• These exercises will help build your dynamics control. Good dynamic control is vital to creating good sound, feel, texture and groove.

Exercise 1

• Play 16th notes between the Hi-hat and snare.
• Play all the snare notes as ghost notes (written with brackets) – as quiet as you can. Hold the snare drum stick no more than 2 inches away from the head.
• The snare notes fall on the off beat 16ths – the e’s and ah’s.
• Accent on the beat with the hi hat.
• Once you feel comfortable with this, play variations of bass drum patterns

Exercise 2

• Add a back beat on the snare – on beats 2 & 4.
• You may have to omit the ghost notes surrounding the accented notes to make it easier to play.

Exercise 3

• To build control playing loud and soft notes consecutively practice the doubles exercises.
• Accent the first on the double stroke, then accent the second note.
• Play to a metronome and alternate every 1 bar, 2 bars, 1/2 bar.

Exercise 4 – More accent control

• Play 16th note single strokes –  R L R L – Accenting 1st 16th note of every beat.
• Then move the accent to the 2nd note, 3rd, note, 4th note.
• Then play combinations.
• Write out all the combinations on paper, if your unsure of what it should be.