been able to sell more units then if they were just on the market trying to sell another drumming product.  I think it was 100% marketing strategy.  I think it was a brilliant way to market a product.  Lets put together a contest,
promote our product as the best and only way to judge if you're able to compete in our contest offer a prize and title(worlds fastet drummer) and market it at a group of people who will buy into the competition and concept of our product.  Brilliant strategy to sell a product that has very little to do with actually improving your drumming skills.    My hat is off to the person who came up with the idea and is cashing in on the profits.   

Awe, I tried to fire up my drumometer this weekend and I think it's broken darnit.

I'll try one more new pair of batteries.

Hopefully I can send it back to Boo and he will fix it for me.