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Thread: Skills on toms waaaay lower

  1. #1

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    Default Skills on toms waaaay lower

    Hello everyone. I don't know if any of you guys have this situation where you know you can do a lot of rudiments, have good stick speed and what not ON THE SNARE DRUM but when you spread out to your toms, all the skills seem to downshift a ton!

    Seems my sticks are slower, there's just no bounce (like on a snare) and rudiments are several times more difficult.

    Should there be a different techinque/approach? I'm beginning to suspect it's a grip/finger position issue.

    Inputs welcome!

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Skills on toms waaaay lower

    You point out the real problem with learning one approach or grip and just playing a snare or pad. All the drums have different head tension and less rebound than the snare and their positions make them not as easy to reach as the snare is. So grip changes slightly around the kit until, in some cases, depending on your pref., you reach the FT and need to use your wrists and arms instead of just fingers and wrist to get up to speed. This is why many drummers tune the toms' heads really tight and then wonder why they sound so crappy! Some drummers even switch to a "tympani playing grip" when playing the FT.
    I'm just guessing here but many parade/ marching band drummers have an adjustment when playing a kit for the first time, having come off those Kevlar snare heads.
    Last edited by slinglander; 06-14-2016 at 08:35 PM. Reason: Added comment
    SONOR 6 pc Special Edition 3007's red maple, old Pearl Brass 14x6 FF snare, Yamaha Tour Custom maple 8 pc., Tama 4 pc., honey amber B/B, Ludwig Supralite chrome 14x6.5 steel snare, Paiste, Saluda & Zildjian
    Loaned out Slingerland upgraded 4 pc 1963 black, wrapped maple + 14" Pearl birch FT
    The Almighty Speed King pedal, Speed Cobra, Sonor Single

    http://www.screaminmelinas.com
    http://www.facebook.com/DerailedRockers/

  3. #3

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    It's so sad that I have all these toms around me and all I can really do are paraddidles, doubles and some weak sounding singles (ok maybe the occassional fast single).

    But to say I'm able to express well on the toms? Yikes...

  4. #4

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    yeah with my students I make them do a lot of practice going around the world on the toms. They quickly learn how much harder it is to do doubles or bad technique on a tom vs the snare.

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Skills on toms waaaay lower

    I know where you're coming from and this may help in some ways. The best tutorials I found on the internet for playing around the toms is actually watching marching drum instructors explain the technique on how to get around (transitioning) on the tenors in the percussion section.

    Practicing and playing the quads in my opinion, crosses over to the same technique used to play the rack toms on a kit. The advantage a tenor drummer has over a set player is the flat positioning of the toms but the arms, wrists, hands and finger action looks same in both scenarios, in my humble opinion.

    I never had a chance to join a marching band but my wife was the only snare drummer in her high school marching band and she has often instructed me on the proper transitions from snare to high toms and today, she compliments me on the roll offs (going around the toms) and she say's it's one of my strong points on the kit.

    I searched and found what I consider the best produced video instruction on playing quads and you can "cherry pick" the different techniques which could apply to you. Good luck and keep us posted.


  6. #6

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    So why so many toms??

    all the best...

  7. #7

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    A lot of drummers will avoid the doubles on the toms, especially those that like the thuddier, looser tom heads. So, they taught themselves to roll off the snare and only (or mostly) use the single strokes on the snare. You'd be surprised how many drummers lean toward this style of playing. People don't often notice it because the the fills are so fast but watch for it and you'll see what I mean. Anyway, that's just one style. There are many approaches to playing drum fills on the kit.

  8. #8

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    Default Re: Skills on toms waaaay lower

    Quote Originally Posted by drummer View Post
    A lot of drummers will avoid the doubles on the toms, .... You'd be surprised how many drummers lean toward this style of playing.
    It may not be style so much as it's harder to do doubles and tends to be softer sounding on anything but the cranked-up snare. Often playing today's music you can get by without doubles or press and "buzz" rolls. Now jazz, classic rock and blues, those are all together different.
    SONOR 6 pc Special Edition 3007's red maple, old Pearl Brass 14x6 FF snare, Yamaha Tour Custom maple 8 pc., Tama 4 pc., honey amber B/B, Ludwig Supralite chrome 14x6.5 steel snare, Paiste, Saluda & Zildjian
    Loaned out Slingerland upgraded 4 pc 1963 black, wrapped maple + 14" Pearl birch FT
    The Almighty Speed King pedal, Speed Cobra, Sonor Single

    http://www.screaminmelinas.com
    http://www.facebook.com/DerailedRockers/

  9. #9

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    Until I read this post, I never gave a single thought about going from snare to toms, or the fact that the heads aren't as tight on the toms as they are on the snare. So, if I'm doing doubles or whatever on any drum, I don't change my sticking 1 iota.

  10. #10

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    First of all it's important to be able to do your rudiments without any bounce. On a pillow or your knee or whatever.
    Bounce is great, and can get you out of trouble, but you should be able to at least do fast singles without it.
    One way to practice toms is to start with fast singles on the snare and every once in a while play one of the strokes on a tom, without dropping any beats. Go around the toms, one at a time, playing a single hit as you play continuously on the snare; up and down the toms; and then alternating hands.
    Another way is to practice triplets with two toms and the bass drum. Single triplets then continuous, moving back and forth around the toms, depending how many you have. Then bring in the snare.
    That will make transitioning a lot easier.
    That's my five cents

  11. #11

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    Awesome tips guys! Learned a ton and can't wait to do these.

    @kay-gee i have three rack toms and two floors. I wanna get better at tom play and admittedly, they do look good The floor tom play is fine I should think

    @late8- Your wife is a drummer? What lovely christmas gift giving you guys must have

    Back to the topic... yeah mostly my problem is the head tension on the rack toms. I'm pretty ok with the 8"... it's the 10 and the 12 where my lack of skill shines through.

  12. #12

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    Playing closer to the rim helps with feel, but also effects the sound. Sometimes that adds a nice contrast.
    -Brian

    "Too many crappy used drum stuff to list"

    Play the SONG......not the DRUMS!!!

    "I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It's all very well doing a triple paradiddle - but who's going to know you've done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It's being original that counts." ~ John Bonham

  13. #13

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    Default Re: Skills on toms waaaay lower

    Whether you are playing 1 up and 1 down, 2 up and 2 down, whatever, you should be able to play each drum with equal ease.

    I played 1 up and 2 down for most of my years. When I retired, I thought that being they didn't have to be moved anymore, I would add some more drums.

    Started with another up tom. Time to get used to it, 5-10 minutes. Added 2 "up" toms over my floor toms. Time to get used to them, 5-10 minutes.

    I've played with as many as 9 toms. The only thing that's different is that I have to go to my left more often.

    You can't overthink this stuff, it's not rocket science.

    I should add that whether it's a single beat, a single stroke roll, or a double stroke roll, or whatever, you should still be able to do them on any drum in your set.
    Last edited by rickthedrummer; 06-15-2016 at 11:50 PM. Reason: ===

  14. #14

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    Default Re: Skills on toms waaaay lower

    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    Until I read this post, I never gave a single thought about going from snare to toms, or the fact that the heads aren't as tight on the toms as they are on the snare. So, if I'm doing doubles or whatever on any drum, I don't change my sticking 1 iota.
    /\This

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