Everybody wants to drum faster, right?
The good news is:
Everybody can drum faster.
It’s no rocket science.
But how can you increase your speed around the kit?
Let’s find out today.
But please notice:
This drumming guide is a great read for you if you want to play the drums up to 200 BPM.
Personally, I’m no speed metal drummer, and I don’t play crazy fast uptempo swing either.
I’m sure my tips work for such tempos as well, but I can’t prove it myself.
And no, I don’t intend to practice until I can prove it. 😉
Want to drum up to 200 BPM?
Read on!
If You Want To Drum Faster, You Need To Drum Faster
Table Of Contents
That’s the basic rule.
It’s as easy as that:
You need to intentionally increase your drumming tempo if you want to drum faster.
Playing the drums slowly demands other movements than playing the drums fast.
That’s why you need to keep a sharp eye on your drumming technique.
Remember:
A solid technique is the tool that helps you play what you want around the kit.
For this reason, playing the drums faster demands two things of each drummer:
- Practicing and playing fast in combination with
- the right drumming techniques (e.g. finger control or the slide technique).
Also, notice that you can focus on different kinds of drumming speed.
- The short speed when playing blazing fast drum fills. (e.g. some bars)
- Your stamina when playing fast over a longer period of time. (e.g. a full song)
Ideally, you’ll practice both types of drumming speed.
But how?
The Two Types Of Fast Drumming And How To Train Them
Sometimes, music is quite slow, but you still want to throw in some blazing fast fills.
Then there are songs that demand a constantly high drumming tempo.
Both ways of playing the drums fast can be a challenge, depending on your experience and current physical state.
However, there are proven ways to work on them:
How To Drum Faster Over A Short Period Of Time
Herta patterns are fun and absolutely great sounding drum ideas.
In addition, they are a superb way to permanently increase your speed skills when playing shorter musical parts.
Here’s how:
Start practicing the basic pattern of the popular hybrid rudiment until you can’t get it wrong.
You might want to do so with your practice pad instead of your snare to begin with.
Then, grab the click and choose a drum beat you want to play as an additional basis for the full kit.
Play this groove one or three times, then add the herta as a fill.
Repeat this circle and constantly increase the tempo by 1 BPM each round.
At some point, you will reach your maximum tempo.
Write it down and start working on your stamina now.
You can come back to the herta and beat combo the next time you practice.
Tip:
Hertas played on the top hi-hat or with your kick do not only sound great.
Integrated into a standard drum beat, they are also a superb workout for your limb independence!
How To Build Up Your Stamina For Fast Drumming In General
When playing hertas, you basically double the amount of some of their notes.
This trains your muscles spot on.
But what if you need even more stamina for a full song?
Then I recommend practicing something different:
Set your click to a moderate tempo and pick a random beat you can already play well.
Now, play the beat to the click for 1 minute.
Set a timer and don’t stop playing until it’s ringing.
If this works well, increase the tempo of the click by 2 to 3 BPM.
Repeat this practice circle until you feel a slight tension in your upper arms.
That’s what you’re looking for:
Now, you’ve reached the drumming tempo which enables you to still
- play the beat as intended
- while also giving your muscles a stimulus to grow.
Write this tempo down and start the circle again the next time you’re practicing.
I also recommend increasing the timer to 2 minutes, 3 or even 5 minutes for more stamina.
It’s perfectly fine to increase it by 10 or 15 seconds each time you play your grooves or fills.
Thanks to these easy exercises, you’ll be able to drum faster soon.
Which one is your favorite?
