Many of us are familiar with Stick Control for the Snare Drummer by George Lawrence Stone ... especially the first three pages of sticking exercises. I wanted to share some of my ideas and concepts, inspired by my studies with Alan Dawson, on how you can use and expand these stickings, applying them in creative fashion to come up with new grooves, fills, solos, and general coordination around the drumkit or drumset.
Let me first say that if you don't own STICK CONTROL, you need to go out and buy it RIGHT NOW! It's the bible for drummers (and percussionists) ... and you'll use it for the rest of your life. In fact, you can purchase the book right here through the Drummer Cafe by clicking HERE. There's so much more we can do with this book, more than just playing it on the Snare drum or practice pad. If you'd like to learn more, discovering new ways to play and apply these sticking exercises to the drums ... read on!
Select from tabs below; one, two, three or four surfaces.
One Surface
Using One Pitch or Surface
- Play the sticking exercises as presented in the book.
- Accent all Right Hand parts.
- Accent all Left Hand parts.
- Accent consecutive down beats (meaning beats 1, 2, 3, 4).
- Accent consecutive up beats (meaning all the "ands" of the beat).
- Accent in random patterns of your choice.
NOTE: More extensive use of accents can be found in George Stone's Accents and Rebounds book. - Play each exercise (ie. pages 5-7 of Stick Control) in sequence but add 2 bars of quarter notes (4 rights and 4 lefts). Repeat and add 2 bars of eighth notes (8 Rights and 8 Lefts). Make the additions after each numbered exercise.
Two Surfaces
Using Two Pitches or Surfaces
- Read sticking as written but with each hand on a different drum or surface.
- Alternate the left-hand parts between two drums.
- Alternate the right-hand parts between two drums.
- Kick Drum taps quarter-notes while printed parts is played on the Snare Drum.
- Hi-Hat taps quarter-notes while printed parts is played on the Snare Drum.
- Kick Drum plays right-hand parts while the left hand parts are played on the Snare Drum.
- Kick Drum plays left-hand parts while the right hand parts are played on the Snare Drum.
- Kick Drum plays left-hand parts while the hands alternate the right-hand parts are on the Snare Drum.
- Play as above but substitute alternated Flams for all the R's.
Three Surfaces
Using Three Pitches or Surfaces
-
Kick Drum plays any one of these foot patterns: Straight four, Samba, Baiao, or Salsa; Hi-Hat plays on 2 and 4; hands play printed part on Snare Drum.
- Add accents to the above exercises (see previous examples applied to "One Pitch")
- Substitute all R's with flams, but put the right hand on a Tom-Tom; play one of the Kick Drum patterns or Hi-Hat patterns.
- As above but use the left hand on a different Tom-Tom.
- Play Straight Four on the Kick Drum; play R's on Hi-Hat and L's on Snare Drum.
- All R's with right hand on Hi-Hat; Kick Drum plays all R's; left hand plays all L's on Snare Drum.
- Reverse the hands on the two previous exercises.
- For Fusion or Funk styles, substitute all R's with flams, but put the right hand on the Hi-Hat; choose any Kick Drum pattern.
- As above but use the left hand on the Hi-Hat.
- Experiment with various Open Hi-Hat sounds on the two previous exercises.
- For Jazz style, play Jazz ride pattern(s) with right hand; Kick Drum plays all R's and left hand plays all L's on Snare Drum; swing eighth-notes. (ala Alan Dawson)
- Kick Drum plays one of these patterns (Straight four, Samba, Baiao, or Salsa); the hands play the written part on two different drums.
- Hi-Hat plays one of these patterns (2 and 4, Downbeats, Upbeats); the hands play the written part on two different drums.
- Play the previous two exercises again, but this time the hands play alternated flams for all R's, each hand on a different drum. Great for Solos!
- To produce Jazz variations, repeat the previous exercises and put the right hand on the Ride Cymbal. Use Jazz interpretation and intersperse this with some straight-ahead Jazz time.
- Play above exercise again, but substitute the left foot on the Hi-Hat for all L's.
Four Surfaces
Using Four or More Pitches / Surfaces
- Try using two drums on the first measure and two different drums on the second measure.
- Add Hi-Hat (with foot) on 2 and 4, straight quarter-note down-beats, straight eighth-notes, or up-beats to any of the Three Pitch Exercises.
- Play the above exercise again, but use your left foot on a Cowbell, Wood Block or Tambourine instead of the Hi-Hat. You'll need the Gajate Foot Bracket to make this happen.
- Try coming up with various other syncopated figures to play with the Left Foot, such as various clave patterns. Use the previous two exercises for sound source examples.
- For a challenge to four part coordination, play single R's on one drum, single L's on another drum, double R's on a fourth drum, and double L's on a fourth drum; triple R's on the Kick Drum, and triple L's on the Hi-Hat (with foot).
- Starting on the snare drum, move each R around the drumset clockwise (each stroke on a different drum). Reverse right hand motion to counterclockwise.
- Starting on your lowest Tom Tom, move each L around the drumset counterclockwise (each stroke on a different drum). Reverse left hand motion to clockwise.
I encourage you to experiment and come up with your own ideas on how to apply ANY exercise onto your instrument. Remember to practice slowly at first and always use a metronome.
A few other source materials that work well with my application suggestions include (but not limited to):
- Progressive Steps to SYNCOPATION for the Modern Drummer by Ted Reed
- Modern Reading Text in 4/4 by Louis Bellson
- Odd Time Reading Text by Louis Bellson
- Syncopated Rhythms for the Contemporary Drummer by Chuck Kerrigan
The possibilities are endless! Create your own, write out the formula and work it until you get each coordination pattern sounding smooth. Always go for musicality while you practice. Once the coordination is down, use dynamics, phrasing, accents, etc., to add interest to your playing. Music notation for other instruments also makes for great study materials (ie. solo transcriptions).
