Exercises for strength and fitness

[James]

Do people have any exercises they use to improve fitness and strength. I know the best thing is just endurance practise, starting slowly, speeding up to a fast speed and holding it etc.

I was wondering if there were other exercises that could build up strength in partnership, like push ups or something? What do you think?

How about walking around all day long tapping my left hand up and down for bell endurance

[Osadha]

Hi James

Moussa Sylla gave me this one...
starting slowly play SSTSSTSSTSST and gradually build up the speed. Moussa said to start by aiming to keep it up at a good speed for 5 minutes. Over time increase the amount of time you do it for, until you can do it for a good 20 minutes. It's a good way to work on your sounds as well.

Obviously boredom may get the better of you after a while but there you go.

Have fun!
Osadha

[drummer]

everyone that I play for says that I play good a lot of the time i don't think that but since everybody else says I guess I've got to believe them and don't usually do any exercises.So I don't really know.

[seeker]

One of my mentors recommends playing BBBTTTSSS over and over. Naturally, start slowly, paying particular attention to getting exactly the right sound from each stroke, then build speed. Play for five minutes at a time until you're playing at a good speed. I aim for 16 strokes per measure, playing 4/4 at 90 beats, if you're technically inclined. Increase time to train for endurance.

The more you focus on getting precise sounds, keeping a steady rhythm, and avoiding slapping your own hands, the easier you'll find playing in general.

[Dugafola]

everyone that I play for says that I play good a lot of the time i don't think that but since everybody else says I guess I've got to believe them and don't usually do any exercises.So I don't really know.

you must be a drum prodigy at 11 years old!!! you should post some videos of yourself playing on youtube!!

[Rhythm House Drums]

I played drum kit a little before I got hooked on djembe. I've ran into a lot of people who haven't played many other drums and don't know about rudiments. Rudiments are equivalent to scales for wind/string instruments. They allow you to practice different handing techniques and get familiar with the instrument. Usually used for snare drum, I use them a lot on djembe to warm up. Paradiddle, flam taps, 4,5,6,7,8 stroke rolls and double stroke rolls... there are over 20 "official rudiments" but there are tones of variations. It's great for building coordination. Check these out for starters...
http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments.html

[bops]

Usually used for snare drum, I use them a lot on djembe to warm up. Paradiddle, flam taps, 4,5,6,7,8 stroke rolls and double stroke rolls...

It's a good idea to practice jembe rudiments. However, snare drum rudiments are pretty useless on jembe because the phrasing is completely different. Not to mention the fact that snare rudiments involve a lot of double-strokes, again useless on jembe. It's better to learn some basic jembe phrases and create rudiments from these. There are really endless rudiments for jembe, but it's better to use some that actually fit the technique of the drum.

[e2c]

I guess it depends on what you want to achieve. Agreed completely that snare rudiments are of little/no use in learning technique, handing, phrasing (etc.) for playing West African rhythms on djembe, though they might be fun to do.

Conguero Giovanni Hidalgo has snare rudiments nailed, and can do some impressive solos using them. But... they don't have much to do with Latin jazz, salsa, etc. I think he's been doing them simply because he enjoys them, and that over time, he's found ways to adapt elements of them to the music he normally plays.

Profile here (with a shot of him playing an LP "djembe"): http://www.congahead.com/Musicians/Meet ... dalgo.html

Edited to add: Giovanni has incredible chops. (And I know very little about playing conga...)

[bops]

I guess it depends on what you want to achieve.

Well, yeah, I guess you could argue that any practice is good practice. But the perspective I'm taking here is someone trying to learn jembe. Not someone who's already so good at jembe that they want to try some new tricks.

Also, paradiddles would be much more useful for a conga player, since double-strokes are actually used frequently in conga technique.

One of the biggest challenges for many drumset players learning jembe is breaking out of the 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 (straight 16th notes) patterns. Jembe is all about feel, you know... a world apart from snare.

[e2c]

Jembe is all about feel, you know... a world apart from snare.

Yes, I do know - my background is in non-Western percussion (primarily darbouka and frame drums), not drum set. I'd never played anything with sticks until I started learning dunun rhythms and technique. (Though I have used brushes - on other kinds of drums - for color and effects.)

Anyway, my mention of Giovanni was more along the lines of saying that it's possible to adapt things from one technique/way of playing to another, not to endorse it for people who want to learn djembe - or any other African percussion instrument, for that matter. But I *do* see how some people might really enjoy doing rudiments on something other than snare, just for the heck of it.

Edited to add: I got all kinds of grief from people at a jazz board for simply stating that "It's not about where the 'one' is." along with what you've just said about feel + the fact that notation just does't work with a lot of musical traditions. (Including djembe.) Go figure...

[bops]

I got all kinds of grief from people at a jazz board...

Does my reply count as grief?

Anyway, I've seen a lot of videos on YouTube of some dude who doesn't know the first thing about jembe, who says "I'm going to teach you some jembe patterns"... and starts playing some snare drum rudiments. It's annoying because these videos have about 500,000 views. Very uninformed "teacher"

Not to say that's where you're coming from, e2c.

[e2c]

I got all kinds of grief from people at a jazz board...

Does my reply count as grief?

Hardly! The people at the jazz board thought I was being evasive and started insulting me, saying that I wasn't a musician, didn't even know how to read music, etc. etc. Sheesh!

Anyway, I've seen a lot of videos on YouTube of some dude who doesn't know the first thing about jembe, who says "I'm going to teach you some jembe patterns"... and starts playing some snare drum rudiments. It's annoying because these videos have about 500,000 views. Very uninformed "teacher"

Oh, yeah.... I know who you mean. Then there's the "ExpertVillage" guy, who does djembe and darbuka "lessons." Let's just say that I wish their videos weren't there, OK?

[Marc_M]

These are exercises that I use to increase speed and strength based on practical Guinean rhythms. They are not based on western drum exercises applied to the djembe nor do they include exercises to improve tone. If you do this 3 – 5 times a week, I think you will note improvement in intermediate students.

WARNINGS:
Make sure you are eating properly with nutrients and lots of protein in your diet to build muscle.
Always stretch all arm muscle groups before and after exercises.

Do not practice these if you are feeling consistent or chronic pain. If pain is from overplaying, rest until your muscles have recovered. See your doctor if you are suffering from chronic pain.
These are exercises for intermediate to advanced students only. If you find you are injuring your hands as you have not learned the correct technique for tones, slaps and bass do not attempt this routine.

For beginner excercises go to:
http://rhythmweb.com/djembe/excercises.html
Play those beginner exercises at a slow speed - pay particular attention to correct tone. Speed up only when tone is correct.

With stretches, warm up, 11 pattern sets, cool down and stetches it should take about 1 hour.

Warm-up
One exercise for warm up is to play quarter notes at 60 bpm and then try to roll as quickly and smoothly as possible for 1 bar. Play alternately tones with rolls for 30 to 60 seconds and then slaps with rolls for 30 to 60 seconds. Do this for 5 to 10 minutes. Variation is to play rolls for longer and longer until your muscles fatigue. Rest for one to two minutes then try the following:

Exercises
Play these at a comfortable speed and gradually speed up until you feel yourself beginning to falter, then slow down slightly. Play at slower speed for 30 seconds or so. Speed up slightly until you falter and slow back again. The suggested length is to play each pattern set for 3 to 5 minutes each.

|: B B T T S S T T :|

|: S S S T T T :| 4x
|: T T T S S S :| 4x

|: T T T T S S S S :| 2x
|: T T S S T T S S :| 2x
|: S S S S T T T T :| 2x
|: S S T T S S T T :| 2x

|: B T T B S S :| 2x variation reverse
|: T T T S S S :| 2x tones for slaps

|: T T T S S S :| 2x variation reverse
|: S T T S T T :| 2x tones for slaps
|: T T T S S S :| 2x
|: T S S T S S :| 2x

|: S S T S S T :| use metronome or tap
to keep first slap on beat

|: T T T S | S S S S | S S S S | S S S S :| 3X common solo pattern
|: T T T S | S S S S | S S S S | S - - - :|

---v---------v----------v---------v-----------v---v---v---v
|: S--- ttt- S--- ttt- S--- ttt- S--- ttt- | S S S S S S S ttt- :|
---R----lrl---R----lrl---R----lrl---R---lrl-----R L R L R L R lrl

---v--------v-------v-------v----------v---v---v---v
|: T-- ttt T-- ttt T-- ttt T-- ttt | S S S S S S S ttt :|
sticking same as above

|: ttt T-- ttt T-- ttt T-- ttt T-- | ttt T-- sss S-- ttt T-- sss S-- :|
each roll starts on the beat R L R L sticking
variation switch hands

---v----------v--------v---------v-----------v-----v------v-----v-----
|: ttt- S--- S--- ---- ttt- S--- S--- ---- | T T T S S S T T T S S S:|
----rlr--L----R---------rlr--L----R----------R L R L R L R L R L R L
v = beat

In addition, practicing any solo patterns you are currently working on with the same “speed up ‘til you falter and slowing back down”, works well.

If you know you are particularly weak in any particular B T or Slap,
then use variations of above to practice the transition from sound to sound
that you are weakest with.

I would be appreciative, if anyone tries this for two to four weeks and notices a difference, to post their comments.

[Rhythm House Drums]

Usually used for snare drum, I use them a lot on djembe to warm up. Paradiddle, flam taps, 4,5,6,7,8 stroke rolls and double stroke rolls...

It's a good idea to practice jembe rudiments. However, snare drum rudiments are pretty useless on jembe because the phrasing is completely different. Not to mention the fact that snare rudiments involve a lot of double-strokes, again useless on jembe. It's better to learn some basic jembe phrases and create rudiments from these. There are really endless rudiments for jembe, but it's better to use some that actually fit the technique of the drum.

Would you post some useful djembe rudiments? I'd love to learn more, especially ones specific to djembe. It's funny you say they are useless... because if you watch the handing of Mamady in the video you posted I see him do double strokes and paradiddle. I use these to help build coordination, not to repeat them in music. Do I use double stroke roll to get a really fast roll like I would on a snare? no, but it comes in handy when going from say 4/4 to 6/8 and back to 4/4 to be comfortable with using a double stroke, so that you can keep leading with your strong hand. TSTTSTSS.... that's a paradiddle when played (RLRRLRLL).. and a little confusing if you haven't played it before (it was for me when I first learned it) but once you get comfortable with it and other handing situations, than you can play more confidently (and by 'you' I mean, at least that was the case with me) I believe that learning any instrument is going to add to the creative percussion tool box and allow one to explore more and find their voice on the drum.

[Rhythm House Drums]

Thanks for those examples Mark. I'll try working them out in the next week or so.