SNARE ESSENTIALS

Stuck and don’t know what to practice? Know a bunch of different exercises but don’t know how to group and sequence them? Look no further - this is the sequence I use in my personal practice, in lessons, and when teaching a line. This is obviously a long list and you might not hit everything, but this at least provides a roadmap to get you started!

Tap Pyramid (Forwards and Backwards)

  • Variations:

    • Pressure changes on transitions (buzzes or diddles)

    • Accent/Tap

      • Accent first note

      • Accent transitions

8-8-16 / 8 on a hand / 16 on a hand

  • Variations:

    • All dynamics (personal preference: start at piano, then mezzo p/f, f, end with ff)

    • Up/Down (same as above, start with crescendo, then decrescendo, then mix & match)

    • Accent/Tap

      • Big 3 that I practice:

        • Accent-tap (Bucks)

        • Accent-tap-tap (Accent 3s)

        • Accent-accent-tap-tap (Full-Down-Tap-Up)

Timing

  • 16th note: 1 hand, 3 note, 2 note, 1 note

  • Triplet: 1 hand, 2 note, 1 note

Multi-Beat (Practice in both triplet and 16th notes)

  • Double Beat

  • Triple Beat

  • Quad Beat

  • Five Beat

  • Possible Avenues:

    • Stick Control

    • Accent/Tap Variations

    • Add-a-Tap

    • Quick Accents

    • Flam Rudiments/Exercises

Doubles (slow-medium speed; not rolls/diddles)

  • Double Beat

  • Gallop + Variations

    • Inverted

    • Tap Roll (flip 1st & 2nd patterns)

    • With 3-strokes

  • Possible Avenues:

    • Paradiddle Rudiments/Exercises

Rolls/Diddles

  • Short-Short-Long (16th & Triplet) with variations

    • 1 diddle - move around all partials

    • 5-stroke roll - move around all partials

    • 7-stroke roll - Triplet: move around all beats, 16th: move around all partials

    • 9-stroke roll - 16th note: move around all beats

    • “Gallop” variations - either all RH or all LH diddles

  • All variations above with buzzes in place of diddles

  • Go between short buzzes and long buzzes

  • Apply to different flam rudiments (cheese, flam drag, etc.)

Variations that can—and should—be applied to most skill-sets:

  • Accent/Tap

    • Pick one element of an exercise to accent (just accent diddles, just accent normal notes, etc.)

    • Accent specific partial(s) of an entire exercise (accent downbeats, grid the accents, etc.)

    • Pick an accent pattern to use throughout an entire exercise

  • Up/Down (Crescendo/Diminuendo)

    • Might have to get creative depending on the exercise

  • Modulation

    • Practice any exercise going from 16th note>triplet meter or vice versa

    • Same sticking-different rhythm variations