1.Open-Closed Technique
This is a very useful technique that involves opening and closing hands, which naturally raises and lowers the stick.
After hitting (from a height of several centimeters), we allow the stick to bounce freely to the vertical position.
The stick goes up thanks to the opening of the hand (we straighten the fingers 3,4,5, loosely holding the stick between finger 1 and 2), the wrist lowers simultaneously and the stick bounces to the vertical under the influence of elasticity.
The second stage is closing the hand (fingers 3,4,5 bend closing the hand), while raising the wrist to the initial "neutral" position (palm parallel to the ground), so that the stick is pulled down and hits the second time (remaining after down stroke).
Practice this technique with both hands playing double stroke rolls. In the next lessons of the course there will be more exercises to apply this technique, but at the beginning it is best to practice with doubles.
2.Difficult means easier - make your training more difficult
The famous warrior actor Bruce Lee used to say:
"Let's cry at training, let's laugh during a fight."
This interesting saying is very practical, because the more you make your training more difficult, the easier it will be later.
One way to obstruct it is to reduce the elasticity of the snare drum. When you put the other drumhead on the surface of the snare drum - with the other side - the bouncing of the snare drum decreases, but the sound of the snare drum changes in an interesting way.
Less bouncing hinders the performance of many techniques, including the above mentioned Open-Close technique, which is based on the rebound of the stick, so check how the practicing changes when you put additional drumhead on the snare drum, and then take it away and compare the comfort of the playing on a normally bouncing surface.
3. How to sit behind the drum set in a healthy way?
Our spine is a very important part of our body, because its good condition allows us to play drums. Therefore, pay close attention to how you sit, it is not difficult to strain your back and get bad habits.
Here are some tips on what to look for when you sit behind the drums (and behind the computer and more):
-The spine is maximally straight - pay attention not to slouch, keeping your head straight and pulling it firmly up
- Chest pushed forward and shoulder blades retreated - lowering shoulders will help - when your head "pulls up", try to pull down with shoulders -Building the right tension.
- Deep muscles protect your body, especially the spine. To activate these muscles, try to stretch your belly slightly (it will also improve your balance behind the drum kit and allows to seat stable) and watch your elbows so as not to pull them off your body when you don't need them (the elbows close to the body also get the shoulders lower).
-Correct seat height - legs when sitting should be in a position slightly greater than 90 degrees. Remember, when something starts to hurt, think about whether you are sitting properly. Of course, it is worth leading an active lifestyle, exercising physically, it will strengthen your muscles and relieve your back.