8th notes

[LDGuy]

There's been a few excersises i've been doing lately, sorta to see how long i can do stuff without fatiguing on the drums. I've been running a click and just playing a really slow swing ride pattern for good long periods of time, like 4 or 5 minutes (after which it gets pretty boring, so i dont really do much longer than that). This is pretty interesting to do, if you do it with your right hand, and then do the same with your left hand, which STUPIDLY hard. But i thought, why not simplify this even further? Instead of swing, why not just straight 8ths?

This is rediculously hard. With time, i can pretty nail the on beats, purely because i work so much with clicks, but the upbeat is always weak - much weaker than the on beat. Even though it's quiet (i was accenting the on beats, although i havent tried having no accent at all), it still needs to be exactly on time, and strong. Whatever technique i use, i can't seem to nail it without it getting rediculously tiring, and even painful (which is never a good thing - like Jim Chapin said, "if they say 'no pain no gain', shoot 'em"). I've been trying to use Weckl's technique of "time through the natural motion of the body" using the whip of the wrist, but i can't sustain this for long periods or at any speed. I've also tryed twisting the wrist, which hurts after a while; using the fingers, which doesn't produce a solid enough beat; and i've even thought of attaching the sitck to my head with sellotape, and use my neck motion! I just can't seem to nail those upbeat 8th notes!

Maybe i'm a perfectionist, but in my opinion, getting a solid 8th beat at any speed is an ABSOLUTE BASIC technique to play anything. I'm wondering what you guys (some being seasoned pros) have in terms of suggestions. I'm always up to try stuff...

Cheers.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ December 11, 2005 04:43 PM: Message edited by: LDGuy ]</font>

[cjbdrm]

How fast were your eighth notes? What tempo?

You've got to practice them three ways, at least:

1)Static- all eighth notes same dynamic(a la John Bonham)
2)Accented on 1/4 notes- 'Rock' approach
3)Accented on 'upbeats' or on the 'and's(1-AND-2-AND...)

use a metronome to help 'calibrate' you...

Play along to some metronomic music to keep you interested.

Here's a difficult exercise...

Play alternating flat flams...one hand is accenting while the other isn't...start slow then increase speed...you can do it on your legs or a table- don't need sticks or a kit...that'll keep you busy...

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ December 12, 2005 03:25 PM: Message edited by: cjbdrm ]</font>