Moving Around the Drum Kit

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These exercises are a great warm up and are an excellent way of training your ears to what different note groupings sound like when played around the drum kit.

As you’ll see from the worksheet, each exercise has a repeating number pattern written beneath the notes. If the numbers go up to 3 that means you play three notes before switching drums, if they go up to 5 that would mean playing five notes before switching drums, if the count only goes up to 1, you only play one note on each drum.

You’ll see some of the exercises have “...” at the end of the count. This is to signify the pattern has been cut short. You have two options if this is the case. 1) You can just go back to the beginning of the bar, ignoring the fact you are only part of the way through your number sequence or 2) you can keep your number sequence going, ignoring the fact the bar has ended.

Here are a few suggestions of how to practice the exercises: 

• Play using single strokes, starting on the right hand if you are right handed and the left if you’re left handed

• Practice to a metronome or with your left foot on the beat, counting the number sequence as you move around the drums (if the exercise is 3s, you’d count 1 2 3 1 2 3 etc). Alternatively try counting the subdivision — 1 e & a 2 e & a etc for semiquavers, 1 & a 2 & a etc for triplets

• Initially, only move between two drums so you can clearly hear the number grouping. Then try moving either clockwise or anticlockwise around all of the drums. Once you can do this you can get a little more creative with how you move around the kit.

And that’s all there is to it!

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