These exercises are great for relaxing the neck muscles. When doing head warm-ups be sure to maintain good posture and execute them slowly. This is to be emphasized for all of the other exercises as well to prevent injury.

BUT, I did win; with a score of 956 beats in 60 seconds! It wasn’t my best score up to that point, but at least I was now going to the International Fastest Drummer finals qualifications and NAMM. And I had about 2 months to practice! An important part of drum playing is relaxed breathing. A good warm-up, whether you are sitting or standing, is to take a slow, deep breath, filling the lungs with air.

After the seating of the heads, the brass drum lug screws should be fitted properly and subsequently the tom toms have to be mounted. While assembling the different toms, it is important to consider the lengths of the lug screws as larger toms require longer lug screws and smaller ones require smaller screws. The other pieces that have to be assembled include the bass pedal and stands such as high hat stand, cymbal stands and snare stands.

Musicality: The purpose of playing any instrument is to play music. And music should be kept foremost in mind whenever practicing. Even when playing a rudiment or technical exercise it should be thought of musically and how it can be applied to music.

So after reading up on things and listening to a handful of second line drummers, I’ve determined that although there are a lot of variations of second line you can play, most follow a specific feel and style. The best way to get started would be to play a simple Bo Diddley beat, mixing in an occasional double stroke roll at the beginning or end of the phrase: Play the bass drum with the accents or simply play “4 on the floor” (straight quarter notes)

Learn the 7 essential rudiments (at least) accurately and up to speed. (Especially the single and double stroke rolls). Know and recognize all the styles and be able to play variations of each. Have a thorough understanding of rhythmic note values and sight-reading.Know the “name” players in the industry and their contributions to the drum world.

Foot warm-ups, in a sitting position, raise your right foot off the floor about 10 inches. Point your toes away from you as far as you can, then point them towards you as much as you can. In a circular motion, rotate your foot to the right, then rotate to the left, repeat this exercise 4 times. After you have completed this for the right foot, do the same for the left foot.

After the seating of the heads, the brass drum lug screws should be fitted properly and subsequently the tom toms have to be mounted. While assembling the different toms, it is important to consider the lengths of the lug screws as larger toms require longer lug screws and smaller ones require smaller screws. The other pieces that have to be assembled include the bass pedal and stands such as high hat stand, cymbal stands and snare stands.