On December 5, 2013 I had the pleasure of attending a Dave Weckl drum clinic at The Toad Tavern in Littleton, CO presented by Rupp’s Drums.
Here were the main things Mr. Weckl talked about:
- Stick position: middle of hand — not the front. This would mean using the middle finger for the fulcrum — not the index finger. It’s something that I’ve been doing for while and really enjoy.
- Traditional Grip (left hand): thumb is doing most of the work.
He stressed that most problems arise from not spending enough time working on independence. He then gave some cool exercises:
- Independence: eighth note triplets with the feet (hi-hat followed by two bass drum notes); (1) the hands play a single stroke roll on top of that; (2) the hands play three notes each; (3) the hands play four notes each, etc.
- Independence: Same three note idea with the feet (hi-hat followed by two bass drum notes), however, think in sixteenth notes now (not eighth note triplets; (1) the hands play a single stroke roll on top of that; (2) the hands play three notes each; (3) the hands play four notes each, etc.
He recommended two books:
- Gary Chester — The New Breed; and
- John Riley — The Art of Bop Drumming
He also talked about the importance of transcribing, saying that it helps in learning how to read music.
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