Speed frustrates

[DrumDame]

I'm a bit frustrated with myself and I hope the gang here can give me some advice. I'm doing hand drums and my teacher has me working on speed. I'm trying to get my doubles up around 200 beats per minute. He tells me that, if I keep working on it, I will get a breakthrough where my body figures out how to do it naturally. So far, no breakthrough. I can get up around 180 but it falls out of rhythm after a minute or two. I could really use some advice. Thanks!

[hippychip]

how long have you been playing?

[DrumDame]

3-4 years. Hand drums only.

[drummer]

Sometimes it just takes more hours. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear but everyone is different on how fast they pick it up. Keep working on it and incrementally increasing your speed. You'll get it.

[pastor_bob]

I agree with Tom. Your muscles, and your mind are conditioning to the demands that you are placing on your body to perform the skill. Keep working and it will happen. Oh, and relax. The biggest impediment to speed is tension (I have to keep telling myself that all the time).

[Bish]

I'd say stop counting. Let yourself go naturally. Hang at the speed you feel comfortable with and where it still sounds good. Forget going faster. If you try too hard it'll take longer.

Eventually, with a little more time and diligence, you will find that you will probably exceed that 200 bpm, without realizing it.

If you have the ability, video record yourself today or at the "present" time and then in a few weeks, see if you've improved. Keep at it and you'll break that barrier.

[porkpieguy]

Just hang out at 180, then speed up in increments of 2 or 3 bpm. Going from 180 to 200 is quite a leap.

I'm not really a hand percussion specialist, and I'm not sure what your goals are, but I'd say doing "doubles" with your hands at 180 bpm for 2-3 minutes is quite a feat.

[slinglander]

I'd say stop counting. Let yourself go naturally. Hang at the speed you feel comfortable with and where it still sounds good. Forget going faster. If you try too hard it'll take longer.

Eventually, with a little more time and diligence, you will find that you will probably exceed that 200 bpm, without realizing it.

Ditto this^

[drummer]

A lot of good replies!

[quikstang2]

It takes a while to build extra nerve endings in your extremities to get finer muscle control. When you get to a point where you fall out of time or rythm, go back to a speed you can handle to regain your precision and accuracy. You want to train yourself to do it properly, not improperly. As previously mentioned, you'll get there faster by making small increments each day instead of trying to make a large increment all at once.

[8beat]

I'm puzzled why you want to go that fast. I guess I'm just not a speedy guy.

[Drumbledore]

Slowly, daily. Is it just hands up and down kind of doubles for djembe, or the heel-toe thing for congas?

[DrumDame]

Thanks so much for the good suggestions! I know I need to work more, but I also wanted to work smarter and these ideas will definitely help.

It's up-down like a djembe for this. I've done palm-tip for other things I've done.

My teacher wants me to get my speed up, I think to get my skills up and enable me play more smoothly. He is out of town for a couple of months and I want to meet the goal for when he gets back.

[cg2112]

My doubles are slow, always have been. I'm always working on it, and seem to be getting faster, but still slow. My drum teacher will play doubles (or any rudiments, really) so fast that you'd think he was relying on the bounce, but he isn't. Mine are embarrassingly slow, slow enough so that I rarely use them around the kit, other than a diddle here and there. I've been playing for almost 30 years (but took a 20 year breaking from playing seriously), and started taking lessons for the first time last year. I practice around an hour a day, three or four days a week. It clearly takes time, but improvement eventually comes.

[Drumgod21]

Longer practice sessions man. Build those chops up. Just sit there doing your doubles until your forearms burn, and push it. PUSH IT. Push it until you physically can't any longer then go just a little more. Rest. stretch, then repeat. You'll start to see progress- I promise, I was there! Good luck brotha