Moving around the drum set freely is fundamental for your development as a drummer. It enables you to play different combinations on the spot with various instruments. Working on this aspect of your drumming will actually have you developing a more organic approach to what you play; hence, making you way more musical. In this free live drum lesson, Kyle Radomsky teaches exercises for developing freedom around the drum set and discusses the influence of drum kit set-up on your speed.
Drum kit set-up is one of the topics Kyle Radomsky spends more time talking about in this video. A bad set-up can be detrimental to your playing and health. Experimenting with the way you set up the instruments on your drum set is the best way to go. Keep a look out for the set-up that optimizes your playing without sacrificing your comfort. If you’d like more information on this subject, check Jared Falk’s drum kit set-up tips.
If you take a look at the PDF sheet music, you’ll ascertain that a couple of the exercises are to be practiced with different sticking patterns. This is actually a very cool idea since it will open up new creative ideas around the drum set as you work on freeing up your limbs. This concept can actually be taken further. If you don’t have much time to work on technique for instance, take the drum rudiments you’re practicing right now and combine them with the drills from this free live drum lesson. Doing so will enable you to practice hand technique and drum set freedom in one sitting.
Once you’ve gone through this free drum lesson, watch this video to get an idea of what these exercises will do to the way you move around the drum set. Going through the free live drum lesson “Developing Speed Around The Kit” is a great idea as well. That lesson works in the same vein as this one and is crammed with exercises for improving your speed and comfort while moving around the drum set.