Speed Drumming

Special thank you to Tiger Bill for the valuable information!

The Drumometer and the World's Fastest Drummer Contest go hand in hand as do extreme sport drumming and speed drumming. Without the Drumometer there would be no World's Fastest Drummer Contests! How else could you measure the speeds? The Drumometer is a serious tool for use by serious drummers.

The drummers that are against the Drumometer and the WFD contests say that drumming is not a sport and chops are not as important as musicality. They're also upset because they feel that practicing long hours to build chops is a waste of time that might be better spent learning to play musically.

Drumming is a very physical activity that could well qualify as a sport. Educational information that is circulated during the WFD contests, teaches a lot more about the proper practice of drum techniques than before. This is positive for the education of our future drummers and seasoned players who probably haven't spent much time properly developing their chops.

When it comes to chops vs. musicality, playing musically is very important. Learning to play musically is not a part of the WFD contests. The WFD is concerned only about building chops, and chops are important to any drummer's bag of tricks, they play a key role in creativity. What good is inventing some really cool groove or fill during a performance if you don't have the chops to execute it accurately?

There are drummers who have lots of chops and no idea how to apply them musically, and those who can play musically but are severely limited in their creativity due to their lack of chops. A great drummer should excel in all aspects of drumming including musicality, hand chops, foot chops, 4-way coordination, solid time, etc.

The controversy between drummers who are for and against the Drumometer and the WFD will continue. The WFD is providing a positive outlet for drummers who want to improve their chops. The WFD stresses the correct approach to practicing during these contests including playing with relaxed muscles and no tension. Whenever drummers attend a WFD contest, they're not only having fun but are receiving some valuable education as well.

Great drummers are not born naturally fast.

Incredible techniques came from one of the greatest snare drummers who ever lived: Billy Gladstone, a percussionist who worked in the pit orchestra of Radio City Music Hall in New York for many years. Although many players of the 1940's and 50's studied both formally and informally with Gladstone, only a few of them really understood Billy's technique.

There is no technique that is faster, easier, or more natural than the Gladstone method. To be honest, there aren't many professionals who know it. And those who do know it, prefer not to teach it. Why? One reason is that they don't have the patience to teach it. Another reason is that students often don't have the patience to learn it.

Although the Gladstone technique is easy to teach, teaching it to experienced drummers is another story. An experienced drummer who has a habit of playing the "wrong" way has to completely relearn how to make a basic drum stroke: The Gladstone way.

If you're happy with your technique, then stick with it. If you'd like to play tension free, play faster with more power and precision than before, then give the Gladstone technique a try.

Balance Point

The first step in learning the Gladstone technique is to find the best balance point on your drumstick. Every stick has an optimum fulcrum, or balance point, that allows it to bounce freely and easily.

Hold the stick in your normal playing position but loosely. Rest the tip of the stick on the drumhead and with your free hand tap on the stick near the tip until it bounces up. If the stick bounces back quickly, you have found the optimum balance point. If the stick barely bounces at all, you are holding the stick too close to the butt end. Slide your grip away from the butt slightly and try the bounce test again. If you find you must use a lot of pressure to get the stick to bounce, you're holding the stick too close to the center. Move your hand back toward the butt end a bit. Keep testing until you find the optimum balance point for your sticks. Different sticks will have different balance points.

Have a rubber ball handy. Hold the ball a few feet from the ground and drop it. The ball bounces back slightly but not all the way back to your hand. Take the same ball and throw it down as fast as you can. The ball quickly bounces back up into your hand. This is the single most important principle of the Gladstone technique.

Think of the tip of your stick as that rubber ball, and throw it down as fast as you can. Fast, not hard. The stick will hit hard and rebound quickly, if you've kept a loose, relaxed grip on the stick. If your stick didn't rebound quickly into your hand, it's because you are gripping the stick too tightly.

With the Gladstone technique, hold your drumsticks tight enough to prevent them from flying out of your hands but no tighter. This is contrary to the way most drummers play. Usually the louder they get, the tighter they grip their sticks.

Tensing up your muscles is like putting on the brakes: It slows you down. The key to speed is to stay loose, all of the time. Where other drummers grip their sticks tighter to increase volume, Gladstone system volume comes from height.

To play louder, simply increase the distance between the stick and the drum. That is, throw the stick down to the drum from higher up. To play softer, decrease the distance. You'll learn the various playing levels involved later but first you have to evaluate your current technique.

Down is Good - Up/Down: BAD!

How do you make your drum stroke? Play a single stroke. Now play another one but this time watch the tip of your stick before and after the stroke. Can you coordinate your stroke with the words "up" and "down?" Do you find yourself pulling the stick "up" before making the "down" stroke? Do you find yourself making the "down" stroke then pulling the stick back "up" to prepare for the next stroke? If you are, you're NOT playing the Gladstone way, and you're working twice as hard.

Every time you play you're making two distinct motions: up and down. With the Gladstone technique, there is only one motion: Down. The natural motion of the stick wanting to bounce back up is what pulls your hand back up with it. The key is to train your hands to follow your sticks.

Muscle Development

You need to be in good condition to maximize your performance.

Your training should consist of some type of aerobic activity for at least 20 nonstop minutes each day. Weight training can also be beneficial but monster chops require lightening fast muscles, not bodybuilder muscles. It's great to concentrate on exercises that develop your speed, strength, and flexibility, improper weight training can tighten you up and slow you down.

The best way to develop your drumming muscles is simply to play. Work on chops while watching TV. Turn on a movie and play nonstop until the movie ends. Intersperse slow, medium, and fast tempo exercises throughout your workout.

6 Basic Principles to the Gladstone Technique

1. Find the optimum balance point of your sticks.
2. Grip your sticks tight enough to prevent them from flying out of your hands.
3. Use only down strokes, never an up-down stroke. The natural rebound from the stick itself is enough to pull your hand back up to the starting position. The trick, and the hardest part to learn, is to teach your hand to be loose enough to allow the stick to pull it back up.
4. Dynamics are controlled by levels and speed. There are 3 playing levels in the Gladstone technique. If you want to play louder, increase the distance between the stick and the drum. To control volume using speed, throw the stick down on your down stroke, the louder it will strike and the faster it will rebound. Never squeeze the stick tighter in an effort to play louder. It will only increase muscle tension and slow you down.
5. You must develop maximum flexibility in your fingers, hands, wrists, and arms, along with lightening quick muscles.
6. The faster you play, the more relaxed you should be. When using the Gladstone technique, you'll NEVER feel any tension in your fingers, hands, wrists, or arms. This is the principle behind the speed and endurance of the Gladstone technique.

The Full Stroke not only makes an excellent warm-up, but it's a great exercise to develop your muscles. Use Full Strokes whenever you need volume and power, but not speed.

Hold your sticks in your natural playing position, either traditional or matched grip, and start the Full Stroke with your wrist bent as far back as possible. The stick should point almost straight up. This may be uncomfortable at first, especially if your muscles are tight. The more you practice the Full Stroke, the easier it will be to get the stick all the way up into the position of photo 1. Note: If you use matched grip, then your left stick Full Stroke starting position should match photo 1.

Throw the stick down toward the drum as quickly and let it bounce back up. If you keep your wrist loose enough, and grip the stick just tight enough to prevent it falling out of your hand, the momentum of the stick will be enough to pull your wrist back up with it.

Photo #1

Photo #2

How To Practice the Full Stroke

Make slow, deliberate taps with the right stick only. To make sure you are playing the Full Stroke correctly, say "down" as you play each stroke. The stick should return before you have the chance to say "up." If you find that you can say "down" and "up" as you play your Full Stroke, you are not doing it right.

Review this article from the top and try again. Once you can play the right hand Full Stroke correctly, try the left hand Full Stroke. Here are some things to watch out for:

1. Start your Full Stroke with the stick as close to straight up as your wrist will allow. (Your wrists will become more limber with time and practice).
2. Throw the stick down as fast as you can but without tensing your grip. Hold the stick only tight enough to prevent dropping it.
3. Don't stop the stick as it bounces off the drum. Let the natural momentum pull your wrist all the way back to the starting position.
4. If a stick does flies out of your hand once in a while, you're playing correctly! In the beginning, this is normal. It will stop once you get comfortable with this relaxed way of playing.
5. Because sticks will be flying out of your hands in the beginning, you shouldn't use this technique on the job until you are comfortable with it.
6. Once you perfect the Full Stroke, start working on the Half and Low Stroke techniques that follow.

Half Stroke

This is played in exactly the same way as the Full Stroke except that your starting position is five inches from the drum (see photo 3 for right stick and photo 4 for the left stick using the traditional grip). You throw the stick down from the five-inch level, and you stop your wrist as the stick returns to the five-inch level.

Photo #3

Photo #4

Low Stroke

This uses the same technique as the Half and Full Strokes, the difference is that the Low Stroke starts and ends two inches above the drum (see photos 5 and 6). Note: Whether you're playing low, half, or full strokes, if you're playing properly, the stick should never come to a sudden stop. If your stick is stopping dead, you're probably squeezing it. The idea is to stop your wrist at the proper level and let the natural momentum of the stick continue up and then settle back down to rest where you stopped your wrist.

Photo #5

Photo #6

Proper Practice

Practice your Full Strokes very slowly, first with the right hand and then with the left. Then play alternate single strokes. Next, play double strokes and paradiddles. Remember, the main purpose of the Full Stroke is to increase your wrist strength and flexibility and it makes a great warm up exercise to prepare you to play full speed without injuring your muscles. After you have warmed up using the Full Stroke, repeat the same exercises for speed using the Half Stroke level. Finally, increase the tempo again and practice playing Low Strokes.

If you are new to drumming, the Gladstone technique will be easy for you to learn. If you're an experienced player who has learned the "up-down" method, it will take you a bit longer to break your old habits. Give the Gladstone system a try.

What you've just learned is known as Free Strokes.

Full Stroke to Half Stroke (Down)

The first exercise is the Full Stroke (approximately 18 inches from the drumhead) to Half stroke level (approximately 5 inches above the drum head). See photo 1 for your beginning (Full Stroke) position and Photo 2 for your ending (Half Stroke) position. Think of this exercise as a Down Stroke.

The only difference between this Down Stroke and the Free Stroke type Down Stroke is instead of beginning at the Full Stroke position (photo 1) and ending in the Full Stroke position (photo 1), you begin at the Full Stroke position (photo 1) and end in the Half Stroke position (photo 3). This is accomplished by stopping your wrist at the Half Stroke level. Remember, don't grab the stick to stop it from moving because that creates tension. Simply stop your wrist at the Half Stroke level and the stick will (eventually) stop as well.

If you're using the Gladstone technique correctly, the stick will flop around a little before stopping at the Half Stroke level. Also, remember to hold the stick only as tightly as you must to avoid dropping it. What makes the Gladstone system so devastatingly fast is the lack of muscle tension in your fingers, wrists, and arms.

Repeat the previous exercise with each hand separately. Start at the Full Stroke level and stop at the Half Stroke level as explained. Then, move your stick back up to the Full Stroke level starting position and repeat the exercise. Repeat this process until you get comfortable with the technique of stopping your wrist at the Half Stroke level. Once you are comfortable with each hand, continue with the next exercise.

Half Stroke to Full Stroke (Up)

Think of this exercise as the Up Stroke. Although it was previously stated that the Gladstone system uses no Up Strokes, technically, these aren't really Up Strokes. You're still using a Down Stroke to make the motion but because we will now be starting at the Half Stroke level and stopping at the Full Stroke level, we call this as an Up Stroke (to avoid confusion later when we actually apply the technique).

Start with the stick at the Half Stroke level (photo 3) and throw it down to the drumhead with enough force to allow it to rebound, bringing your wrist back up to the Full Stroke position (photo 1). Move your stick back down to the Half Stroke level (photo 3) and repeat the exercise, just like you did with the Full to Half Down Stroke exercise before.

Putting It All Together

Once you feel you are executing the Down Stroke (Full to Half) and Up Stroke (Half to Full) exercises correctly, it's time to put them together. Start with your right hand at the Full Stroke level (photo 7) and throw the stick down towards the drumhead. As the stick rebounds, stop your wrist at the Half Stroke level (photo 8). Then, throw the stick back down toward the drumhead with enough force to carry your wrist back up with it to the Full Stroke position (photo 7).

You have just executed a Down and a corresponding Up stroke in the Gladstone system.

Photo #7

Photo #8

The Rest of the Story

Follow the steps you learned to perform the Full to Half Down Stroke and work on the Half Stroke to Low Stroke. The only difference is that you will be starting your stick from the Half Stroke level (5 inches above the drumhead, as in photo 9) and stopping your wrist at the Low Stroke level (2 inches above the drumhead, as in photo 10). Once you have perfected this exercise, practice the Up Stroke part of it, as follows.

Start at the Low Stroke level (photo 10) and throw the stick down toward the drum with enough velocity to bring your wrist up to the Half Stroke level (photo 9). Stop your wrist and the stick will wiggle itself to a stop. If the stick doesn't move but stops immediately, you're applying pressure to stop the stick. This is NOT what you want to do. It creates unnecessary tension that will slow you down later, when you're working for speed.

Once you perfect the Down and Up Stroke separately, put them together and play the Down Stroke followed by the Up Stroke. First practice the right stick alone and then practice with your left stick, like you did with the previous Half to Full / Full to Half Combination.

The final Controlled Stroke you need to practice is the Full (photo 11) to Low (photo 10) Down Stroke and Low (photo 10) to Full (photo 9) Up Stroke. Work these the same way as in the prior exercises. The only difference will be in the Low Stroke to Full Stroke exercise. You'll find that you'll need to apply a slight (very slight) upward pull on the stick to help bring it all the way back up to the Full Stroke position (photo 11).

As Fast As You Can

When you practice the previous Controlled Stroke exercises, always throw the stick down as fast as you can. This will give the stick the rebound force necessary to bring your wrist back up with it. Don't worry if a stick flies out of your hand once in a while. If this happens, you're using the Gladstone technique correctly! If the sticks never fly out of your hands in practice, either you're a natural with the Gladstone technique, or (more likely) you're holding your sticks too tight.

Photo #9

Photo #10

Photo #11

You're On Your Own

You have a complete mini-crash course in the Billy Gladstone technique.

Although it's a shame that the Billy Gladstone technique is not more widely known, taught, or accepted, it is the best technique available. And it can easily be applied to every style of drumming. Give it a shot and you too can have Monster Chops.