Since most drummers’ lead hand and foot are on the same side of the body, playing different patterns between them is the first big issue beginner drummers usually face when first starting out. Having gone through this issue himself, Jared Falk knows as much about how frustrating this can be as how to overcome it. If you’re a beginner drummer facing independence issues, you’re in luck. In this free drum lesson, Jared Falk provides five exercises that will get your 4-way independence going and your limbs working on different rhythms.
Once you’ve gone through these exercises and are able to play them comfortably, we highly encourage you to play them with different limb combinations. What we mean by this is to repeat the same exercises but with your hands reversed: weaker hand on the hi-hat and lead hand on the snare. If you have a double bass pedal or two bass drums, lead the exercises with the weaker foot as well. Remember to avoid flams between hands and feet. If you’re flamming, you’re not doing it right.
Another cool way to keep working on these exercises and to really step up your drum independence is to add different hi-hat foot patterns to the mix. Check the free drum lessons on left-foot independence and combine these drum independence exercises with the 8th note hi-hat patterns you’ll find there.