Lessons

How do I use Techniques In Interdependence?

I am going to give you some examples from each section of my book.

Let's start with:

Section I - One limb independence exercises

In order to gain interdependence we must begin working each limb independently. You cannot expect your limbs to work together (interdependently) if they do not work separately (independently). The independence exercises in Section I will help you gain facility with each of your limbs. The method we will be using to practice the exercises is singing the metronome click, the ride cymbal, the snare drum, the bass drum, and the hi hat parts. Singing helps you focus on what each limb is playing so you can fine tune your drumming. Your timing will improve and your ability to learn challenging musical patterns will increase dramatically.

STEP 1: Pick an exercise you wish to work on and set your metronome to a quarter note = 40 beats per minute. Let's use the One Limb Eighth Note Independence Exercises, exercise #1, on page 6 of the book. In this example, we will use the right hand on the ride cymbal.

STEP 2: Play each measure of exercise # 1 many times until you can play the exercise comfortably.

STEP 3: Now play each measure while singing the metronome click. Choose a sound that resembles the sound of the click. For example, you could sing "click, click, click, click" to mimic the sound of the metronome. Play and sing each measure of the exercise until you feel ready to move on to STEP 4.

STEP 4: Next, play each measure while singing the part of a limb. While playing the ride cymbal you could sing a "ding" sound. Later, when practicing the other limbs, use a sound that mimics the instrument being played. A "bop" sound could be used for the snare drum part. "Chick" could be used for the hi hat and a "boom" sound for the bass drum. Move to STEP 5 when you are comfortable playing and singing all the measures in exercise #1.

STEP 5: Try different tempos. Move your metronome five beats per minute faster and repeat STEP 3, 4, and 5. Continue playing the steps until you have reached a tempo that satisfies you. You decide what fast is! Listening to many different styles of music can help you figure out a maximum tempo to try to achieve.

STEP 6: Now you should try to improvise using all the combinations in exercise #1 to see if you really have got a handle on the exercise. Do not count or sing! Just play the rhythms in any order that you feel. Also, try not to look at exercise while doing the improvising. This will help you to memorize all the combinations.

Section II and Section III - Two and Three limb interdependence exercises

The exercises in Section II and Section III will help you develop interdependence. Play the exercises very slowly and focus on what each limb is playing and how they relate to each other. Understanding how each limb works together is what interdependence is all about.

The following instructions are for practicing Section II and Section III and should be read many times so that you understand them completely.

STEP 1: Pick an exercise you wish to work on and set your metronome to a quarter note = 40 beats per minute. I will use Exercise #3 on page 11 from the Two Limb Eighth Note Triplet Interdependence Exercises. Right hand on the ride cymbal and the left hand on the snare.

STEP 2: Play each measure of exercise # 3 many times until you can play the exercise comfortably.

STEP 3: Play each measure many times while singing the metronome click. Do not move to STEP 4 until you are completely comfortable singing the click while playing the exercise.

STEP 4: Play each measure of the exercise while singing the part of a limb. Let's start with the right hand on the ride cymbal. Remember to sing a sound that resembles the instrument you are playing. Use the "ding" sound for the ride cymbal. Again, play and sing each measure many times until you feel ready to move on to the next step.

STEP 5: Now play each measure many times while singing the part of the snare. Use the "bop" sound for the left hand snare part. For Section III, repeat STEP 5 singing the part of the third remaining limb. When you are comfortable playing and singing STEP 5 move to STEP 6.

STEP 6: Try a slightly faster tempo. Set your metronome five beats per minute faster and repeat STEP 3, 4, 5, and 6. Continue playing the steps until you reach a tempo that satisfies you.

STEP 7: Now you should try to improvise using all the combinations in exercise #3 to see if you really have got a handle on the exercise. Do not count or sing! Just play the rhythms in any order that you feel. Also, try not to look at exercise while doing the improvising. This will help you to memorize all the combinations.

Three Limb Sixteenth Note Interdependence Exercises

Follow the same steps used for the Two Limb exercises and use them for the Three Limb exercises! Learn to sing the part of each limb separately and the part of the metronome click while playing through the exercises.

Page #54, Exercise 5. This exercise uses the right hand on the ride cymbal (ding), left hand on the snare drum (bop), and right foot on the bass drum (boom).

Page #133, Exercise 9. This exercise uses the right hand on the ride cymbal (ding), left foot on the hi hat (chick), and right foot on the bass drum (boom).

For more information on Techniques in Interdependence Volume 1 click here.