Drum Training: And the Beat Goes On

Click to view You may have noticed by the handy-dandy calendar on your computer screen that we have, in fact, left the month of September behind us and galloped full-speed into October. Not only have the months proceeded in a timely fashion, but I have not posted the results of my Drum Trainer experiment. So here's the deal (Yes, an excuse is coming). A week after kicking off my grand experiment, my television went out. Then I had to fly to New York. Now I have to fly to Tokyo. I'm not pulling the plug on the experiment, nor am I changing the rules, really, but I am going to postpone posting the results. I'll still show you the progress of 30 days of training, but it's going to come later in October. For now relish in the official training guide that John Drake over at Harmonix, a drummer himself, was kind enough to put together for me.Above all else Drake stresses that you practice makes perfect, lots of practice. But he also said that practicing in this particular order could, perhaps, speed things up for fans of drumming and Rock Band 2. LEARN HOW TO DRUM IN ROCK BAND 2 To begin: Start with the "how to play your RB drums" tutorial to get the correct stick/foot position if you're unfamiliar. Play each beat to 100%. Play each fill to 100%. Head into freestyle mode with the metronome on and see if you can put the techniques to use! Then try each song in no fail mode and see how you do. If you struggle, try the beats again. If you still fail out, try the troublesome parts in practice mode. SIMPLE/WARMUPS - Mixed Hands This is a great hands only way to warmup! Alternate between your left and right playing the 8th notes and start loosening up your hands - 8th note hats Simplest of beats, hands only - Kick and Snare The other half of simple beats, only 2 things - Hard Rock Hats Straight forward beat, with quarter note hats - Baby's First Rock Beat Straight forward beat, with 8th note hats - Pound through the following simple fills: Quarter Note Snares Quarter Note Kicks Quarters down the toms Flams on Quarters Quarters with a kick 8th Notes 8ths down the toms 8ths with a kick Wrap it up with a song: Eye of the Tiger Play a second song? : Psycho Killer Play a Third song: Hungry Like the Wolf! Surfin/Punk (California Times!) - Surfin on 2 hands - Surf's Up - Poodle Skirt - We Will We Will Rock You Sing along if you're having trouble rocking this one! - You Will You Will Rock Us - Fast Punk 1 - Fast Punk 2 - Pound through the following fills: Chicka Bum Chicka Boom The Balladier 3 Big Ones 3 Big Ones with a Kick Wrap it up with a song: My Own Worst Enemy Play a second song?: Keep Em Separated Disco Beats! - Disco 1 (your right hand is going to hit on all the quarter notes…so it matches right up with the kicks! Just alternate your hands…try hands first for all these disco beats!) - Disco 2 - Disco 3 - Disco 4 - Pound through the following fills: 16th Notes 16th Notes 1 tom 16th Notes 2 Toms 16ths around the set Wrap it up with a song? : Orange Crush Play a second song: Everlong (way challenging!) Tom/Harder Hands Work - 8th Note Hats - Tricky Snares 1 - Tricky Snares 2 - Tricky Snares 3 - Kick/Snare Var 3 - Tricky Snares 4 - Smells Like That Beat - Big Band Toms - Pound through the following fills - Little Rock Fills - Big Rock Fill - Big Rockin Crash - Stairway to Flams - Hands Foot Simple - Hands Foot Simple 2 Wrap it up with a song: Move Along Play a Second Song? : We Got the Beat Try a Third Song: Go your Own Way Triplet/Swing Week - 2 Hand Swing (6) - Swing the Hats (62) - Swing the kick (63) - Swing and Stomp (67) - Triple the Hats 1 - Triple the Hats 2 - Triplet Doom (76) - Pound through the following fills Intro to 8th Triplets All 8t 8t with Toms 8t Around the Set 8t, 1 hand 1 foot Tricky Triples Triples around the set Speed Bonham Wrap it up with a song: Spirit in the sky Tricky Kicks Week - Baby's First Rock Beat - Tricky Kicks 1 - Tricky Kicks 2 - Robot Rock - Prog Rock - Tricky Kicks 4 - Pound through the following fills Double Kicks Quads Thundering Kicks Mix it up 1 Mix it up 2 Craziness Craziness 2 Wrap it up with a song: Alive (Pearl Jam Try a Second Song? : Lump (Presidents of the United States of America) Some Tips: - In these beats, and most of the beats moving forward, the right hand is almost always constant. This means that you can practice the foot/left hand patterns, using the hi-hat as a guide (since it's evenly spaced). Then add the hats back in. (or get the hand patterns down and then add the kick.) When in doubt, drop out one limb and learn it part by part! - Play what we call "open closed open". Start the beats slow, work up to higher speeds and then slow it back down to show that you've mastered it!