R hand practice: drum rudiments!

[ElCrowg]

I'm sure I'm nowhere near the first one to think of this, but I just started doing it today and it was fun and is probably a decent right hand exercise.
Basically, my daughter started taking drum lessons and I was thumbing through her stick control book and just started working on rudiments with a metronome with my right hand technique (R = middle finger, L = index finger). It's fun just working it slowly with a metronome and slowly bringing the tempo up.
So far, just basics like single stroke / double stroke / paradiddles

Anyone else do this?

 

[David McIntire]

I've had to incorporate some rudiments into my right, plucking fingers recently. My band called a couple songs that made me reexamine my lazy right hand. 3 over 4 patterns where I have to lead with my middle finger vs my first finger. I was weak. Far weaker than I thot. Heh. So, I've been doing drum rudiments as I rehearse, trying to get my middle finger to be more comfortable and natural when needed to lead a phrase. It's a great idea, until you start plucking with 3 fingers. Heh.

 

[ElCrowg]

I've had to incorporate some rudiments into my right, plucking fingers recently. My band called a couple songs that made me reexamine my lazy right hand. 3 over 4 patterns where I have to lead with my middle finger vs my first finger. I was weak. Far weaker than I thot. Heh. So, I've been doing drum rudiments as I rehearse, trying to get my middle finger to be more comfortable and natural when needed to lead a phrase. It's a great idea, until you start plucking with 3 fingers. Heh.

(unfortunately or maybe fortunately?) I've been a three finger plucker for 20 years+ at this point! It was a fun exercise to keep my ring finger out of the party and work on just index and middle.

 

[David McIntire]

(unfortunately or maybe fortunately?) I've been a three finger plucker for 20 years+ at this point! It was a fun exercise to keep my ring finger out of the party and work on just index and middle.

I never could get the 3rd finger integrated into my playing. Mostly because of lack of motivation. I haven't found anything I need to play that requires me to use more than two. If I ever need to, I will. But strict alternate picking has served so far. Gallops and true triplets I might see a need, but that's exactly why I'm using the paradiddle exercises. Trying to lead with either finger, or each as each measure repeats. I've cheated and gotten pretty fast. But after a few weeks with these exercises, my 2nd finger is becoming smarter. I've played professionally for 3 decades. This habit is very difficult to break. These exercises help tons.

 

[ElCrowg]

I'm not 100% why or how I started with adding my ring finger in, it just sort of happened at some point, I think when I started playing a 5 string for a bit. Go figure! It's never been a necessary thing, but has helped with fast 16ths passages that might be fatiguing otherwise (something like dean town, etc).
I'm hoping the rudiments will be a helpful exercise to be more mindful with my plucking and subdividing -or as you said "smarter"!

 

[mikenyc]

Here's a rudiment that has helped me get more comfortable starting sequences with either the index or third finger on the plucking hand --

Pick 3 numbers, like, 2-3-4, that add up to an odd number (9 in this case)
Start the metronome and play eighth notes on an open string
As you play the groups of notes, play the first note of each group slightly louder (keeping the note lengths all the same)
Keep the volume of the accented notes consistent with each other, and keep the volume of the non-accented notes consistent with each other.
Continue for 5-10 minutes

Since the groups add up to an odd number, if you pluck with two fingers, you'll automatically be starting groups interchangeably with the middle finger and index finger. This one has definitely improved my ability to use either the middle and index finger for whatever note is next. It has also helped me express a beat and groove better when the line stays on a single repeated note.

 

[srosenthal13]

I'm sure I'm nowhere near the first one to think of this, but I just started doing it today and it was fun and is probably a decent right hand exercise.
Basically, my daughter started taking drum lessons and I was thumbing through her stick control book and just started working on rudiments with a metronome with my right hand technique (R = middle finger, L = index finger). It's fun just working it slowly with a metronome and slowly bringing the tempo up.
So far, just basics like single stroke / double stroke / paradiddles

Anyone else do this?

Yes. The "First 13 Exercises" of Stick Control (all hail George Stone) are great to use like you describe. Besides helping to build dexterity and endurance, there's some practical application of doubles and paradiddles for dealing with string crossings and raking. You can use paradiddles and paradiddle inversions to reverse the lead hand (or in this case, finger) to get back to the lead you desire. Very cool that you're applying this approach!

 

[MuseChaser]

And...in case it's not obvious...using those rudiments, especially the paradiddle permutations, between thumb slap and finger pulls on RH, or between RH thumb and LH finger hammer-ons, can help get started on some slap stuff.

 

[Square]

Playing with three fingers? Use the third to hit every beat, use the other two for any notes in between.

Then use the first to hit the beats, then the second. Not practical but it’s an exercise.

I don’t want to lend the impression that I do this. I don’t. I do however play drums and this fits with some of the crazy exercises I do.