Drum Technique – Why Learn and Practice All This?

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about my students at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and about my approach to teaching there.

Learning the Drums Before YouTube and Social Media

I was born in 1983, so I’m well past 40 now, and I grew up as a drummer at a time that was free from the influence of the internet and social media.

Our window onto what was happening “out there” was the VHS tapes and DVDs at our local drum stores. We’d hang out there for hours, watching videos of the big drumming stars from the US. We wanted to absorb everything they said, played and taught. Playing along and copying them, in the best sense of the word, was the order of the day.

Three Years on the Practice Pad

Then, at 13, I went to what was then the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz. That’s where I met the teacher who shaped my view of drumming like no one else.

He was the one who prepared me for the next artistic challenge every single week. He gave me the tools that, in my view, every top drummer needs, whatever the genre.

Three years we sat at the practice pad. Three years! Technique, technique and more technique, taught nonstop and set as my weekly assignment. These days I have a lot of discussions with colleagues about how important technical skills really are for a drummer’s artistic development. And I see a growing gap between my views and theirs. Having performed as a concert soloist with every orchestra and in every concert hall in the world, I’d like to think I’m in the best position to judge this from my own experience. But it isn’t quite that simple.

Back to my teenage years at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz. My trust in my teacher at the time, Leonhard Schmidinger, was so great that I would never have questioned his methods, approaches or suggestions. His word was law. Looking back, that was a huge advantage for me. I never wasted time on doubt. I was never unsure whether this was the right path. There simply were no outside influences, whether from YouTube, social media or other drummers. There was one set path, and it was not up for debate. This one and no other. And my teacher, Leonhard Schmidinger, was my musical guide.

The Fundamentals of Drum Technique: My Toolbox

For three years, week after week, I worked on the fundamentals of drumming: wrist strokes, finger strokes, combinations, up- and downstrokes, double strokes, paradiddles, flams and so on. For a long time, that was my whole world. And it fired up my competitive streak enormously, because I always saw it as building the foundation for my future goal of a solo career. The groundwork for everything that was to come. My mission outside of school: to play the assigned technical exercises perfectly in Friday’s lesson, with maximum precision across every dynamic level, and better than my teacher himself. Not once did I ask myself what it was all for, or when I’d finally get to play some actual solo pieces. Not once did I feel I was missing out, or that everyone else was already playing real repertoire while I was stuck on technique. Because there was no “everyone else”. Not at my school, and not on the World Wide Web, which back then was barely a thing.

The foundation I laid in the mid-90s became my vast drumming toolbox. And I’m endlessly grateful for that kit. Without it, my career would not have been possible. Why, you ask?

What a Solo Career in Percussion Really Means

It’s simple: most of my fellow drummers/percussionists have little idea of what a real solo career in percussion across all five continents actually involves. Forgive me for being blunt.

Top soloists perform three to four times a week, in large halls and small ones, with outstanding orchestras and conductors and with less convincing ones.

International soloists perform under all kinds of conditions: in humid halls, on poor instruments, with hardly any rehearsal time. They play with chamber music partners who have barely had time to prepare, and still sell out Carnegie Hall. They play on poorly maintained instruments, especially in Asia and South America. They play with a raging fever and muscle cramps. Sometimes they play under the most adverse conditions imaginable, and completely exhausted. But they always play at the very highest level. That’s only possible with a technical arsenal you can rely on fully, in every single concert. It’s the foundation that allows great soloists on any instrument to deliver the best musical result possible, every time.

A Recital Program Is Not a Solo Career

Having a solo recital program, taking on various chamber music projects and “performing” within your own bubble is commendable and a real achievement. But it has very little to do with being a full-fledged percussion soloist. Soloists have to be able to handle anything, at any time: solo recitals, orchestral concerts, chamber music, contemporary music, band projects, in small venues and large ones. That’s what the world of percussion is all about.

Do You Really Need the Technical Toolbox?

I often discuss with friends, colleagues and my students whether this technical “toolbox” is really necessary. Surely, they say, there are examples of people who made it without one. And that’s when I ask: Where are these examples? Who, in the past 20 years, has impressed me so much as a solo percussionist that I’d consider them truly world-class? This isn’t the place for name-dropping, but let me say this much: There aren’t many.

Impatience in the Age of Social Media

I sense this “passionate” impatience in every single one of my students. That constant feeling of missing out or being left behind. The hunger for repertoire and pieces they’re not “yet” technically ready for, but want to play right now, because others are already playing them on social media. But for us musicians, it’s no different from any other craft. Only a rock-solid foundation can produce something extraordinary. Only with a “toolbox” full of possibilities can good drummers/percussionists become international artists.

Clarity: Every Note, All the Way to Row 80

Real clarity in big halls with an orchestra only comes from the truly exceptional percussionists. They can make their playing so crystal clear that the elderly lady in row 80 can still hear every note, every phrase, every dynamic shade. They develop a feel for playing that adapts to any ensemble, any hall and any piece.

Lately I keep hearing: “Yes, but the piece was just awkwardly orchestrated.” And then I think: why is it that for violinists and pianists, technical mastery and the clarity that comes with it are non-negotiable, and, for the great soloists among them, the ultimate requirement for a career, while for us percussionists it’s always supposed to be the hall, the instruments, the piece or the orchestration?

Conclusion: Technical Mastery Makes the Difference

The foundation for all of this lies in technique. And technique has to be learned in all its branches, facets and dimensions. Only then do you become an artist and drummer/percussionist who can hold their own in any hall, on any project, with any orchestra and in any ensemble. And that’s what turns players into great soloists. Everyone else is, forgive my candor, “just” a very good drummer/percussionist.

FAQ

How important is technique for drummers?

Technique is the foundation of musical freedom. Only those who have truly mastered their technique can perform at the highest level under any conditions, regardless of the hall, the instrument or the ensemble.

How long should you spend on the fundamentals?

There are no shortcuts. During my own training, I spent three years working almost exclusively on technique. The fundamentals stay with you for life as a drummer, but the intensive foundation-building phase often takes several years.

Which fundamental techniques make up the foundation?

The most important fundamental techniques include wrist strokes, finger strokes, up- and downstrokes, double strokes, paradiddles, flams and combinations of these. You’ll find some examples in this reel about technique courses in the MyGroove app. To learn how to practice these techniques effectively, including a training plan, check out my article Learning Drum Technique – Why the Basics Determine Your Success.

What’s the difference between a solo career in percussion and a recital program?

A recital program is a real achievement. An international solo career, however, demands that you can handle anything at any time: solo recitals, orchestral concerts, chamber music, contemporary music and band projects, in small venues and large ones, often three to four times a week.

How do I deal with impatience and comparing myself to others on social media?

The fear of missing out is understandable, but it shouldn’t call the shots. Playing pieces before your technical foundation is in place costs you time in the long run. A clear path and trust in your teacher will help you stay focused.