If you are a drummer, no doubt that you’ve watched videos of some of your drumming heroes hitting those incredibly fast drumming patterns.
Anyone who is a fan of Ginger Baker, Buddy Rich or Travis Barker will want to emulate their heroes and be able to hit those snares, cymbals and toms at lightning speed.
However, it’s not just about speed, it’s also about timing. Getting the right speed and timing will be perfect for not messing up the dynamics of your track.
Luckily for you, there are a few basic exercises that you can perform to make sure that your stick control and rebound are dead on.
Because how can you increase your drumstick speed? How can you make sure that you’re warmed up perfectly before a show?
What are the rudiments of drumming that you need to master before attempting to elevate your speed? How valuable is a metronome to increasing your drum speed?
Well, if you are looking to amp things up on the drum stool, then you should definitely keep reading.
We’ll give you some of the best tips and tricks for getting the right moves and maneuvers for your drumming, from the sticks to the kicks. By learning just a few of these moves, you’ll find yourself a drumming expert in no time.
The best methods of increasing drumstick speeds
So here are some of the best tips that you can learn for your drumming techniques.
They may look simple at first, and you might very well be tempted to skip over them, but mastering these simple moves will give you a good foundation for really getting your speed up.
Get the basics down
This is very important for becoming an amazing drummer.
If you learn sloppy techniques at the very beginning, then you’ll definitely be putting yourself at a disadvantage when compared to some of the greats.
What you’ll need to do first is start off slow. By starting slow you can be sure that you’ll be able to gradually increase your drumming speed and eventually master the drums.
Getting the right speed and stick control will be crucial for getting better speeds.
To avoid nasty injuries in the wrist, especially in the tendons, you’ll want to get the position down properly.
Having an upright physique as well as a flexible but firm grip on your sticks will be very important when it comes to avoiding injury down the line.
Approach increasing your stick speed as if it is a continuous exercise over the next few months. If you make a note of your progress, you’ll soon be aware that slow and steady certainly wins the race.
This will improve your muscle memory as well as your endurance, both of which are crucial for increasing your speed.
Use a practice drum pad
This will be very important for getting your stick control and rebound just right. One of the main downsides of having a drum set is the fact that you won’t be able to practice all the time, mostly due to the noise.
One way to properly practice your drum strokes is by isolating the snare.
Doing this will allow you to practice various rhythms, as well as the act of just hitting the drums themselves.
Getting a practice pad will be hugely beneficial in getting these things just right.
This way you can get your rolls right on a surface that will be almost like a snare drum.
This is called rebound. Getting used to the natural rebound of the drum will be very important for getting your stick control just right. You can get a practice pad for very little money.
You’ll want to make sure that you get a practice pad that can withstand quite a decent amount of punishment, as you’ll want to batter it all day and all night.
You’ll need a surface that is made from rubber to allow you that accurate stick rebound that you would get on a drum set.
Having something harder or softer than a rubber snare drum will really mess with your stick control and rebound.
You’ll want something that mirrors a snare drum as much as possible so that when you get on a live kit you can be sure that you’ll have the same rebound quality.
Drum at various different speeds
If you are holding your sticks too tightly or too loose, then you can be sure of mis-hits and the stick flying out of your hand.
You need to make sure that you have enough grip, especially between the thumb and forefinger. But you’ll want to accommodate for the natural rebound that you’ll get from your stick.
If you hold your sticks with bad form, you can be certain that you’ll incur injuries as well as get very bad at having those high-speed rolls.
It’s not all about hitting your drum harder, it’s about making sure that you have good technique when it comes to wielding your sticks. Improving how you handle the rebound will massively improve how fast you can hit your drums.
You’ll need to make sure that you tune your pads in the exact same tension as you would tune your drums, otherwise, this will mess with your stick control and rebound handling skills.
Play to a metronome or click track
Playing to a click track will greatly improve your stick control, as this will allow you not only to play fast but to play in time.
Anyone can hit the drums in any random order with any sense of urgency, but staying in time is all the more important.
Learning to play to a click track will improve your sense of rhythm and make sure that you can play in various time signatures.
You can get metronomes online or you can buy one that you can pump through a set of headphones.
Some drummers have learned to play to a click track live, which some find invaluable for keeping time during, particularly complicated time switches.
Even professional players use click tracks on stage, so don’t be averse to using them in the beginning as they will make you better over the long term.
You should be able to practice between playing your drums at high speeds as well as low speeds. This will tone up your muscles and improve your muscle memory for playing things fast and slow.
If you start by perfecting your slow drumming speeds and gradually increasing them over time, then you can be sure that you will have everything that you need to start playing those blasting super-fast rhythms.
Use a mirror to practice
This is a little-known technique that a lot of drummers use when they are playing drums, as it will allow you to spot issues in your positions, including holds, drum rhythms as well as posture.
If you want to play symmetrically, we would recommend that you have similar styles of stick holds in both hands.
If you have discrepancies in your stick holding patterns, then this will be a great way of rectifying those issues.
Play a simple drum pattern very slowly in the mirror. Look at any issues that you might be having in the mirror and correct them accordingly.
Nail your single-stroke roll
A lot of drummers tend to work on their double-stroke rolls, as they sound a lot more impressive than the single-stroke rolls.
However, you should make sure that you work on both as both will come in handy for your overall drumming technique.
Improving your single stroke rolls can be done by simply practicing your 16th note stroke rolls to a metronome.
Make sure that these are done at varying different speeds to ensure that you get your drum dynamics just right.
Start by keeping the rhythm very slow before building up until the strokes so they go faster and faster.
With this method, you’ll be able to increase the muscle mass in your wrist and fingers, both of which are very important when it comes to improving your overall drum technique.
To make sure that you have the ultimate endurance for your drumming, try and hold the rolling drum patterns for at least 30 seconds.
This way you can be sure that you’ll have to stay in tempo with a decent form. You need to try and practice your form as much as possible, keeping the sticks in your hand as loose as possible.
Pillow talk
In much the same way as you might use a practice pad, this method is a simple and effective way of building up your muscles and developing your repeated single and double-stroke rolls.
A pillow has very little rebound, so this way you will be able to build up the muscles in your arms until you have great double and triple stroke rolls.
Having the right muscles in your forearms will give you everything that you need for greater speed.
However, be sure that you take a rest in between your drumming, as tiring out your arms will be a surefire method of slowing down your overall progress.