Primary percussion school

Drumming is an element of human culture that dates back to prehistoric times. They were once made from the skin of reptiles and fish, which was stretched over a wooden frame. Later, mammal skins and bones were used to make drums. Moreover, the drum is present in many cultures around the world that developed without intersecting. It is still used in sacred rites and ceremonies of indigenous peoples from North America and the Arctic Circle to Africa.

Pain reduction: In 2012, a study conducted by the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and published in " Evolutionary psychology", details how the act of playing music - as opposed to passively listening - increases pain threshold and affects the release of endorphins. The researchers came to the conclusion that “ When actively playing music, a maximum of endorphins are produced, not from the music itself».

Transcendental experience: In a 2014 study conducted by the Department of Cognitive Biology at the University of Vienna, they write: “ Exposure to repetitive drumming combined with shamanic journeying instructions has been associated with physiological and therapeutic effects" And also noted “ significant reduction» levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Volunteers who participated in repeated drumming combined with shamanic instructions reported experiencing " heaviness, decreased heart rate and fabulous experiences».

Increased white matter in the brain: A 2014 study of the therapeutic effects of drumming and rhythmic exercises on patients with Huntington's disease found that after two months of exercise, " improvements in executive function and changes in white matter microstructure».

Photo: Pixabay.com.

Improvement in socio-emotional disorders: A 2001 study published in the journal Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine” explores how group drumming can impact low-income youth whose social and emotional problems are linked to chronic stress. The authors note that “ drumming is a non-verbal, universal activity that builds on the collectivist aspect of various cultures and does not carry the stigma of therapy».

After 12 weeks of drumming conducted by a school counselor, significant improvements were observed in disorders such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The authors of the study concluded that the results “ highlight the potential value of art as a therapeutic tool».

Learning to play the drums can be very challenging at first. The drum set needs to be played with both hands and feet. In this case, it is necessary that the blow is delivered, there is a correct grip of the sticks, the correct landing, and so on. That is, you need to work in different directions if you want to become a good drummer. It's possible that you already know how to play the drums, but you've stopped at a certain level and aren't moving forward. There are some basic things that any drummer should know, so it's a good idea to master them if you don't already know them. If you're already an advanced drummer, then you might be interested in just checking to see if you've missed anything. If you don't know any of these basic things, it will be difficult for you to continually improve your drumming.

Grab the chopsticks

The first skill for any drummer is. Many drummers don't pay enough attention to this. They simply hold the sticks as they see fit. But this is wrong, because it can lead to injuries, rapid hand fatigue, calluses and the like. Drummers have been thinking about the issue of gripping sticks for a long time and have identified the main types of grip. There are traditional grips, German and French. Some also highlight the American grip, which is very similar to the German one and differs only in the angle between the sticks. The American angle is sharper. If you play with the right grip, you will be able to get good bounce, have control of the stick, be able to play for a long time and be less tired. To learn more about how to hold drumsticks, check out the following articles:

Countdown

The next basic skill that every drummer should have is the ability to keep time. This concept includes not just the ability to count to 4, but the ability to count different time signatures. Sometimes drummers think it's very easy and don't pay attention to developing this skill, but when they are asked to play 16 notes in 7/4 time, they don't understand how to do it. If you can't count what you're playing, how can you play it well? Therefore, if you feel that you have stopped developing, but cannot understand the reason, analyze whether you can count well in different time signatures. Below are articles on this topic:

Setting up a drum kit

The next basic skill is tuning a drum kit. Although this is fairly easy to do, many drummers haven't bothered to learn this. If you play on a properly tuned drum kit, you can have a lot more fun. You will also get to know the instrument you want to learn to play better. Knowing your instrument is the first step on the learning path. Below are several articles about how to set up a drum kit and what it consists of.

Sheet music for drums

Believe it or not, the fourth essential skill is knowing how to read drum notes. Oddly enough, not all drummers understand notes. But the ability to read music will give you a huge breakthrough in development, since you will be able to learn any notes for drums that you find. In addition, you can write down on paper what you come up with yourself. Also, if you play in a band, your bandmates will be glad that you can read music, as it will be easier for them to exchange information with you. The ability to play “by ear” is very good. But if you also know musical notation, then you will undoubtedly improve your level as a drummer. Here are some articles on how to read drum notes.

The main stroke when playing the drums is the so-called wrist stroke. Holding the stick in our hand, we strike not with the whole hand, but only with the hand, and it is the wrist joint that works most actively. If you ask any person to hit a snare drum with a stick, then most likely he will intuitively get a wrist strike (wrist), since hitting with the whole hand is not only inconvenient, but also loud. In general, the wrist strike (wrist) can be called the default strike. Although this blow is very convenient and natural, it is still high speeds the forearm begins to tighten and this makes the hand quickly get tired. In addition, the wand has its own own weight and bounces off the stretched plastic. Drummers noticed this circumstance long ago and realized that after certain activities These rebounds can be used to your advantage. In the introduction, we already discussed the concepts of grip and fullcrum. It is thanks to these techniques that it becomes possible to control the rebound of the stick from the plastic.

Usually in the first lesson we find the balance point of the stick. The place of grip at which the stick has the freest rebound. We find the balance point of the stick and retreat 2-3 centimeters towards the thick end. At the found balance point, hold the stick between the pad thumb and the second phalanx of the index (closer to the fold point towards the nail). The formed clamp in the fingers is called a lock (fulcrum). Its task is to create conditions for free rotation of the stick on the created fulcrum of the phalanx (or joint) index finger. Everyone determines the degree of clamping of the stick for themselves in practice. The main condition is to avoid tension in the muscles, even at the cost of the sticks slipping out of your hands.

It is very important to understand the “physics” of the process; how the blow is struck, how the stick rebounds and how to control this rebound. You need to learn to control the natural forces that act on the sticks during the game. In other words, ideally you need to adjust the movement of your hands to that natural movement sticks that she gravitates towards and add ergonomic muscle work.

These post-impact rebounds are called rudiments. Officially, the history of rudiments goes back almost two hundred years. In 1812 Charles Stuart Ashward published tutorial"New, useful and complete drumming system." Naturally, over such a long period of time, the rudiments became the basis for professional drumming techniques. Modern international classification includes forty different rudiments. Rudiments are a kind of exercise that allows you to train muscle memory, achieve freedom and ease in playing, as well as accuracy in conveying the rhythmic structure. Practicing rudiments is the basis for developing playing skills and developing performance techniques.

To practice the technique, you don’t need a whole installation. All you need is a practice pad.

Training pads are produced by different companies. These pads have the “correct” special rubber with the “correct” rebound.

You can make a “homemade” pad, but you need to pay special attention to finding rubber with the “correct” rebound. It may be a little thicker - and the rebound will not be the same. The bounce should be similar to the bounce of a stick on a snare drum.

There are also other surfaces for practicing various blows, for example, a pad filled with sand or other bulk material that dampens the rebound. To practice the wrist shot (wrist).

But, of course, techniques involving rebounding, like component strike, it is better to practice using a pad. It’s one thing to simply practice a drawing, and another thing to train your hands by playing rudiments. You won’t have any problems with the pad, your hands will work on the surface with a perfectly similar rebound like a real snare drum, and you won’t disturb your loved ones or neighbors.

Leonid Gurulev

At your request, a new section begins. I’ll say right away that I played the drums very mediocrely, only due to “cruel” necessity. I have a theoretical idea, but zero practice. I apologize for poor quality drawings: I was able to get a very “worn out” textbook. But on the other hand, it means that many people used it, and probably more than one person became a professional drummer. Well, let’s hope that on the pages of “Music Lessons” this “worn out” textbook will play its role, and who knows, maybe the last one.

When playing percussion instruments, fingers and hands, elbows and shoulders are occupied with sticks or brushes. You should always remember to hold the sticks firmly, but without undue tension. Muscle tension during playing is permissible only to the extent necessary to hold the sticks. You should also not press your elbows to your body, as this interferes with regulating the activity of all arm muscles. To achieve technical excellence in kicking, it is also necessary to pay great attention to the development of the leg muscles. Correct landing of the striker is important here. He should sit at such a height that the leg muscles are relaxed and the legs themselves are bent at the knees at an angle of approximately 135°. The seating height should also correspond to the height position of the small drum and tom-tom, namely: the upper plane of the small drum should be at such a height that the arms in the elbow bend form a right angle when playing. In turn, the surface of the tom-tom should be at the same height as the surface of the small drum. Depending on the position of the hands, the tilt of the plane of the small drum should also be adjusted. The first option (see options for hand positions) provides for a very slight tilt (no more than two centimeters). The second option is the horizontal position of the plane of the small drum.

Assembling percussion instruments. When starting to assemble instruments, each drummer must be guided primarily by professional requirements, but also take into account his personal taste. One of the most common sets of percussion instruments: a small drum with a tripod, a large drum, a Charleston (a mechanical device with two cymbals), a pedal to a bass drum, a large tom-tom, a small tom-tom, a large cymbal, a bell, sticks and brushes.

Installation of drums. When installing a set of percussion instruments, you should carefully adjust the height of the upper planes of the tom-toms and small drum: their surfaces must certainly be at the same level. Then it will be possible to freely play these instruments with both hands, without changing the height of the hands during the game.
In this case, it will be possible to avoid many unnecessary movements and achieve technical ease of performance.

Before you begin to master the technique of playing, you should learn the correct landing. Sitting at a small drum, your arms and upper body should be given the position you see in Fig. . The elbows are rounded. The elbows are at a distance from the body and slightly pushed forward. The arms are bent at a right angle (this is achieved by installing correct height small drum). All of the above applies to the second variant of hand position (see variants of hand position).

HANDS POSITION

Look carefully at the pictures. This shows the change of hands during strikes. To strike (starting position No. 1), raise the stick to right hand up, as shown in the illustration (position No. 2). From this position the stick falls down and hits the skin of the small drum. While the right stick rushes down, the left stick, leaving its original position, rises upward, where it takes the position shown in the illustration (position No. 3). Thus, at the moment when one stick touches the skin of the small drum, the other is in an elevated position and is ready to strike. This exercise should be given special attention. The exercise must be done very slowly and practiced to such an extent that the movements become mechanical. Complete mastery of the exercise is a prerequisite for achieving good technique.

WARM UP EXERCISE- Warming up your arms is very great importance. It helps avoid muscle strain, sprains and other injuries that can occur when learning to play the drum. Warm-up should begin 5-10 minutes before the start of the game. Warm-ups can also be done on an instrument, but this is not always possible. Therefore, it is more convenient to use the exercises shown in the illustrations.

TRAINING - Practicing on a small drum is accompanied by relatively large noise, which at home can be a nuisance to others. Therefore, every future drummer needs to purchase (make) a training board. It consists of a tripod and a wooden disk on which rubber is glued. The training board is very practical and easy to carry from place to place. When I worked as the leader of a pop group, my “drummer” said that he practiced on bags filled with sand.