Working on fatigue for actually playing in band

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Hey folks :waving_hand:

I’m working toward joining an amateur “dad band” and I’ve got a question about endurance. I’m fine on slower grooves with eighth notes, but 4–5 minutes of steady sixteenths and my right (dominant) wrist/forearm are cooked. I’m talking normal fatigue here (not strain or injury), but I’d love advice on how to actually make it through a full set without feeling like my wrists are going to fall off.

A few questions to seed discussion:

  • Can you realistically build endurance to play sixteenth-note grooves for whole songs (or multiple songs) without blowing up your hands?

  • What practice routines helped you most?

  • Any technique tweaks that reduce load for finger drumming (hand alternation, lighter touch, velocity curves/sensitivity, pad angle/height)?

  • Do you plan “micro-breaks” into songs (fills, open hats/crashes, space) to reset your hands?

  • Do you pace a set list so the heavy endurance tunes aren’t back-to-back?

  • When do you simplify a part live to survive the set—and how do you do it without killing the vibe?

  • Warm-up tips that actually make a difference? Hydration, stretching, or specific rudiments/patterns?

Thanks a ton for any wisdom (or cautionary tales!).
—David

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Playing 16th notes in a relaxed way is all Moeller Technique! If you get that right it will be like playing 8th notes.

And with finger drumming you can of course switch to just playing 16th notes with 2 hands depending on the beat requirements. But Moeller technique is the way to go.

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I’m happy to take instruction on my developing Moeller technique, but I don’t think that’s the solution, because Moeller itself is effortful. However, it transfers the load well from the wrist to the forearm/upper arm, which is useful.

Sounds like the implicit answer is that one can play through a set just fine, given enough practice and training. I probably need to work on endurance. :slight_smile:

Thanks,
-David

4

Ok some thoughts:

  • There is a speed limit with Moeller technique as well. At some speeds where a regular drummer might still Moeller it I do already have to switch back to using both hands.
  • There is a big difference between playing a continuous pattern with absolutely no breaks at all for 5 minutes and playing a pattern for 30 seconds, 2 second break (playing something else, maybe a little rudiment pattern, whatever) and then keep going.
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Your second point makes a lot of sense, and honestly argues that it’s not crazy to have a few backup beats in the non-dominant hand to give one’s dominant hand a break when it needs it (perhaps even ones that utilize non-dominant Moeller :wink:).

What’s the bpm at which you find yourself defaulting back to non-Moeller?

Thanks,
-David

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I think I usually decide to switch around 100bpm (16th notes, so 4 hits per count). Ofcourse 1 or 2 bars might be possible to play at higher speeds, but it won’t be sustainable.

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That is damned fast! I wouldn’t have thought Moeller could work up at those speeds. I’ll keep playing around in that space. Thanks!

-David

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