Building good practice habits

(originally posted on DRUM LIFE: November 23rd, 2009)

To maximize your individual progress it is important to go into each practice session with a goal beyond merely "choppin' out."  By creating a basic structure to organize your practice time around you will be able to learn more in less time and improve faster than someone who hacks for a few hours a day.

If you have access to a drum with a harness, place the drum on a stand when practicing at home.  I'm of the opinion that this time should be spent focusing on learning the music as thoroughly as possible; there will be plenty of time to wear the drum at rehearsal, save your back.  If you don't have a stand available, find a flat surface where you can stand and play comfortably on the drum or a practice pad.  Standing and marking time while practicing will reinforce consistent technique and timing.  Also, whenever possible, play in front of a mirror or bank of windows so you can address any technique issues and work on performance.

Once your drum/pad situation is setup, gather all equipment and literature that you will need during the practice session; this includes two required items: a pencil and/or highlighter to make notes in your music and a metronome.

In my opinion you should always practice with a metronome when it is available, and practicing with one is a necessity for every percussionist.  If you don't have one stop reading this and go get one now!  I recommend the Boss DB-30 as an "entry-level" option or a DB-90 which I've been using for 4 years and has more options than I'll ever need (and worth every penny I paid for it).

Once you're all setup, stretch your hands for a minute or two and then jump into the warmup.  I typically warmup for 5-15 minutes depending on how much time I have available to practice.  Start with a legato exercise like eight on a hand around 100-120 bpm and work it up from there; be sure to get a good stretch in at the lower tempos before increasing speed.  Follow that up with a multi-stroke exercise a la Double Beat/Triple Beat (aka. Sanford) or a double stroke roll exercise.  Also, if you know the piece you're going to be working on has a specific rudiment that gives you trouble, add an exercise to the warmup that helps you break down the individual elements.

After your hands are warmed up, it's time to dig into the main content of the practice session.  Whatever you're working on, always start by reviewing the piece, adding notes and highlighting sections that have given you trouble up to that point.  Do not be afraid to write on your music; having those notations will help you to memorize the music faster and once it's in your head you will get rid of the music anyway!

When practicing sight reading or learning new parts start 10-20 bpm under the written tempo to get a feel for the phrase and thoroughly understand the rhythms within it.  Once you have worked out the rhythms, increase the tempo in 5 bpm intervals until back up to speed.

Remember, unlike in a rehearsal setting you have the luxury of learning at your own pace - take advantage of it!

At the end of your practice session, cool down by playing eight on a hand for a few reps between 100-120 bpm and stretch your hands for a minute or two.

Following these basic guidelines will allow you to cover more material in less time and play it better than ever!  Many of these same principals can also be applied to running a sectional but I'll leave the specifics for another post. ;-)