Major Foot workout

[Addact4G]

I checked out this forum on the practice tips and advice and found some pretty cool stuff to try. At the moment im joining a new band with a complete different style that im used to playing with very fast single foot patterns. I do normal exercises like do singles with the metronome faster and faster and alternating between floor tom and other drums and whatnot and also a john blackwell practice tip (hand, foot, hand, foot, hand, foot, foot). I use a pretty standard technique on the pedal board but am wondering if anyone has any good practice tips or drills you run through. Ive had a stubborn foot now for a year id say in its frustrating not be able to play what I hear in my head. Any drills, exercises, or things that worked for you would be awesome!

[joeq]

Building Bass Drum Technique by Ron Spagnardi is currently on my music stand and I am going through it with some of my students.

It's simple stuff, but right to the point: There is an endurance section with accents, and the accents really put the major in major workout. But the main thrust of the book is to use your foot as 'another hand' - there are exercises with figures that combine right and left hand with the foot.

[Jax]

A regular practice routine for the feet that I do, which is great for building accuracy, speed, endurance and power:

- First, you can figure out your top speed by doing this exercise. Once you know it, set the metronome to your top speed for continuous 16th notes. Until you know your top speed, set it at a slow to moderate speed like 72-86 BPM. Increase it when needed.

- Do 8 measures of each, one going right into the next, without stopping: 1/4, 1/4 note triplets, 1/8, 1/8 note triplets, 1/16.

- Now work on dynamic levels. Do a round of the above using 5 different levels of loudness per round: p, mp, f, mf, ff (soft, half as soft as previous, moderate 'normal' volume, loud, and very loud).

- Add accents on every permutation for each round. So, one round of 1, 1-2, the next 1-2-3, then 1-3, etc. Then 2, 2-3, 2-4, etc. This can really develop you ghost note ability and greatly improve overall control.

This also works very well for the hands. I try to do 30-45 minutes of this on feet, then hands, before getting into rudiments and other stuff. You could easily spend your entire practice time doing only this.

The major key and the whole point of any drum exercise is being able to use it in a practical way. When you feel like you've got any part of this mastered, try incorporating it into a rhythm with snare, hat, ride and toms, in any variation that sounds good and fits your musical taste.

[Addact4G]

Thanks for the replys guys ill be tryin them out tomorrow