In the last episode, I introduced the ruff and the bounce stroke. It is very important to review that episode before continuing with this episode. The roll/bounced stroke is one of the most difficult rudiment we have on the snare drum. That is not to say that the other rudiments don’t have their own specific difficulties, but to achieve a great sounding roll takes a while. Remember, be patient. With consistent practice, your bounced strokes will sound great in no time.
So far, we have covered paradiddles, flams, and single stroke rolls. In this episode, I introduce the bounced stroke and the ruff (drag). For a complete list of rudiments, please visit episode 5.
There are a lot of great resources for the modern percussionist (here’s where I say “I wish I had these when I grew up…”) and Marimbalogy.com is a great resource for information about marimba. The videos cover topics about grips, one-handed rolls, technique and more. Although Charlie doesn’t update his site very often (hopefully this post will inspire him to record something), his catalogue of videos is definitely worth watching.
One of the reasons I started PercussionEducation.com was to be a portal of percussion knowledge. I will be adding a links page to my site and I will definitely add places to go and check out information about teaching/learning percussion. Remember, there is not one way to teach anything. We have to be open and receptive of ideas. Go out and watch live performances, check out videos, read blogs and start to gather information to become the best musician you can.
Over the past couple of weeks, we have be exploring the flam rudiments. In this episode, I introduce our first roll rudiment: The Single Stroke Roll. For a complete list of rudiments, please visit episode 5.
It has been a while since we have featured a video by James Yoshizawa. Today, James is here to introduce some Top-end style Bodhran Exercises. There are two ways to play the bodhran: 1) The Kerry Style (the most common way), which is played with a double-headed tipper (or stick) and 2) the West Limerick style (or Top-End style), which uses only one end of the tipper. The second style is the newer tradition and popular with beginners.
Download the exercises and check out the video. How many DrumChattrers play bodhran? Leave a comment below.
