In addition to my regular, focused practice, I often spend some time in the evening doing some fundamental hand work on the pad while I'm watching a little TV before bed. I generally don't read any etudes or exercises, or even open a book during this "practice". Rather, I just keep my hands moving; repping rudiments, long rolls, etc. While I often use a metronome, there are two things that I do differently with it in this evening practice:
1. I turn the metronome volume down VERY low. This serves two purposes. Most importantly, I can hear the TV. Secondly, I find it helps me to internalize tempos and feel the time rather than follow it.
2. I almost never change the tempo. I simply turn it on and let it go so that I spend a lot of time with one tempo and really internalize it.
Because of #2, I tend to do a lot of metric modulation. This allows me to work different tempos without changing the metronome, and also build confidence in implied times.
Below is an exercise I like to play a lot during these couch practice sessions. It employs combinations of paradiddles, and their three inversions, applied to a very basic metric modulation. It's simply a bar of 16th notes followed by a bar of sextuplets, where said sextuplets are played in groupings of four notes.
Give them a try while you watch all the remaining bowl games.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete