Tiger Bill’s Speed Lesson #54: Developing the Weak Hand - Part 5
Welcome to the fifth installment in our series for developing your weak hand. If you missed any of the four previous lessons, go to the lesson section at DrumMagazine.com and work on those first. This is a building process and you will receive the maximum benefit by practicing all exercises in the proper order.
Video Lesson
Study the written exercises below before accessing the video clip. The line marked S is to be played with your strong hand and the line marked W is played with your weak hand. For best results, maintain a log of your progress and practice regularly.
If you have been following my instructions over the past four lessons, you should now be practicing all four lessons of the series for 3 minutes per exercise for a total non-stop practice time of 36 minutes. This month we add another 3 exercises to our practice routine, at 3 minutes per exercise, for a total of 45 minutes! To get the maximum benefit from these exercises, you should now be practicing non-stop for a full 45 minutes each practice session. Be sure to select a metronome tempo that allows you to play for the entire length of time without developing tension anywhere in your fingers, wrists, or arms.
When viewing the "up to speed" demonstrations on the video, you may notice that my hands are moving a bit differently than most other drummers. This is because I am using RPM (Rotational Perpetual Motion), which is a technique I developed that allows me to play at high speeds for extended lengths of time without becoming tense. For more information on my original techniques, visit TensionFreeDrumming.com.
Additional Workouts
Practicing all of the exercises in this series by playing them non-stop, as explained above, not only helps build your weak hand but it also helps to develop your overall endurance. For an additional workout, you should select one or two bars from each exercise and try playing them at tempos that approach the limit of your current ability. The idea is to push yourself to play the one or two bar phrase just once at top speed without adding any muscle tension. This will help build your short-burst speed. Regular practice for both speed and endurance will, eventually, provide you with the best of both worlds.
Questions on this month's lesson can be sent to me at .
Until next time: Stay loose and have fun!
Tiger Bill Meligari