Hand drumming uses the entire arm. The fingers, palm, wrist, forearm, elbow, shoulder & upper arm are all part of a good drum stroke. Still, some parts of the arm - wrist, palm, fingers & elbow - are used most prominently.

Practice your strokes with even, smooth movements.

Two Main Ways to Practice your Strokes

1. Repetition

2. Rhythms

Repetition - Playing the drum well requires anatomical movements that are exact and efficient. One way to help make your strokes exact and efficient is practice a single stroke over and over until it becomes second nature.

Drumming is much like a sport, so repetition will help you grow in skill.

Do you know?

Any movement done 1,000 times will be permanently learned by the human body.

Any movement done 10,000 times will be mastered.

Once you are comfortable - once your individual strokes are strong & consistent - then try a rhythm.

Begin with a simple rhythm, such as a calypso rhythm.

Playing rhythms is a crucial part for developing powerful & efficient strokes.

Practicing Rhythms with good technique is essential for getting better & even mastering the drum.

It is better to play a rhythm very slow with very good technique than fast with poor or fair technique.

Good technique cannot be over emphasized; for the body learns bad habits just as easily as good ones.

Playing rhythms is a musical, as well as, movement art.

Tune your drum. Just as a tennis racquet has a "sweet spot", so do tuned drum heads. In fact, tuned drum heads have several sweet spots; and the drum strokes correspond to these spots.

While using good technique, play & have fun with your drum; discover it's different sounds & sweet spots.

Afro-Cuban Drum Strokes

Bass Stroke (Bass Tone)

Slap Stroke (Slap Tone)

Open Stroke (Open Tone)

Heel Stroke (Heel Tone)

Touch Stroke (Touch tone)

Afro-Cuban Drum Strokes

Rhythms

LP Drums

Percussion