My high school percussion teacher taught this exercise to me when I was in the 11th grade. He marched in the A-Line at North Texas University, which some of you may know is taught by Paul Rennick. To me, that systematic approach to drumming was very appealing, and this is where I learned how fundamental technique is built through slow and correct repetitions. Over the years, I still come back to this breakdown as a staple of how to teach my students how to play Pdd’s.
I sound like an old grandpa for saying this, but nowadays, it seems like more students go for fast and flashy drumming before they’ve really mastered the fundamentals. At some point, some of these students hit a roadblock. Their technique fails them and they aren’t able to play as fast or precisely as they want. For these students, here is my PSA: slow, correct repetitions are better than fast, wrong repetitions. Once you’ve ensured that you are using the correct stroke, touch, and motion, the speed comes very easily with more time and repetition. If you create the wrong habits, at some point, you may hit a ceiling.
Ultimately, our goal is for our technical facility to be at a place where we can freely express the music we hear inside our heads. This exercise is very helpful in building great clarity in heights, strong innerbeat quality, and rhythmic integrity. I hope it’s as beneficial for you as it has been for me over the years. -Huei
Watch the live lesson on March 6, 2016 at 7pm cst or catch the video replay below. For future lessons on Periscope, follow @hueiyuanpan or view on your browser at https://periscope.tv/hueiyuanpan.
More replays available at hueiyuanpan.com/periscope
Thanks for sharing!
FREE DOWNLOAD: LESSON 3 HANDOUT Hukadik Paradiddle-diddle breakdown
Lesson starts ~7:00min
HUEI-YUAN PAN 