Visual Approaches to Improving Technique

We all learn in different ways. You've probably heard some people tend to focus more on visual sensing and thinking when learning, while others tend to tune into auditory channels, or lean more heavily on movement based sensing and thinking. We actually use all of these modes when we learn, and we may rely more on one approach than another, depending on what we're learning.

Regardless of your preferred method, I recommend consciously exploring ways to practice that utilize these different modes to discover what each can offer you.

Today, let's talk about some visual approaches you can take to your technique practice.

Visual Observation of a Model

Watch a video of the technique(s) (see the list of links to Instructional Videos in the sidebar on the left). Concentrate on identifying every specific characteristic you can discern visually - you might even turn off the sound while watching. (Hint: if you download videos to your PC, you can use Windows Media Player to watch them at a slower speed, or on your iPhone, pause the video then tap and hold the fast forward button).

• At what angle is the drum held?
• Where does the non-dominant hand rest on top of the drum? If the face of the drum were a clock, at what hour does the hand rest? The fingers?
• At what angle does the arm, hand and fingers intersect the edge of the drum for the Dum? The Tek? The Ka? (The Cha?)
• What spacial relationships exist between the finger and the drum edge?
• Where exactly on the drum is each stroke placed? What does that look like?
• How do the fingers move after they strike the drum?
• Are the fingers straight? Cupped? Fingers together or apart?
  
• Where and how does the arm, elbow, wrist, hand, or fingers bend or move?
• Where do you see tension? Where do you see relaxation?
• What stays relatively still? What has the greatest motion?

Visualizing the Dum, Tek, and Ka (and Cha)

With your eyes closed, visualize a Dum as you saw it in the video, but in slow motion. Picture what your Dum would look like in slow motion from another person's perspective, then visualize it from your perspective.  

If something in your imagining isn't in clear focus, go back and watch the video again, noticing specifically the details you need to make your visualization crystal clear.

Repeat this for the Tek and Ka (and Cha)

Getting Visual Feedback

Set up a mirror so that you can see your drum and hands clearly from the outsider perspective. 

Play your Dum and really look at it from both your perspective and in the mirror.

• Does it look like the model in the video? In what ways does it look the different? In what ways does it look the same?
• What do the angles look like? The angle of your arm, hand or fingers?
• Where and how do you bend or rotate?
• Do you hold the relatively still parts relatively still?
• Do your fingers look like the fingers in the video?

Keep tweaking until your stroke looks like the stroke in the video.

When you're satisfied with the Dum, move on to the Tek and Ka (and Cha).

Many thanks to Philip Johnston and his chapter on visualization in his book Practiceopedia for some of the techniques and inspiration for this post.

Happy practicing!

-- Tara Severns

Vanquishing Wimpy Kas in the Car

There's a reason why your Kas sound wimpy. Unless you've played a string instrument, you may have never asked your ring finger on your non-dominant hand to do anything more cumbersome than carry your rings around. And now you're asking it to play Kas on your doumbek or framedrum.

In addition to your regular practice on your drum, you can build up your strength and endurance by playing Kas in your car.

When you find yourself waiting for a stoplight to change, put your non-dominant hand on top of the steering wheel at about 12 o'clock.

Start playing Kas at as fast a tempo as you can while maintaining good form (if your turn signal's on, work on your timing, too - can you play one Ka per click? Two?). Check for unnecessary tension (are you trying to hitchhike inside the car?) and relax.

In the beginning, you may not even hear your Kas - but this isn't about practicing good sound, but building strength.

You will soon start to "feel the burn" as your muscles become fatigued. You may feel your finger and forearm become tired. Keep breathing, and keep going a little longer (or until the light changes), then rest until the next stop light. 

Start with one or two sets per drive for a few days. Then do two or three sets. How much longer you can go in one set? Can you increase your tempo? Are you beginning to hear your Kas? Maybe you hear them more at the beginning of the set more than the end? Do you notice any difference when you play your drum?

Happy Practicing!

-- tara severns

Straight Roll Drill

Speak the pattern below. Once you can say it several times in a row without getting tongue-tied, pick up your drum.

Speak and play the pattern slowly until you can do so with confidence several times in a row.

Set your metronome to a slow tempo and speak and play the pattern.

When you feel steady, stop speaking and just play. Concentrate on getting an even sound, with each stroke crisp and at the same volume.

If you sound like tennis shoes in a clothes dryer, slow the metronome a little, check your form (posture, drum, hand positioning, relaxation) and try again.

When you can play the pattern at the current tempo with even timing, even stroke volume, and you're relaxed, turn up the tempo by one or two bpm and play it again.

When you begin at a tempo just outside of your comfort zone, you may feel some tension (and possibly an impulse to speed up or drag the beat) after a few minutes, you will begin to relax as your body becomes accustomed to the new tempo.

1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . -->
T . . . K . . . T . . . K . . . -->
T . K . T . K . T . K . T . K . -->
T K T K T K T K T K T K T K T K -->
TKTKTKTKTKTKTKTKTKTKTKTKTKTKTKTK-->
T K T K T K T K T K T K T K T K -->
T . K . T . K . T . K . T . K . -->

 Happy practicing!

Notes on Notation

The Symbols

D stands for “Dum” – The low note played near the center of the drum with the dominant hand.

T stands for “Tek” – The high note played at the edge of the drum with the dominant hand.

K stands for “Ka” – The high note played at the edge of the drum with the non-dominant hand.

Lowercase t and k are unaccented (unemphasized) notes.
Capital T K and D are accented (emphasized) notes.
. (a dot) represents a silent placeholder in time.

In the NWR book, bold usually indicates a stroke played on the pulse (see p 111). In some notation, bold may indicate an accented or emphasized note.

Numbers count out the numbers of pulses (or "beats") into which a rhythmic phrase will be placed. Dots will mark the regular increments between pulses.

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . shows a 4-pulse rhythmic structure with regular increments between the pulses. 

Ds, Ts, Ks and dots are placed beneath these in the “spots” they occupy:

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
D . K . T . K . 

Here's another example:

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
D K T K D K T K 

And here's Joshua explaining it himself:

Learning a New Rhythm or Variation

Speak the Notation: Joshua recommends tapping a slow, even pulse while you point to each period in time in represented by the notation. Speak each drum syllable as you point to it, leaving a rest (silence) as you point to each dot or empty cell (p 111).

Speak and Step: Set your metronome to 60 bpm, step from side to side on the pulse, and speak the rhythm. When you can speak it flawlessly, on time, five times in a row, you’re finished with this part, and can move on.

Find the Spots on your Drum: Turn off the metronome, pick up your drum, and play the rhythm (you may find it helpful to continue to speak the rhythm as you play). At first, go as slow as you need to, and don’t worry about perfect timing. This exercise is about your hands learning to move between left and right strokes, and between tek and dum strokes. Once you feel your hands know how to get to the correct place on the drum in the correct order (regardless of how bumpy the timing is or how yucky the sound is), then you’re finished and can move on.

Find the Spots in Time: Set your metronome at 60 bpm and play the rhythm. Concentrate on getting your hands into the correct place for the correct stroke and on time (don’t worry for now about how it sounds). Once you can play it through three times in a row right on the beat, you’re finished, and can move on.

Improve the Sound: Turn off the metronome. Play the rhythm slowly, concentrating on good form and good sound. You might do this in front of a mirror so you can visually check your posture, hand positioning, stroke motion and tension levels. When you are satisfied that you have gotten consistently deep dums, and crisp teks and kas while playing the rhythm three times through, you’re finished, and can move on.

Stretch: Turn on the metronome at 60 bpm. Play the rhythm with good timing and good sound. When you can do so three times in a row, increase the speed on the metronome by 1 bpm. Repeat. When you get to a speed where good timing or good sound becomes difficult, even after several minutes of playing (notice if you feel muscle tension or fatigue), stop for now. Make a note of the tempo where you ended. The next day, start a few bpm slower than the previous day's ending tempo, then increase little by little as before. With daily stretching, you will gradually play faster while maintaining good timing and sound. 

Happy practicing!

Coordination Practice

First task: Set your metronome to 60 bpm, step from side to side on the pulse, and SPEAK the rhythm below, one note per beat. When you can speak it flawlessly, on time, five times in a row, you’re pau with this part, and can move on.

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
D . K . T . K .

Second task: Turn off the metronome and pick up your drum. At first, go as slow as you need to, and don’t worry about timing. This task is about helping your hands learn to move between left and right strokes, and between tek and dum strokes. Once your hands know how to get to the right place on the drum in the right order (regardless of how bumpy the timing is or how yucky the sound is), then you’re pau and can move on.

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
D . K . T . K .

Third task: Set your metronome at 60 bpm – and play the rhythm one note per pulse. Concentrate on getting your hands into the right place for the right stroke on time (don’t worry for now about how it sounds). Once you can play it through five times in a row right on the beat, you’re pau, and can move on.

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
D . K . T . K .

Fourth Task: Play as before, but concentrate now on your sound. Notice how each stroke sounds, and strive for the next stroke to sound better. You may find checking your form (posture, hand positioning, drum position, relaxed, belly breathing) to help your sound improve. Practice for at least 5 minutes or until your muscles get fatigued. Notice how your sound, timing, or form may decline as you get tired. This is OK. The next day, do the four tasks again, but try to have the last step go one minute longer. Repeat daily.

Growing Your Coordination

Once comfortable with this very basic pattern, move on to other patterns. For example:

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
T . K . D . K .
D . K . K . T .
T . K . K . D .

... and so on.

Practicing Good Form

Try this to improve your hand position and posture. Periodically come back to this checklist at intervals throughout your practice session.

Sit in front of a mirror.

Visually check your posture in the mirror. Back straight, yet relaxed. Shoulders relaxed.

Visually check your drum. Angled in your lap with the playing surface about 45°. Elbow resting on outside of drum (doumbek). Wrist in line with arm.

Check your “Ka” position. Outside edge of hand rests on the edge of drum. Pad of ring finger on the very edge of the playing surface. Tip of thumb lightly touching first joint on first finger (doumbek).

Check your “Dum” position. Elbow at natural angle. Wrist and arm in straight line, palm extending across face of the drum. Soft part of palm at the rim of the drum.

Check your “TeK” position. Elbow at natural angle. Wrist and arm in straight line. First three fingers slightly splayed on very edge of the playing surface (doumbek).

Play Dums slowly. Check that movement comes mostly from your wrist (doumbek) or rotating forearm (frame drum). Where do you feel or see tension? Thumb, fingers, hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, neck, jaws, diaphragm. Anywhere else? Relax. Belly breathing?

Play Kas slowly. Check that movement is almost entirely isolated to fingers and hand. Pad of ring finger meets the very edge of the playing surface. Where do you feel or see tension? Relax. Belly breathing?

Play Teks slowly. Check that movement is almost entirely isolated to your wrist. Where do you feel or see tension? Relax. Belly breathing?