Your counting video to fix crappy fills was very timely for me. I’d started doing it a little bit before I saw your video anyway as I felt my transitions (from different sections of song or from a fill) weren’t smooth. This wasn’t just finger drumming but also playing keyboards
I do some practice with counting every day now. I’m already seeing benefits in that some of my playing is smoother (or more groovy). I’m also finding that when I mess up (play the wrong note, wrong drum sound) I’m more likely to be able to stay in time or resume correctly because of the counting.
One further tip I may add is: be emphatic with your counting, don’t mumble, it really makes a different
Robin, this is so great to hear! Everything you say is correct. It helps with smoothing out transitions and not getting lost when you hit a wrong note. I used to really get thrown off when for example my hi hat pad would not trigger. Now I don’t have that problem anymore because in my head the count always keeps going.
And yes, that last thing is very important. Don’t mumble! The count has to really be there.
I launched a new course today that trains all of this stuff. A lot of counting out loud in there
Just done the first lesson. Great first lesson. I’d already found that mixing up counting whilst playing and not playing (ie not hitting a drum sound or key note on the beat) messes with your mind a little, a similar issue (which is the one that really got me to start focusing on the counting) is when you are playing fills and the beat falls on something that you are playing with your non dominant hand.
Will certainly set some time aside for doing the rest of the gym lessons
I’ve been finger drumming for a couple of years now and playing keys on and off for several more. Honestly the counting thing is the most useful tip I’ve come across the whole time. Wish I had started doing it from the start. I’ve been applying it to keyboard parts that I’ve known how to play for years and can hear that playing of those parts is much tighter when doing this.
I know it might sound silly, but when Rob did that exaggerated gesture on the silent 3 it really hit me that it was what I was missing. Doing something to mark that beat really helped me. (Clapping and counting like a happy kid all weekend)
Man, I’m so happy to read all of this. The “tricks” you are now learning that seem to work used to be breakthrough moments for me as well. So it’s very nice to know that it’s not just something that just worked for me
