Sticking Patterns - WordPress.com

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When playing a part written for more than one drum, you will need to decide what is the most efficient way to play. Many times, having perfect, alternating sticking ...
Sticking Patterns When playing a part written for more than one drum, you will need to decide what is the most efficient way to play. Many times, having perfect, alternating sticking will make the part more difficult to play. This is where you must decide if you are going to double stick, or cross stick. Cross sticking can help in maintaining rhythmic drive/steady tempo in a fast rhythmic section, but should be avoided when possible. Cross sticking is when one hand and mallet crosses over the other in order to maintain alternate sticking during a fast, rhythmic section between multiple drums. Double sticking is when you play two notes in a row with the same hand in order to avoid cross sticking. This is the preferred way of playing between drums but only if the tempo is not too fast to play with rhythmic accuracy. This exercise is straight alternating sticking. Be sure to avoid playing in the center of the drum head, or too close to the rim. Approximately 1/3 of the way to the center of the drum head is where you will want to strike the drum. (This is demonstrated at the website: northviewbandaid.wordpress.com)

In this next exercise, you can see that the first two measures have alternating sticking written in, which leads to cross sticking. The third measure eliminates the cross sticking by having double sticking written in. However, the most efficient sticking would be the 4th measure, where you would lead off with the left hand. *For practice, if the passage were to be played fast, the sticking in the first two measures is is a good exercise for cross sticking. If it is played at a slower tempo, the sticking in the third measure is good double sticking practice.*

This last exercise is a more in depth look at double sticking. This should be played slowly and deliberately, with an emphasis made on achieving the same tone with each note.

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