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ABOUT GARY CHAFFEE Originally from upstate New York, Gary was educated at the State University of New York at Potsdam, (Bachelor of Science, 1966), and DePaul University in Chicago, (Master of Music, 1968). From 1968 to 1972 Gary was the percussion instructor at Western Illinois University. In 1972 hejoined the faculty of the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and was appointed head of the Percussion Department in 1973. During his stay at Berklee, Gary was instrumental in developing many new and creative programs for the department, as well as a number of highly successful performance ensembles. Since leaving Berklee in 1977, Gary has established himself as one of the finest player/teachers in the Boston area. He has performed with many top artists, including Dave Samuels, Pat Metheny, Mick Goodrick, Steve Swallow, Abe Laboriel, Jaco Pastorius, Mike Stern, Bill Frissell, John Abercrombie, Harvey Schwartz and Gary Burton. From the teaching side, a list of Gary's students reads like a who's who of the contemporary drum scene and includes such people as Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Smith, Casey Scheurell, Jonathan Mover, David Beal, Joey Kramer and many others. Gary is also in great demand as a clinician and has performed throughout the United States and Europe. His articles and interviews can be seen in Modern Drummer, Percussioner International, Drum Tracks, Rimshot (Germany), and Rhythm Magazine (England). Those interested in contacting Gary can write to him in care of GC Music. 16 White Oak Road. West Roxbury. MA 02132. telephone: (617) 325-1154 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION «10.2.0... 0.0. e cece eeeee eect eeeeee ee eees 4 EXERCISES ON FINGER CONTROL 8 Exercises On Individual Fingers . 6 Finger Combinations 8 Fulerum/Finger Mixtures . . 9 ENDURANCE EXERCISE -10 For Singles . -ll For Doubles. 13 SINGLE STROKE-DOUBLE STROKE EXERCISES 14 Basic Rhythm Exercise . ‘Mixed Rhythm Exercises Ascending/Descending Rhythms . Exercises Using Partial Subdivision MULTIPLE NOTE EXERCISES ‘Three Notes Per Hand Four Notes Per Hand . Five Notes Per Hand Six Notes Per Hand. Seven Notes Per Hand Eight Notes Per Hand HAND/FOOT COMBINATIONS . Basic 16th-Note Exercises ... Combinations of 16th-Note Figures. Exercises Using 32nds . 16th-Notes With Flams . Basic Triplet Exercises . Combinations of Triplet Figures. . Triplets With Double-Time 16ths . Triplets With Flams ........... ‘Mixed Rhythms With Doubles Mixed Rhythms With Singles STICKINGS .. Compound Stickings . Stroke Motions About the Accents weesenes Seessene weeesens seseeses weeseses eeeesene eesesees sessesen eeesesee er INTRODUCTION The materials contained in the TECHNIQUE PATTERNS book are designed to help students in developing a high degree of technical facility with the hands and feet. There are sections on finger control, single stroke — double stroke mixtures, combinations between the hands and feet, multiple note groupings (three or more per hand), as well as an extensive examination of sticking phrases in both the sixteenth note and triplet rates. The preliminary finger and endurance exercises should be done first. The remaining sections can be worked on in any order, depending upon the individual student's particular needs. Most of the examples are in the form of short exercises and are to be repeated many times. When initially working with a given exercise, use a moderate tempo setting. Once you become familiar with the materials that are involved, you can increase the rate to whatever level is feasible. As a general rule, you should strive to play these materials with ~ as much relaxation as possible. Try to keep your whole body as. loose and as comfortable as you can, even when working in extreme situations. Good luck, and have fun! evoceee eeceece cocvece eeocvece . . ® * ° e eocee EXERCISES ON FINGER CONTROL The exercises that follow deal with the use of the fingers and are broken down into three groups. The first group works on developing strength in the individual fingers. The second deals with the fingers in combination, while the third involves the fulerum. The use of the fingers can play an important part in your overall hand technique. They are es} ‘valuable in helping to control many of the nuance issues involved in the use of different types of materials. In most playing situations, the fingers are used collectively. ‘The goal of these exercises is to help you develop a clear awareness of each of the fingers individually, so that when you do use them together, they will all be helping out. When working with these materials, there a few important points to keep in mind: a. Try to maintain your normal hand position when performing the exercises. b. When working with an individual finger, make sure that the other fingers are completely separate and are not touching one another or the stick. c. Try to get the feel of actually playing the notes with the individual fingers. If this is done correctly, there will be a minimum of wrist motion. um yi! eeeve voee cove veece eevee eve . Group A — Exercises On Individual Fingers These exercises work on developing strength in each of the fingers. Practice routine is as follows: a. Play each exercise through with one hand, then the other. ‘Repeat this sequence four times! b. After working with each exercise individually, try combining them into one continuous routine. c. Play first at a slow tempo. Later, increase the tempo setting. d. The numbers underneath the notes indicate which fingers are to be used. Remember to keep the unused fingers away from each other and the stick. 4 5 5 5 5 etc. al 8 333333 ete. Loe ST YT) 0), TTT) 8 444444 ete. 8 555555 ete. * 33333 444444 4444 ete, 555555 ale 3333 3333 3333 4444 4444 4444 ete, 55.5 5 5555 5555 333. 44 4444 4444 4444 etc 5 5 5555 5555 5555 4 . oD “ 4 “4 3333 3333 3333 3333 444 4444 4444 4444 ete. 5555 5555 5555 5555 wesese Group B — Finger Combinations ‘These exercises deal with combining the fingers in succession, first in groups of fours, then threes, and finally twos. Play each exercise through starting with one hand, then the other. ‘Repeat this sequence four times for each exercise. Work on all three exercises as a set, moving directly from one to the next with no pause. 7 po DO A So Ta 333344445555 ete. |» FAA A | Fd + "4 33344455533 3T444555333444 |» FT iT. 4 555333444555 - 3 "4h 334455334455 ete. eevee evecee eevee eevee eecee eecee Group C — Fulcrum/Finger Mixtures In these exercises, the fulcrum is also used to execute some of the notes. This will help to develop strength in the fulcrum fingers and will establish the difference between using the fulerum, as opposed to a finger. Use the same practice procedure as for the previous exercises. (Note, f = fulcrum.) 3333 3333, ete, Uhhh Gah ete. 5555 5559 ete, ‘ll f£Ef £fEE f ne es a a TH “4 f€£f £FFE 3333 3333 "4444 4444 5555 5555 °| In working through these exercises, you will develop a basic degree of control and flexibility with the fingers. To continue this process, it is suggested that finger practice (using either these or similar exercises) be incorporated into your daily routine. 10 eocee ceoccee evcee coeee evoccee ececee ENDURANCE EXERCISE The following exercise is designed to help develop strength. and endurance with alternating single strokes. The exercise is made up of sixteen one measure phrases and should be practiced as follows: a. Repeat each measure four times. b ‘When moving from one exercise to the next, do not pause, but rather play them continuously. c. Play the entire exercise in ascending, then descending order. In other words, work from measure 1 up through measure 16, and then reverse direction (measures 15, 14, 18, 12, etc.) until you get back to the top. As you go up through the form, each measure will have more 32nd notes. Then, as you come back down, the number of 32nds will decrease. In other words, you peak in the middle, and then your hands can gradually relax as you come out. The exercise is quite long, so do not start it too fast, or you'll never make it through the entire form. I would suggest working first in a moderate tempo range, (around J = 80). Once you've gotten the exercise together, you can work at faster tempo settings. Definitely work with a metronome, and strive for smoothness and evenness in the stroking. The exercise is fairly easy to memorize, which will enable you to focus primarily on the hands. Make sure to maintain alternating single strokes throughout the entire exercise. ‘This will mean that in the odd-numbered measures, (1, 3, 5, 7, etc.), the hands will change on each repetition. In the even-numbered measures, the same hand will always lead. ‘You should work on playing the exercise starting with either hand. ° ° ° ° eoe ooo oo° ooo aoe ooo ° ° ° ° ° ° | en) “@riririlriririririr (r) lelelelrieirileirl Mrirclrilrlririririril * lelrierlrilririririr | ecco eoceee eoeceeces eecese ecco . indurance Exercise For Double Strokes . * ° ° . E: The basic endurance exercise can be re-done to incorporate double strokes. In this case, the 16th notes will still be played as singles, but. the 32nd notes will now be doubles. Endurance Exercise For The Orchestral Roll When playing the endurance exercise for the orchestral roll, substitute a multiple bounce (buzz stroke) for the 32nd notes. fyr br irirlriririri® All three endurance exercises should be incorporated into your daily practice routine. eecee ecoeee eeceve eevee eecee eocce SINGLE STROKE — DOUBLE STROKE EXERCISES The following exercises use single strokes and double strokes in a variety of rhythmic and metric situations. Use the following practice procedure when working on the exercises: a, Repeat each line of a given exercise four times. Then, move directly to the next line with no pause, and repeat this procedure. b. Work first at a moderate tempo setting. Later, you can. increase the rate. c. Listen carefully when moving from one rhythm to the next. Make sure that the switches are being executed accurately. Notation — The exercises in this section will be notated as follows: right (or left) 4 left. (or right) 4 When initially working on the exercises, play the top line with the right hand, bottom line with the left. Then, repeat this process, switching the voices, so that you will be leading with the left. “4 eoeceve eevoceecs eoeceee evocvece eecees evcees ® Basic Rhythm Exercise Exercise #1 — This exercise uses singles and doubles in two through eight note rhythmic groupings. In each two measure phrase, the first measure is played with singles, while the second uses doubles. Repeat each line four times. af 4 rdarsacsarda egacsactarsa ATT WR. ceeeece eeceece eecece eeceee eoeces eeeeece Exercises Using Mixed Rhythms Exercise #2 33 e375 n3ae3n aa =I I mas eo aa 1A ‘ TE Ea, ose: sesstels 3 : ecvoeee eevces e5occeed eevee. eceed coved ° Exercises Using Mixed Rhythms (continued) Exercise #6 Exercise #8 R3nre9 See etd rian es mo Sm p34 e3a mee 7 ° e r3aeciaesaorete a TTA, ool 34039 eS ae— miata Sao ese ewceee eeeceee eecved 39763311 I J Gooey eeeeee evesoe eeseos vosesee eesee0 Exercise #12 etn ean oo +o ett mba et emis ‘ + * n 35> 35 . + oe ata t aes mos 35 34 ARABTIM, mbéo miata e 2 Ceserene méormine sacs e e . a eéo rine inet etaeiso esos oe e 5 ° ° ° e e eovece eoceee eovee eeecee ° e . * ° E: Exercise #14 ixercises Using Partial Subdivision eeeeee ee ese weseoe eeseooe eee oe8 MULTIPLE NOTE EXERCISES ‘The following exercises involve the use of three through eight note multiple groupings in each hand and will help in developing strength and endurance. Each exercise is made up of four individual lines and should be practiced as follows: a. Repeat each line four times. Then move directly to the next line with no pause and repeat this procedure. . Work first at moderate tempo settings. Later, you can increase the rate. c. Try to think of all of the notes that a given hand is playing as one unit. Make it a point to stay as relaxed as possible. Notation for these exercises will be the same as for the previous single stroke — double stroke materials. Always make sure to work on the exercises starting with either hand. y} Exercise #1 LiMn f.2mem, TOIT T) ETE Ta, RUT a ah, jes LATTA T eeseee eoeses aseeee eseeee aeoveees Exercises Using Three Notes Per Hand (continued) Exercise #3 s— 6a or 6 = Tai i a Fil ao eae esa TT AA, ee cee cee" eevce eecee ec5oee evecece eece eoceee ® Exercises Using Four Notes Per Hand (continued) Exercise #7 csa rsa mS> eSaesen AAT ASL. : : =ss —s— [Smo toe mSiaicta citar to Exercise *8 ecoccee eeecoe eocoe ceovcce eecece eocoe Exercises Using Five Notes Per Hand Exercise *9 eccees eeovee eevee. eeeeces eoveees evceed Exercises Using Six Notes Per Hand Exercise *11 eocee eovece eoee ceeee ercises Using Seven Notes Per Hand Exercise #13 Exercise #14 eovcve eoccee eevee eevee eeeee eevee HAND-FOOT COMBINATIONS The materials contained in this section are designed to help develop coordination and flexibility between the two hands and the bass drum. They are divided into two parts, the first dealing with sixteenth notes, the second with triplets. Each part begins with some preliminary exercises in the basic rates. These will then be followed by routines in which the materials are expanded to include additional possibilities. Practice procedure for these exercises is as follows: a. Repeat each example in a given exercise four times. Then move immediately to the next example with no pause and repeat this process. b. Work first at moderate tempo settings. Later, you can increase the rate. ¢. Try to keep the voices as even and balanced as possible. Make sure that the bass drum is neither lander nop— softer than the hands. ‘The basic notation that has been used for the previous exercises will be expanded to include the bass drum: right (or left) left (or right) . bass drum All exercises should be worked on first leading with the right, then »e 0900 Sixteenth-Note Exercises ae ae ay ee ae ° ° * ° ° ic po ceced se o0e80 Exercise #1) TPA TYP Exercise #2 EER Exercise #3 TE Exercise(#4 ) a F Ld “* E fy HERP SPP PR TP LP PPR IBD: Exercise *6 _HeABBAD PROPPARY, wees eessee seeees weeses eeeees eesese Basic Sixteenth-Note Exercises (continued) / Exercise #7 ) Exercise #12 eseeve eevese eeeves eeseses eoeeve Basic Sixteenth-Note Exercises (continued) Exercise #13 Exercise #16 |. evvce ecvee eceece ecceece ecveece eocee Combinations Of Sixteenth-Note Figures Exercise #1) 7 Exercise #5 a oe, “4 + + ++ #@ © Exercise #6 } rr : * ee ee ee ee ae Hand-Foot Exercises Using S32nds eecee eevee eoecee eevee evocee eevee eveecee eceeee evcee ° ° ° . . Sixteenth-Note Examples Using Flams Play all of the examples first using right-hand flams. Then, redo the exercises using left hand flams. Exercise #1 Soo oF Aes eA ¢ Ti sir r rot vesees eeeeoee eoeeoe0 ee.eeee a oeeee “3% APR o pp Exercise #2 Biber TP i ND (PEPER ] AUD SpE. 2 ra a oewee (eT o 1} MT errr epee 4 Exercise #17 AAT ST 0] Fy Pie "a i Exercise #18 I Ah! 7 a [Tif ‘a Exercise #19 Ree A a Exercise #20 POR Mo, Combinations Of Triplet Figures Exercise #22 . eececee eovce eecoee ececceee eveccee oe Triplet Figures With Flams Play all of the examples first using right-hand flams. Then, redo the exercises using left-hand flams. Exercise #1 2 f eit te tol 7 5 Exercise #2 ee Exercise #5 _ tle f rl Updo! 1 7m j TTT. Exercise #5 ete pte eeeece ecocevece eevces eeceve eeceee eoeeeoe Hand/Foot Combinations In Mixed Rhythms (Doubles) This exercise uses two-note groupings between the hands and feet in an ascending rhythm sequence. Bar3arcta OO Meco Be yy eoee cove es ae ae ve Hand/Foot Combinations In Mixed Rhythms (Singles) cove cove In this exercise, single strokes are used between the hands and feet in an ascending rhythm sequence. STICKINGS ‘The materials contained in this final section of TECHNIQUE PATTERNS deal with stickings. The purpose of these materials is to show how various stickings can be combined and mixed to form a variety of phrases in the sixteenth note and triplet rates. The system of stickings that will be used was previously presented in STICKING PATTERNS. Students who have worked on this book will already be familiar with the basic concepts and methods that are involved and can use this new material to further enhance their understanding. For those who have not worked in STICKING PATTERNS, the following introduction will explain the basic materials and procedures that are to be used. Then, after completing the exercises contained in this book, you can go back to STICKING PATTERNS and start exploring the possibilities that are presented there. pl! 51 The eleven stickings that comprise this system are referred to as ‘compound’ stickings, since they are made up of combinations of single and double strokes. The stickings are broken down into five groups, based upon the distribution of the singles and doubles. Group A stickings have one single, Group B, two, and so on. The following list indicates the basic sticking versions. (Note: The letters underneath the stickings refer to stroke motions and will be explained later in this introduction.) Group A (1 single) » UOT), : : Ta STL, Group B (2 singles) . 4b JT, a el Dl Ht a al rlerll lrlierer rirriilrrirlirril Group B (continued) lrlilrrillrirrilire el ed pl el al Hl el al el el pl Hl el et al Group C (3 singles) 5c on a we Jo we et el fed el al rirellrririrrll lrlerliririier ° & el el Dl el ar HI Bal et HI BI ey al ey tal | on on ue we we Be ao oy 2 Group D (4 singles) HI HI BI al Hl el el Ht DI al et al Group D (continued) ee Group E (5 singles) <<< It is important to understand that these stickings have no particular rhythmic context. In other words, the 3a sticking is not a triplet, nor the 5a a quintuplet. They are simply groups of three and five notes and can be used in any rhythm or combination of rhythms for that matter. This basic concept is the foundation for this whole system of stickings. In the most general sense, a sticking is a drummer's version of articulation. When we play the same pattern with different stickings, it sounds differently. Additionally, each sticking phrase will have its own ordering of notes in the hands, and we can take advantage of this in a variety of ways, from time functioning to soloing. Since the drum set is an instrument comprised of many different sound sources, having a wide variety of sticking phrases available in the hands would seem to be one of the most obvious ways of developing facility around the set. In fact, in the whole area of percussion, there is probably no instrument that is more ideally suited to the use of stickings than the drum set. Therefore, as you work through this material, feel free to experiment with ideas as they come up. The 16th-note phrases are ‘very convenient for developing rock and Latin-time feels. Many of the triplet phrases can be used to develop shuffles or other types of 12/8 feels. And any of the materials can be incorporated into soloing situations in any style. ‘You will notice that there are letters underneath the stickings. ‘These indicate the various stroke motions that are to be used. The four basic types of strokes are as follows: wou mmorn cn | vows srnora 2) | t Starts and ends in a high Starts in a high position position. and ends in a low position. nar sraoxe cx + | vemmora crt! Starts and ends in a low Starts in a low position position. and ends in a high position. ‘The full and down strokes are used for playing accents, while the up and tap strokes are used on the unaccented notes. The four stroke motions in this system are part of the Down-Up Technique and are designed to show how the hands should move in executing a given pattern. When initially working with this technique, all accent notes should be played from a high stick height, (around 90 degrees), all unaccented notes from a low height, (about 15 degrees). By using this type of exaggerated process, it will be easy to see and feel the various motions as they are used. Try to move from one stroke motion to the next as quickly and as cleanly as possible, avoiding any and all unnecessary motion. Gradually, as these motions become more secure, you can practice in more normal situations where the height differences between the accented and unaccented notes will not be that great. eece evce eceee eecee eeeccee eceee vee About The Accents Each of the stickings in this system has been shown with one specific accent version. These are not the only accents that are available on these patterns, but are rather the most basic ones, especially in terms of making it easy to hear the sticking as it is being used. Therefore, they will be used exclusively in this section. Additional accent possibilities relating to these stickings can be found in STICKING PATTERNS. Also, once you begin applying the stickings to various playing situations, you may want to use other accents (which would probably be especially true in time functioning) or no accents at all (which might be the case in solos). Feel free to experiment with these types of situations as they present themselves. Practice Procedure Most of the basic exercises in this section are set up in two measure phrases. The first measure of each example uses the basic sticking that matches the rhythm being played. (For the 16th-note examples, the 4b sticking is used, for the triplet examples, the 3a sticking.) Then in the second measure the sticking phrase is presented, which ‘usually consists of a combination of two or three stickings. Certain phrases will have more than one sticking version. (For example, one might use the 8a, while another incorporates the 5c.) Additionally, each phrase will have a number of different orderings. In other words, the sequence of stickings can be rearranged. All of the examples in a given group should be worked on as one unit, Play each individual exercise many times until it feels comfortable. Then, move directly to the next example with no pause. Work first at a moderate tempo setting, paying particular attention to the stroke motions that are being used. Keep the accents loud, the unaccented notes soft. This will enable you to hear the stickings as they are being used. eecee cececece eecee eveceve eocee eecve Mixtures of Six, Six and Four Sequence of 6-6-4 é < se 1. 6b/64/4 2. 64/6b/4b Sequence of 6-4-6 < < < < £ < 4.4 < < < < f < rs Sequence of 4-6-6 5. 4b/6b/6a_ |I-4 6. 4b/64/6b eoee cove ceve eevee cove cove Mixtures of Five, Five and Six Sequence of 5-5-6 Sequence of 8-6-5 3. Sa/6b/Sa < SC < < e<¢ < < | Sequence of 6-5-5 < < < < < < < iq | < e¢ « < a <_< ¢ 6. 6b/Sc/Bc : voice ps OTTO] TT ET y eevee ecoee ccceee evecee eovcce evcce Mixtures of Eight, Five and Three Sequence of 8-5-3 6. 8¢/84/3a ev,eeve eeseee aeeses esesve eeseee Mixtures of Eight, Five and Three (continued) Sequence of 8-3-8 7. Ba/Sa/8b 8, 8e/Ba/8a jp Sequence of 3-8-5 9.3a/8b/Sa_ re “A eecce eeccee eceveece eecce covee evcce Mixtures of Three, Three, Five and Five Sequence of 3-3-5-5 e4 e e hl e sewcweane 4 TET Seah aie, e446 46 6 ec ee; commen RD a, Sequence of 8-8-3-3 ce eg he ‘ << someon pA TD TALL, c < < < gs se < < 4 So/Se/sa/sa ft 4 Sequence of 3-5-3-5 se ge eo< e< 5.Ba/Sa/Ba/sa Ie a < < < < < << g < 6. Ba/Be/Ba/se H+. 1 =| 61 eevee. ® ° ® ® ® ee ee ee ee es Mixtures of Three, Three, Five and Five (continued) c3oecece eecee < < < < ¢ £< a < Sequence of 5-3-3-5 < < < < < e< < inom initio, nooo TOME Tey evcece eeccee cevce eevee eevee eevee Mixtures of Four, Four, Five and Three There is only one non-alternating sticking combination for the 44-8-3 phrase. In each example, a different sequence is demonstrated. ete ee ce ee 1. 4b/4b/Se/3a pea duel 4 eee <¢ «¢ « cee 2. ab/4b/sa/8e [fd e | dette < < < < Ss fe < < 3. Ba/Se/4b/4b ra tel}. St teie SE EEE 4. 8o/Ba/4b/4b pas 4 4 < < < < fe ce 8. 4b/8a/Be/4b ft . 6. 4b/Sc/Sa/4b rT & 3% 8 8 oo | eee eee | veeeee | we eves eeeeee eeseee Mixtures of Four, Four, Five and Three (continued) | | ee 7. 4b/Ba/4b/Se |fs% 4 | <4 ¢ 11. 3a/4b/4b/8e |: < < 12. Se/4b/4b/3a ls < « < < < 9. Sa/an/8o/4b ys LET, < << e ce roseraneae pe LIOTTA ARETE y Nam Smd 1d eVeecvece eevces eeceeve covceve eeccee eecceee Mixtures of Seven, Five and Four Sequence of 7-5-4 1. 7a/sa/ab ed 2.70/Ba/4b je8 qe ec ce fee Sequence of 7-4-5 ee < ¢ ¢ << craeooe TLR TT] TTT < < < < ese s. s 5. 7e/ab/6a eX 4 Jee : < < < < eo < 6.7/4b/Be p14 : He C3 eeceee eoecee ev5vcee cevced evevced Mixtures of Seven, Five and Four (continued) Sequence of 5-7-4 << < ie <_< < 7. Ba/7a/4b pha J +f << ce < e ¢ & a 8 8 o of C) of 7-5 e< < 6. 7e/Sc @ eee oe Mixtures of Eight and Four Sequence of 8-4 eeeoes eeeves eeeseoe eoseoe seseen 3 & 4 Sequence of 4-8 m mma : i evecece eevee eevee cove eecevece eveccee Mixtures of Five, Four and Three TnynyL Sequence of 5-4-3 1. 5a/4b/3a 2. 80/4b/3a 4 < Z <

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