[[Drumming]] # [[4 Stage Practice Method]] --- - Creator:: [[Mike Johnston]] - Date:: [[2016-08-26]] - URLs:: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5li8JPkQU0 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq9fqbxGLPc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWiXiHte_04 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ahnHEOz_cc --- ## Summary > From a clinic Mike held in 2016, this routine hits the spot for a solid, modular, drum "workout" routine. 1. The four stages help in segmenting the two-hour session into much more manageable chunks, and I have found them immensely helpful in making solo [[Practice]] more engaging. 2. There is also something to be said about how closely this routine resembles a workout... 3. ## Highlights ### Stage 1: Non-Creative ***10 Minutes*** - Exercise: Single Strokes *Two strokes on the snare, followed by four on the floor tom, alternate two on the floor and rack tom, then four more strokes on the snare.* - Exercise: Paradiddles *Play regular paradiddles, but align the hits on your hands with your feet. When your right hand hits, so does your right foot, and vice versa.* ### Stage 2: Creative ***10 Minutes*** - Exercise: Quarter Note Challenge *Play quarter notes on your left hand. This rhythm is not allowed to stop throughout the entire exercise. If your hand stops, you’re out. Try to move through each subdivision in between hits on your left hand.* - Exercise: Accent Patterns *Play any rudiment or basic pattern of your choosing, carefully randomising the accents on any limb involved. You may not break the original pattern’s sticking.* ### Stage 3: Main Focus ***25 Minutes*** - Exercise: Something You Can’t Do *Pick something you cannot currently do, and spend 25 minutes doing that one thing alone. Once you pick a tempo, you can only go up or down out of your necessity. You cannot stop for any extended period of time.* ### Break ***15 Minutes*** - Exercise: Self Control *This may well be the hardest part. The goal is simply to not [[Practice]]. Do whatever you would like, so long as it's not [[Practice|practicing]] (or doomscrolling).* ### Stage 4: Musical Application ***60 Minutes*** - Exercise: Audition For a Band *Pick an artist you don’t know well or have never played before. Choose two of their [[Songs]], and try to learn them well enough to audition for the band.* ### Tips - Stop Speeding Up *Play until a chosen tempo is easy, then take a deep breath and bump the speed by 5 bpm.* - Close Your Eyes *Treat your brain like a CPU; everything around you is an input. If you take away all of the visual information, it frees up much more processing power for the aural and kinaesthetic inputs.* --- ## References: 1. [[Periodised Musical Practice]]