Introduction to Quad Drumming CASSIEE LATSHAW
Table of Contents iii Table of Contents Introduction... v Getting Started... v Technique... v Exercises... v Chapter 1: Setting Up The Quads... 3 Chapter 2: Carrying the Quads... 5 Chapter 3: How to Read Quad Music... 7 Quad Notation... 7 Chapter 4: Proper Individual Practice... 9 Maximize the Way You Practice... 9 Always Use a Metronome... 9 Technique... 9 Playing the Exercises... 9 Play Musically... 10 Chapter 5: Mallet Choice... 11 Things to Consider When Choosing Mallets... 11 Bead Choices... 11 Stick and Mallet Material Choices... 11 Chapter 6: Shoulder, Arm, Hand, and Wrist Positions... 13 Shoulder Position... 13 Arm Position... 13 Hand Position... 14 Playing Spots... 14 Wrist Position... 14 Chapter 7: X-Y Planes... 15 X Plane... 15 Y Plane... 15 Chapter 8: Scrapes and Sweeps... 17
iv Introduction to Quad Drumming Chapter 9: Cross-overs... 19 Fulcrum-to-Fulcrum... 19 Wrist-over-Wrist... 19 Chapter 10: Basic Exercises... 21 Eight on a Hand... 21 Bucks... 21 Triplet Bucks... 21 Gallop... 21 Double Beat (AB)... 22 Irish Spring... 22 Index... 23
Introduction v Introduction This guide is designed as an instructional tool to both teachers and students that are interested in improving their skills playing quads. This instructional guide will help percussionists get started playing quads and will include various exercises that will focus on a certain technique so that they master it before trying to incorporate multiple techniques at once. I tried my best to structure this guide logically so that it will introduce simple techniques at first, but then start to incorporate more advanced concepts once you become comfortable with the previous notions. Note: The purpose of this guide is to help percussionists develop their abilities, not to actually teach you your rudiments or how to read music. Once you are proficient at playing your rudiments, you can use this book to master your dexterity and flow around the drums. Getting Started The main portion of this instruction guide is how to get started playing quads. This includes chapters that cover how to set up the quads, carrying them on a harness, how to read quad notation, choosing what kind of mallets to use, and how to properly practice these exercises. Technique The next four chapters focus on technique. Like any other instrument, percussion requires mastery of technique in order to be fluid in your playing. The chapter that covers your arm, hand, wrist, and shoulder positions is essential in developing your technique since how your hands and arms are moving will correlate directly to how you progress as a quad drummer. Once your playing positions become second nature, then the guide describes some advanced concepts and techniques such as the X-Y planes, scrapes, and cross-overs. Exercises The last couple pages of this guide include basic exercises that are necessary to master quad drumming. All of the exercises included in this guide are meant to be played on quads that have four main drums with one additional spock drum, but you are encouraged to modify or improvise these exercises to fit whichever kind of quads you will be playing on. The exercises that are included in this guide will give you a sample around that you can use, but I strongly encourage you to improvise and create your own arounds so that you become confident with playing any kind of rhythm or passage of music, regardless of which drums it needs to be played on.
Chapter 1: Setting Up The Quads 3 Chapter 1: Setting Up The Quads You will primarily play quads on a stand unless you are marching on a drum line. Drum companies sell various stands that you can use, but they all support the drums so that it doesn t move while you re playing on it. It is suggested that you use a stand that is the same brand as the quads that you ll be practicing on so that they ll be compatible with each other. Assembled tenor stand (left) and an aerial view of the quads showing the locking mechanism on the quads (right) The quad stand will resemble a tripod base with three legs that can be used to adjust the stand height of the quads. You will need to twist the knobs and screws so that you can move the legs to your own height. If you have difficulty figuring out how to set the stand up properly, you can ask your teacher or a more experienced player for help. Quads on the stand adjusted to the correct height Once you get the stand adjusted to your height, put the quads on the stand. When you look at the quads from above, there should be a locking mechanism or two holes closest to you that should be able to slide over the handles of the stand and lock into place (as seen in the picture above). Whenever the quads are on the stand, place your hands above the quads as if you were about to play. Your hands should rest at a comfortable height a few inches above the quads. The drums should be slightly below your waist, so if it is not at your waist, or if your hands seem too low or too high, take the drums off the stand and adjust the height, then try again. It is suggested not to adjust the stand height with the drums on the stand for fear that you might knock the drums off the stand with the weight and momentum of the drums. Note: The way you secure your quads into the stand will vary based on the brand of both the quads and the stand. Some quads have holes that just slide into the handles of the stand while others may have a grid locking system to where you just place them on the stand and turn some knobs to lock it into place. The picture above demonstrates the holes on the quads, but it is possible for quads to be lock onto the stand by other means. As stated above, if you are having difficulties setting up your quads on the stand, don t hesitate to ask someone to help you.
Chapter 2: Carrying the Quads 5 Chapter 2: Carrying the Quads If you are interested in playing quads, there will be a chance that you will have to carry them at one point or another. Percussionists carry the drums using a harness when they are marching in a marching band or in an indoor drum line. Some competitions have a stand still portion where you can play using a stand, but you will most likely be marching while playing quads, so it is essential to you know how to carry the quads properly. Carrying your quads will be the same as setting them up on a stand except for whenever you are locking the quads into place, you lock them into the jay bars of the harness. The jay bars are the handles on the harness that you place the quads on so that they don t move around whenever you are moving around with them on. A quad drummer putting the harness on To carry your quads, place the harness over your head so that the shoulder pads rest on your shoulders. You should use a drum key to adjust your harness to fit your body type; everyone s harness will be different since everyone s body is unique. Make sure that the harness rests comfortably on your shoulders, the metal chest plate isn t cutting into your chest, and that the belly plate rests comfortably on your stomach. Once you have the main portion of the harness adjusted to your torso, then you need to adjust the jay bars. The jay bars need to be at a level where when the quads are locked onto the harness, the drums will be slightly below your waist so that when your hands are at playing position, they are at a comfortable position. Since you will be carrying a 40-pound drum for long periods of time, it is essential that you follow a few safety tips. The most important safety hazard is your shoulders and back. Carrying all of that weight will cause some stress and pressure on your back, so it is crucial that you stand up straight and carry the drums with your shoulders and not your back. If you use your back to carry the drums, you will be hurting your spine and lower back, which can lead to severe back problems later on. It sounds a little silly that you can be carrying the drums wrong, but if you carry them with your shoulders, you will get used to the pain faster and will also give a more impressive and confident appearance when playing. Quad drummer having the quads drums on the harness
Chapter 3: How to Read Quad Music 7 Chapter 3: How to Read Quad Music Although many modern tenor setups have up to five or six drums, they are still referred to as quads since they all have four main drums that have distinct low pitches, while the additional drums, or the spock drums, have a relatively high pitch and add color and variety to contemporary quad music. The general setup of a tenor drum is that are four main drums with one or two spock drums. The exercises in this guide are meant to be played on quads with one spock drum, but they can be modified to accommodate an additional spock drum or any additional accessories you d like to equip your drum with. The four main drums can be referred to by their numerical name, which is illustrated is in the picture below. Any additional drums are simply referred to the spock drum. Quad Notation Spock Drum Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4
Chapter 4: Proper Individual Practice 9 Chapter 4: Proper Individual Practice The way that you practice music and how much effort you put into it with relate directly to how much you improve. It is more beneficial to practice effectively for half an hour than to practice for several hours at a time with no realistic goal. Maximize the Way You Practice You can increase your productivity of your personal practice time by 1. Using a metronome 2. Staying relaxed while playing 3. Maintaining good posture and hand positions 4. Keeping a strong fulcrum in each hand 5. Making sure you are keeping a consistent mallet heights 6. Playing each exercise on one drum before moving around the drums 7. Breaking each exercise into smaller chunks 8. Understanding and mastering one exercise at a time 9. Playing with musicality The tips above will help quad players maximize their practice time so that they will always be conscious of what they need to be aware of while drumming. Each tip should be considered carefully and should be present while practicing. Always Use a Metronome The most important tool that a musician needs is a metronome, which establishes a definite pulse for what they are playing. It is recommended for musicians to use a metronome, but it is crucial for percussionists to always use it since the percussion section is considered to be the backbone of the band because they keep a strong, steady tempo, and ultimately keep the band in time throughout the performance. You should always use a metronome while practicing on your own even if you think you have a good sense of time without it. Technique The next four tips above are focused on technique. You can t expect yourself to play an advanced passage or exercise without proper technique. A general rule of thumb for playing a musical instrument is that technique should always be your priority. Without good technique, music can be played incorrectly and bad habits are developed. It can be difficult to focus on both technique and musicality while playing, so many mature percussionists will play in front of a mirror or will record themselves playing so that they can see how their hands look. This way they can replay that excerpt and identify what they need to work on the next time they play it. Playing the Exercises The next three tips are related to playing the exercises. Many beginning quad players want to immediately play the exercise around the drum, but if you can t play the exercise on one drum, there is a minimal chance that you ll be able to play it around the drum. So it is advised to just play the rhythm of the exercise on one drum, then move play the arounds when you are completely comfortable with the rhythm. If the exercise is long or if you are having difficulty with transitions within the exercise, you could break the exercise down into two or 4 measure phrases so that you understand those phrases first before putting them together.
10 Introduction to Quad Drumming Note: You don t want to play exercises that are above your current level of playing. If you play an exercise that you don t have the chops for, then you will most likely either learn the exercise wrong or play it incorrectly. The exercises in this guide are presented in chronological order based on difficulty, so it is suggested that you make sure that you understand each exercise completely before moving onto the next one. Play Musically You are a musician and are creating music, so you should play with musicality! This final tip is to remind yourself to have fun and interpret the music in your own way. Music can become bland if you focus too much on the rhythm or which drums you need to play on. Once you understand the exercise, be creative and add your own dynamics and ornamentation to the exercise. The exercises in this book are basic exercises that every quad drummer should know, but they can be easily modified to improve other rudiments. For instance, if you are struggling on a part of an excerpt and it relates to an exercise, you can improvise on that exercise so that it helps you play those measures in the excerpt better.
Chapter 5: Mallet Choice 11 Chapter 5: Mallet Choice The type of sticks that a quad player uses is often called a mallet, but you can also use normal drumsticks while playing tenors. Quad players have the benefit to add various timbers while playing by implementing different types of mallets and sticks. There are a variety of options of what kind of tenor mallet you could perform with. Many quad players have medium-sized stick bags attached to their drums so that will have multiple types of mallets or sticks so that they can play different styles of music without too much hassle when changing their sticks throughout a performance. There is no right pair of sticks for each style of music. It is ultimately based on what you (or your teacher) prefers, and what you think sounds better when playing. You will need to individually try out different mallets to find the desired sound you want for a specific passage. Things to Consider When Choosing Mallets Some things that you will need to consider when choosing which mallets to use are what kind of bead and stick/mallet material you feel comfortable with. Your decision might be influenced heavily on what type of music you are playing and how fast the excerpt is. Different styles of music call for different types of mallets. For instance, you wouldn t want to use a mallet with a heavy head for a ballad; instead, use a lighter mallet with a felt head, called puffs, to add a softer tone. Bead Choices The bead of the stick is often referred to as the tip of the stick, and is the part of the stick that strikes the drum most frequently. The bead can be as simple as a wooden material, or it could be made out of a different material such as nylon or felt. A wooden or nylon bead will have an articulate sound, whereas a bead covered in felt will have a softer tone when struck. A tenor mallet that is normally used when playing Stick and Mallet Material Choices The stick or mallet is usually made out of either wood or metal. Wooden sticks have a heavier tone when they strike the drum, but they don t last long since they will wear down after you play with them for a long period of time. The most common metal material of tenor mallets is aluminum. Some people prefer aluminum to wooden sticks since aluminum is most durable and consistent, so they will last longer than wooden mallets.
Chapter 6: Shoulder, Arm, Hand, and Wrist Positions 13 Chapter 6: Shoulder, Arm, Hand, and Wrist Positions Percussion, like other instruments, requires long hours of practice in order to become proficient at playing, and the only way for you to become a master of drumming is by having good technique. Techniques are fundamental concepts that will help you develop your skills easily if followed properly. Students find concentrating on technique tedious, but it is necessary for serious and mature musicians to develop the proper technique. You can always look to see how your technique is by practicing in front of a mirror, so that you can check that your shoulders don t move when your hands move around the drums and that your hand and wrists look the way they re supposed to. Whenever you are drumming, you should focus on your shoulder, arm, hand, and wrist positions. Shoulder Position Shoulder position is something that is frequently overlooked when practicing, especially if you are using a tenor stand. Whenever you are carrying the quads on a harness, you tend to forget about your shoulders because however your shoulders move, the quads will mimic that motion since they re on your shoulders. But whenever you are practicing on a stand, people tend to focus on primarily the music without any regard to how their shoulders are moving. A general rule for playing quads is that your shoulders should have minimal movement. It is difficult to keep your shoulders completely still especially when you are moving around the drums, but you should only move your shoulders when necessary. Moving around requires more energy, so you are working harder than you need to, and will look unnatural when you re playing. This idea ties back to you when you are carrying the quads: you will perform how you practice, and if you practice while moving your shoulders a lot, then the quads will move a lot since as stated before, the quads will go wherever your shoulders go. Therefore your performance will look sloppy since your quads will be moving in such a way that you didn t practice since they re always moving. Arm Position Whenever you are playing the quads, your arms should be relaxed at your side. You should not tense up and use minimal movement when you are moving around the drums. Your elbows shouldn t be sticking out, but they also shouldn t be resting on your sides. Keep your arms 2 to 3 inches away from your sides in a natural and relaxed position, such as the picture shown above.
14 Introduction to Quad Drumming Hand Position Your hand position is determined by which kind of drum you are playing on and by how your teacher wants you to look like. Quad drumming requires you to play matched grip, which is whenever you normally hold drumsticks. For quads, your hands should be mostly flat, with a slight turn on your wrists outward. If your hands are completely flat with no rotation at all, it will be difficult for you to comfortably change drums when playing. Playing Spots The most important part of playing music is getting the best sound quality, and as drummers, we achieve the best sound by playing in specific spots on each drum. Each drum has a sweet spot where it produces a rich tone when struck. The optimal playing spots on each drum are about 1-2 inches away from the rim as pictured to the right in red. Hand position is important, but you also need to make sure that when you are actually hitting the drums, you are striking them in the proper place. Wrist Position As a drummer, all of your playing consists of moving your wrists with a stick in your hand to produce sound. Just like normal drumming, you want your wrists to be turned slightly so that you can bend your wrists comfortably. You shouldn t have to strain your wrists in order to get a full stick height (90 degree angle between wrist and forearm). Moving your arm when you bend your wrists is a common misconception of drumming, so make sure that you are actually bending your wrists when you want a loud dynamic and not using all of your arm. Picture of good hand and wrist position while not playing
Chapter 7: X-Y Planes 15 Chapter 7: X- Y Planes As a quad drummer, you will be playing on four or five (possibly even six drums) during an exercise or excerpt, so you need to focus on two distinct planes: the X and Y planes. Think of these two planes as a graph that you see in math with an X and Y axis; the X plane will be how you move your arms around the drums horizontally and the Y plane will be how high your mallets should be when playing based on your hand and wrist positions. X Plane Whenever someone refers to the X plane in quad drumming, they mean how are your hands moving when you are moving around the drums. When you play on more than one drum, you focus on your playing spots (as mentioned on page 14), and you want to keep your hands at a relatively consistent level whenever you move around the drums. Your hands, wrists, and arms should not be rising, as you are moving around the drum. Keeping your hands at the same height when moving around the drums looks cleaner and helps you not move as much as shown below. Y Plane The Y plane focuses on how your wrists are moving when you are actually moving the stick up and down. Your wrists work as the primary movement of how high your stick height is, so they will ultimately dictate how loud you are playing. A fundamental principle of drumming is that when you are about to strike the drum, your wrist should only be moving vertically; moving it horizontally will get a swiping motion, and you won t get a full tone since you aren t striking the drum straight down. Tenor players tend to forget these principles when they are moving around the drum since they re hands are already slightly turned, but they shouldn t continuously be rotating as you move around the drums. If you rotate your wrists too much, then you will develop wrist problems, which will eventually inhibit your drumming abilities.
Chapter 8: Scrapes and Sweeps 17 Chapter 8: Scrapes and Sweeps As a quad drummer, you need to master each of your rudiments before implementing them around various drums. Some rudiments require multiple strikes by the same hand before alternating. For instance, the rudiment paradiddle is played like Right Left Right Right (or RLRR for short hand) where there is a double right, or double left depending on which hand you start on (called doubles ). Quad players can add the visual effect of playing the first note of the double on one drum and the second note on another drum, which is referred to as a scrape or a sweep. Scrapes can add simplicity to playing if used properly, but can also be used to impress others with difficult arounds. You can implement scrapes with exercises that require you to use doubles such as the exercise Gallop on page 21 to increase your fluidity around the drums. Many drummers use scrapes when playing double strokes rolls, rudiments that implement doubles, or fast sixteenth notes that cause problems due to the arounds. A quad drummer performs a scrape by hitting one drum (left) then hitting a different drum with the same hand for the second note (right).
Chapter 9: Cross-overs 19 Chapter 9: Cross- overs Cross-overs add additional musicality and visual appeal to your audience while playing tenors. Cross-overs are techniques where one of your hands or sticks cross over the other to add some visual or musical effect. It does not matter which hand goes underneath when doing cross-overs, so it is encouraged to try doing cross-overs with both your right and left hand underneath so that you are comfortable with both options. There are two types of techniques that quad drummers must master to be confident with playing around their drums: the fulcrum-to-fulcrum technique and the wrist-over-wrist concept. Fulcrum- to- Fulcrum Your fulcrum is the place on the stick where your thumbs and index fingers are physically gripping the stick. The fulcrum-to-fulcrum technique is applied whenever you want to play with your sticks crossed over two adjacent drums. Whenever you apply the fulcrumto-fulcrum technique in your playing, your hands should not be crossed; only the sticks. Your thumbs will be close together, but not touching. You should not use this technique when the hand that is underneath needs to travel a further distance than the other hand immediately after. Wrist- over- Wrist The wrist-over-wrist technique is needed when you are crossing your sticks over two drums that are not adjacent to one another. When you are implementing the wrist-overwrist technique, one of your hands is completely underneath the other, stopping where your wrists are crossed as shown below. Note: Cross-overs add visual appeal to your audience, but they are only impressive when the sound quality matches the appearance. Keep in mind that you are a musician, and that the sound quality is always your first priority.
Chapter 10: Basic Exercises 21 Chapter 10: Basic Exercises The next couple pages consist of basic exercise that quad drummers need to know in order to succeed and become confident in their playing abilities. Each of these exercises focus on a certain skill, rhythm, or rudiment. The best way to progress effectively is to learn one exercise at a time. Master each exercise before moving on to the next one. If you are having difficulty learning an exercise, break it down into smaller chunks so that you have time to focus on one thing at a time. Remember to always use a metronome when practicing to achieve maximum precision. Once you master the rhythmic aspect of each of the exercises below, then you can start to improvise and make up your own arounds. It might be fun and challenging to create difficult arounds that are meant to be visually appealing, but it will be more impressive to be able to play the exercise flawlessly with an easier around than a difficult one that you stumble through. Eight on a Hand Bucks Triplet Bucks Gallop
22 Introduction to Quad Drumming Double Beat (AB) Irish Spring
Index 23 Index Arm, iii, 13 Cross-overs, iv, 19 Exercises, iii, iv, v, 9, 21 Hand, iii, iv, 13, 14, 21 Metronome, iii, 9 Practice, iii, 9 Quad, 1, iii, 7, 11, 14, 17 Quads, iii, 3, 5 Scrapes, iii, 17 Shoulder, iii, 13 Sweeps, iii, 17 Technique, iii, v, 9, 13 Wrist, iii, iv, 13, 14, 19 X Plane, iii, 15 Y Plane, iii, 15