Let’s start with a very important premise: the best practice is playing music with other musicians, especially with musicians that are better than you. Practicing is an art form in and of itself. It’s not just about the time we put in, it’s about being smart and strategic. As for anything in life, when we want to see results, we need a plan.

Talking about groove, the Fat Back is definitely one of the most important techniques we can study to improve it and even master it. These examples focus on eighth note beats: we are going to practice all possible combinations of 1, 2 and even 3 consecutive Bass Drum hits within a quarter note. The same studies are played first with a straight feel and then with a shuffle feel.

Vinnie is the best: pure genius, energy, instinct, and just the right amount of craziness, are channeled into a unique and instantly recognizable style. A top name in the drumming world for more than 4 decades. The 6 ideas transcribed in this PDF are just a tiny fraction of the giant amount of phrases he gave us.

I love simplicity. Because it’s powerful. Music = 1/Ego. I think this elegant equation sums it up perfectly: the more ego we have when we are playing, the less music there’s going to be. On the other hand, the less ego, the more music. Thought is the enemy of flow. Because creativity happens in the absence of thought. That’s why you can’t force yourself to be creative.

Today we are going to see a couple of powerful studies which will make playing with a metronome completely effortless. They are something you probably never did and they are not only effective but also lots of fun to play.

There are drummers out there who play the simplest, and yet they are great, amazing musicians. Why? Because they focus on the ‘how’ of what they do. It’s not what they play that makes them great, it’s how they play it. They noticed that when they focused on that, magic happened. This is a crucial insight, often overlooked even by very good drummers, which is the gateway to taking your art to the next level.