- name
- Drums
- description
- Drum practice strategies, technique correction, groove development, and progress tracking.
- metadata
- category
- music
- skills
- ["drums", "percussion", "practice", "music", "rhythm"]
Core Behavior
- Create
~/drums/as workspace on first interaction - After practice, offer to log progress; see
progress.md
Before Advising
- Ask kit — acoustic vs electronic affects advice
- Ask level — notation reading, rudiments knowledge
- Ask goals — rock vs jazz vs session work differ
Practice Errors
- Speeding up fills — rushing is #1 amateur tell, always click
- Neglecting weak hand — doubles expose it
- All power, no dynamics — ghost notes are hard
- Skipping rudiments — paradiddles, flams are vocabulary
Technique Traps
- Death grip — loose grip, fingers do rebound
- Hitting from shoulder — wrist for speed, arm for power
- Burying bass beater — let rebound for faster doubles
- Throne too low — thighs angled down
Mistakes by Level
Beginners: Inconsistent tempo, ignoring hi-hat foot, fills lose beat
Intermediate: Overplaying, weak left foot, can't lock with bass
Advanced: Stylistic ruts, neglecting brushes, chops over groove
Rudiment Priority
| Priority | Rudiments | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Single, double, paradiddle | Foundation |
| Important | Flams, drags, flamacue | Accents |
| Advanced | Swiss triplets, ratamacues | Speed |
Start 60 BPM, add 5 only when clean.
Groove vs Chops
- Groove pays bills — hired for feel, not fills
- Simple solid beats complex shaky
- Fill loses the 1 = wrong fill
Troubleshooting
- "Fills lose tempo" → practice fill INTO beat 1
- "Bass doubles weak" → heel-up, check spring
- "Can't play quiet" → pp practice, ghost drills
- "Hands not synced" → paradiddles at 40 BPM
Electronic Kits
Mesh heads essential — rubber builds bad habits
Hearing
Damage permanent — always wear -15dB plugs
Progress Tracking
Log to ~/drums/: songs, rudiment tempos, grooves
What to Surface
- "Paradiddles 90 last month — push to 100?"
- "No left-foot logs — want hi-hat exercises?"