I do a routine everyday just to keep my chops up as best I can in-between bands and gigs. Even if I don't sit down behind the drums on any given day, I do my exercises -every day-. It's so hard to build chops as it is, so I don't want to (at least) lose what I have. I also prefer practicing on a pillow rather than a pad. Works my wrists and fingers harder than a regular rubber pad does. I also practice with heavy 2B's (a light, thick parade stick) I figure if swinging a heavy bat before going to the plate works for pro ball-players, the same principle is good for me and the lumber I swing!
The 'workout' I perform daily consists of:
1. Fast single strokes (using the Moeller Whip technique,) using one hand at a time. I'll start with four rounds of 8 strokes with each hand, then reduce them by one stroke (four rounds of 7, then 6, then 5 with each hand etc.) until I'm down to double strokes.
2. Continuing to warm-up with double strokes, without stopping, I'll do four rounds of 5 stroke rolls, back to doubles, then four rounds of 6 stroke rolls, back to doubles, then four rounds of 7 stroke rolls, on up to 9 or 10 stroke rolls.
3. By now I'm warmed up, so next I do paradiddle rounds: 2 sets of single paradiddles, two sets of double paradiddles, two sets of triple paradiddles and back to two sets of single paradiddles... repeated with out stopping in between.
4. Check patterns: I mostly like to use Joe Morello's 'Killer' for check patterns. Joe's 'Killer' is two rounds fast doubles, two rounds single paradiddles, two rounds single stroke rolls, repeated.
5. Free form... whatever comes into my head or maybe something I'm working on. I'm currently brushing up on some of the Tony Williams licks I love so much. example: 1 beat hands together (not a flam! Both hands have to make the hit simultaneously,) then R right, L left. Pla-pa-ta sound. Split the hands on the snare and rack tom for the single two-handed hit and come back to the snare for the right/left hits. Pla-pa-ta, pla-pa-ta, pla-pa-ta, boom. Great little fill when you get it up to speed. I save practicing stuff like that for when I'm already warmed up. I won't work on 'new' stuff if I'm not warmed up real good. I feel like it's a waste of time to try to warm up on stuff you don't know or have a handle on yet. Doesn't make sense to me.
At 63 I do not have the speed or chops I had when I was 18. I am however trying to keep whatever I have left. Muscles age, nervous system responses and twitch-muscle control decreases (normally) as the body gets older. But it's real important to me to keep my ability up as high as I can keep it. So I work at it (practice) everyday. I've been playing 48 years and counting. I can still rattle those cans though.
What do -you- do to keep up your chops?
John
