SYLLABUS
Basically, this is what I teach. It went from a pedagogy to a book to a course back to a pedagogy, hence the branding. It won’t make a ton of sense without explanation, it’s more placed here upon my students’ request - & I already had it written down so why not. It’s more for reference for my students to come back to and brush up on what I already taught them. Don’t expect to learn anything from this. It’s purely what the name of the page implies, a syllabus.
Step 1 - VOCABULARY: rudiments, tambours, & tricks
bounce toss
how to hold the sticks
Knowing Your Stick & Basic Positions
Parts of the stick
Set position
Sticks in
Sticks down
Sticks up
Rudiments
Singles
Doubles
Threes
Fours
Multiple bounce (5+ strokes)
Double stops
Flams
Blams
Malfs
Hand to hand flams
Floppies
Flam accents
Cheeses
Flam drags
Flam fives
Chu-tuh-chuhs
Cheese chu-tuh-chuhs
Tuh-chuh-duhs
Tuh-cheeses
Tuh-fives
Flam-flams
Pataflaflas
Patty with cheese
Patty drags
Patty fives
Swisses
Swiss drags
Flam taps
Double stroke roll
Inverted roll
Inverted flam taps (inverts)
Cheese inverts
Paradiddles
Inverted paradiddles
Mills
Cuplinks
Flam-a-diddle
Drag-a-diddle
Cheese-a-diddle
Flam drag-a-diddle
Five-a-diddle
Flam five-a-diddle
Book reports
Paradiddlediddles
Paradiddlediddlediddles
Pare-rolls (4+ diddles on a paradiddle)
Double paradiddles
Triple paradiddles
Puh-duh-duhs
Candy Apples
Duh-duh-puhs
Shirley murpheys
Fubars
Cheese fubars
Hertas
Grandmas
Drills
Stutters
Splashes
Ruffs
Blue cheeses
Egg beaters
Vegas
Tambours
Press
Press roll
Buzz
Buzz roll
Diddle (AKA drag)
Roll
Shoulder shot
Ping shot
Full shot
Stick shot
Cross stick
Rim click
Stick click
Edge Zones
Front edge
Gut edge (stacked beads)
Auxiliary zones
On-Hand Tricks
Pancake
Left pancake
Windshield wiper
Crossover
Backstick
Hi-mom
Stepdad (hi-mom backstick)
Butt click
Fluid flow
Spider sticking
Off-Hand Tricks
Backward toss
Forward flip
Half flip
Forward half flip
Inward tre
Outward tre
Hospital flip
Pillar flip
Offhand pillar
Thumb roll
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Step 2 - RHYTHM THEORY: timing, audiation, & sheets
Base-4 Basics
Audiation
Quarter notes
Measures
Bar lines
Staff
Time signature
Marking Time
How to mark time
Marking time & clapping
Marking time & left / right hand drumming
marking time & left / right stick drumming
Tempo & Met
Tempo
Metronome
Standard Procedure
Natural sticking
Attack & release
Duple Note Values
8th notes
16th notes
Dots, Independence & Tuplets
Dots
Polyrhythms
4:3
Quarter note triplets
8th note triplets
Sextuplets
Odd Tuplets
Ninelets (9:8)
Fivelets (5:4)
Sevenlets (7:4)
Fringe Figures
32nd notes
64th notes
Half notes
Whole notes
Tempo Modifiers
Accelerando
Ritardando
Feathering
Odd Time Signatures
7/8
11/16
Ratio Revelations
Ratio Rhythms
4:3
5:3
5:6
Nested ratio rhythms
Matt’s Microrhythm Modalities
Nested time signatures
Microrhythm prerequisite: extraneous density figures (128th note+)
Rhythm theory postulate
Checkpointing
Dovetailing
Time sharing
Base jumping
Dynamics
Dynamic markings (mp, m, mf, f, ff, fff)
Dynamic marking modifiers: + / - (mp+, mf-)
Staccato & legato
FOR YOUR REFERENCE: SNARE ANNOTATION KEY
Dynamic Notehead Modifiers
Accent markings
Tenuto markings
Marcato markings
Buzz Length Modifiers
Staccato markings
Open circle
Shot Noteheads
Shoulder shot notehead
Ping shot notehead
Full shot notehead
Tambour Markings
Appogiatura (Flam)
Tremolo (Diddle)
Buzz marking (Z on stem)
Miscellaneous Tambour Noteheads and Annotations
Stick shot notehead
Cross-stick notehead & annotation
Rim click notehead
Stick click notehead
Trick Noteheads & Annotations
Backstick notehead & annotation
Crossover marking & annotation
Hi-mom marking & annotation
Edge Zone Annotations
Front edge
Gut edge
Title & Composer Text
Title & subtitle
Default composer text
Transcribed by
Arranged by
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Step 3 - TECHNIQUE: chops, mechanics, & native intuition
Know the Difference
Chops: the strength to move - enables mechanics
Mechanics: how you move
Native intuition: when to use which mechanic
Chops:
Active Training for Passive Benefits
Dailies - 5 S’s: stick seating, strength, speed, stamina, & style
Contact training
Accessory work
Mechanics:
Joints
Fingers - triggering
Wrist - rotation
Elbow - arm support
Shoulder - taiko
Stroke Type
Backstroke (fast & slow) - upstroke & inverted stroke
Rebound stroke (fast & slow) - legato & twitch stroke
Absorbed stroke (fast, slow, & modified) - downstroke, deadwood, modified downstroke
Shoulder stroke (taiko)
Moeller stroke
Push-pull
Finger tug stroke
Energy Type
Speed - “if you’re slow, hit the gas by moving fast”
Space - “if you’re fast, hit the brakes by taking up space”
Native Intuition:
How do the notes want to be played?
Mechanical pre-loading
Mechanical shifting: gradient or switch
How to Practice:
What to Play
Any show music you come across, transcribe it
Grids
Primers
How to Learn New Music
Foot to foot
Hand to hand break downs
All accents out // one dynamic high or low
Shots / flams / diddles out
Singing / counting while playing
40 click method
Guts off
How to Improve on Your Own
VOD reviews
Slow mos
Light sticks / heavy sticks / rubber tips