5 Must-Know Tips for New Percussionists Joining Band

July 20, 2024

Embarking on your journey as a percussionist in band can be both exciting and challenging. To help you get started on the right foot, here are five essential tips that every new percussionist should know. These basics will set a strong foundation and ensure you progress efficiently in your musical endeavors.

1. Master Your Body Posture

Comfort and relaxation are key to playing percussion well. When your body is relaxed, your movements will be smoother and more controlled. Here are three crucial points to keep in mind to maintain the right posture:

Shoulders: Always let your shoulders hang naturally. Avoid pushing them up as it can create unnecessary tension.
Arms: Maintain a small gap between your body and your elbows. Don't press your arms against your body.
Thumbs: Ensure your thumbs are positioned at the side of the stick, not pointing upwards.

By following these tips, you can avoid a forced playing style and enjoy a more relaxed and productive practice session.

2. Learn the Different Grips

Knowing how to hold your drumsticks properly is fundamental. There are two primary grips to choose from:

Matched Grip: In this grip, both hands hold the sticks in the same way. Make sure the thumb and index finger are always in contact with the stick, while the other fingers loosely surround it.
Traditional Grip: This grip differs for each hand. For the left hand, mimic a shooting motion and turn your hand outwards. Place the stick between your thumb and index finger, then close your index and ring fingers around it. Your thumb should rest in the first joint of the index finger.

Practicing these grips will give you better control and flexibility in your playing.

3. Play on Rebound

Utilizing your drum, drumhead, and sticks efficiently can significantly enhance your playing. The key is to play on the rebound:

Drop and Bounce: Let your stick drop from a vertical position and allow it to bounce back naturally. This technique leverages the tension of the drumhead and the weight of the sticks.
Avoid Double Movements: Instead of pushing your stick down and lifting it back up, rely on the rebound to minimize effort. This not only conserves energy but also improves your speed over time.

By mastering the rebound stroke, you let your tools assist you, making your playing more fluid and less strenuous.

4. Understand the Different Strokes

Different strokes produce different sounds and are used in various contexts. Here are the four basic strokes every percussionist should know:

Full Stroke: The stick moves from a full height to the drumhead and back, utilizing a full range of motion.
Down Stroke: Drop the stick from a full height and stop it just before it bounces back, keeping it close to the drumhead.
Up Stroke: Start near the drumhead and lift the stick to the starting position, usually to prepare for an accent.
Tap Stroke: Keep your sticks low and play using minimal lift while maintaining the rebound.

Understanding and practicing these strokes will give you a versatile toolkit for various percussion techniques.

5. Develop Essential Sight Reading Skills

Now that you've grasped the foundational tips, the next step in your percussion journey is to develop your sight reading skills. Sight reading is crucial for any musician as it allows you to play new pieces of music accurately and efficiently.

To aid you in this process, I have created a "Quick Guide To Develop Essential Sight Reading Skills." This guide provides practical tips and exercises to enhance your ability to read and interpret music sheets quickly and accurately.

Download the Quick Guide

Download this free guide and take the next step in becoming a proficient percussionist. This guide will complement your foundational skills and help you progress further in your musical journey. The content of this blog is based on the videos, which you can find via the QR code in the Quick Guide To Develop Essential Sight-Reading Skills. Download it now!

About Dirkjan van Groningen: Professional percussionist, teacher, composer, and musical entrepreneur. Helps percussionists to function more effectively in bands and ensembles by providing valuable additional resources with his method books and sheet music!

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from 10 reviews

Great Percussion Writing!

We recently programmed "Dvorak's Bossa" and it was a hit with the students as well as the audience! Dirkjan has taken a familiar melody and created a very playable arrangement that came together in a hurry with our ensemble. There are parts in this arrangement for students of different levels of playing ability (within the stated grade level) which was definitely a plus for my group. The additional technology resources were also very beneficial to the learning process. I'm looking forward to programming additional music from Dirkjan in the future.

Shawn Sandersfeld

05/21/2024

Dvorak's Bossa

Every 8th note and 16th note combination that I want my students to know.

Dirkjan's new guides are well done and I appreciate the fact that they are "quick". In a matter of minutes, students can work on their technique and sight-reading by playing through these simple exercises. If they have time, they can play along with the background tracks to make them a little more enjoyable than just playing along with a metronome. The Sight-Reading Skills present every 8th note and 16th note combination that I want my students to know. I appreciate that the stickings are written in to continue to reinforce best practices. Well Done!

05/18/2024

Quick Guide To Develop Essential Technical Skills.

Fun to practice to!

Digging the book. It's nice to practice to something more than a metronome when working on rudiments. Thanks!

Daria

06/21/2023

Practicing Rudiments & Technique is Fun!

Interesting

A fun new way to practice rudiments. I recommend it!

John Krantz

04/29/2023

Your book is like a treasure chest!

I have been taking percussion lessons for about 5 years. So, my rudiments are still developing. Before discovering your book, I would practice paradiddles while listening to music ( like Vivaldi's Gloria or The Wellerman) and had almost figured out their mm settings. So, your book is like a treasure chest!

Jenny White

04/28/2023

This was the book I ever wanted to write myself.

When I saw your book, I realized that this was the book I ever wanted to write myself. I am teaching for a couple of years know, but I always had to manage with the existing methods. There was always something; right left indications, counting, structure and always without play-along tracks. But in your book contains everything the way I like it! Thanks a lot for that. In the new season I'm going to use it for all new students.

Paul van der Heijden

08/31/2022

Snare Drum Basics Starter Kit

It's organized and structured well

It is organized and structured well and presents the beginning rudimental snare drummer with all the techniques required for developing into more advanced playing. The play-along CD contains high quality accompaniment tracks that are fun to listen to and play with. I highly recommend this book to teachers and students alike.

Jeff Moore

Outstanding tool for the young percussionist!

Dirkjan has used his experience developing solid percussionists to create an outstanding tool for the young percussionist. The pace and sequence of the book is perfect for developing necessary reading skills and rudiment techniques and the play-along cd is a fun way for students to build a solid sense of time. Make sure you check out the book of Recital Pieces which give students an opportunity to perform the skills learned in the Method book in a fun and educational setting. I give Snare Drum Basics my highest endorsement!

Scott Brown

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