© 2004 by Tom Hipskind

I.  Preparation

    A.  Set goals and set out to work methodically toward completion of them
        1.  Focus on what you need to accomplish.  Keep mind fresh, sharp--try not to bring in "baggage" or be stressed/preoccupied with other matters.
        2.  Try to work best and most efficiently within allotted time frame; Stay focused, alert and aware of what you're working on.
    B.   Control your environment; make sure you're set up in a place where you're comfortable, at ease, and free of distractions.  It helps to keep your space as clean and uncluttered as possible.
        1.  If you can, create a vibe in your practice space (candles, incense, wall art, fountains, lava lamps?) that's conducive to staying there for a long period of time (and being productive!).  If you're like me, then your practice area is something of a sacred space, so you'll want to decorate it in such a way that being there will inspire you.
        2.  Make sure your practice room sounds good acoustically.  Many practice rooms in colleges or other spaces are excessively boomy, due to utterly bare walls (many walls in these types of rooms are bare drywall, which reflect sound waves and serve to amplify many frequencies).  This can be controlled with sound absorption materials, such as Sonex (www.markertek.com) or Auralex products (www.auralex.com).

The following major topics can be applied in your practice sessions in any order you wish, though I know for me it's generally best to start out with a warm-up and some technical exercises and go from there.  Remember: these are just ideas gained from my own personal and professional experience; you're not expected to follow this to the letter.

II.  Warm-up and fundamental technique practice

    A.  Start slowly; get situated with instrument
        1.  Warm up slowly and comfortably--think of your body as a car in cold weather.  In order for all the intricate moving parts to work together smoothly, it needs to warm up.
        2.  Be aware of any tension in your body and alleviate it; be as relaxed as possible whenever you play.
    B.  Once warm-up is complete, ease into rudiments
        1.  Do simple exercises first, then move onto more complex ones.  
        2.  Continuous rule of thumb is SLOW TECHNICAL PRACTICE.  Ironically, the better you can play anything slowly, the easier it will eventually be to play it fast.  Speed is always second priority.  This is where the open->closed->open philosiphy comes into play: start out very slow, then gradually increase tempo up to a top speed that's comfortable for you (i.e. just below a speed that causes you to tense up), level off, then gradually decrease tempo (don't "peter out"--many have that bad habit) back to the starting speed.
    C.  Be creative at this step and every step
        Come up with permutations of exercises you might like--personalize your practice habits in any way you want to.  It's one of many ways you develop your own unique sound  (For example, you may want to play a certain rudiment with a "swing feel" because it feels better to you).  However, you should take care at first to at least try to do it in the original way (per the author's intentions) first and then deviate into something different--don't just "dumb it down" to make it easier.
    D.  Take breaks when you need or want to
        Don't risk injury or burnout.  Both can happen if you're not careful.  This is vitally important at every stage of practice.  Our bodies take a greater beating than you might think when we play, as the drumset is a very athletic and energy-intensive instrument.  Remember, you're exercising when you practice, which means you'll need rest.
    E.  Be aware of the sound of the instrument no matter what you're playing.  Even if you're playing the most non-musical, technical exercises, you always need to try to play musically and with a good sound.
    F.  Record yourself on tape, minidisc, DAT, video, or whatever.  You need to see and hear yourself to be able to assess how you're doing.  It's especially good to videotape your technical practice so that you can visually monitor your comfort/relaxation/consistency level, and the sound as well.  If a camcorder isn't available, practice in front of a mirror is also beneficial.

III.  Coordination and musical technique practice  As opposed to II--technique for the sake of technique, this tends to be more "practically applied" in music, such as beats, fills, book exercises, and more musical than rudiments, Stick Control, etc.

    A.  Take your time
        1.  Again, like any technical practice, SLOW PRACTICE is key.  Another ironic thing about slow practice is that the slower you take it, the more quickly you seem to get results.  Don't try to leap to the top of the staircase.  Walk up step by step.  And don't watch the clock.  Don't be focused on how much time your practice sessions are taking, but rather what you're trying to accomplish.  Being able to say you just practiced for X-amount of hours is irrelevant.
        2.  Focus on QUALITY rather than QUANTITY.  It's better to get half a page nailed than to speed through two pages and not totally have them down.
    B.   Apply what you learn
        Feel free to deviate if you get inspired, and experiment with what you're working on (or even something else that might arise out of what you're working on) and explore all musical possibilities that you can.  While it's always important to stay focused on what you need to work on, don't hesitate to follow your muse.
    C.  Pay attention to the sound of the instrument when you play it
        At this step and every step, you should be concerned with drawing or coaxing the sound out of the drums, cymbals, etc. with minimal effort as opposed to pounding or forcing it out.
    D.  Practice with AND without a metronome   
        It's vitally important as a drummer to develop your ability to play with solid time and a great feel.  This involves using a metronome.  Use it too much, however, and you run the risk of using it as a "crutch" and not developing your own internal sense of time.  Cultivating your internal sense of time (and feel) involves self-monitoring, self-diagnosing, and self-correcting, not to mention lots of patience.  It's also something that can't be (or more to the point, doesn't need to be) brought to a level of absolute precision.  It takes years of experience practicing by yourself and playing with other people (and LISTENING).
    E.  Work on it until you have it DOWN
         Don't just work on something until you can barely get it successfully, but get enough repetition so that you're completely comfortable.  This especially holds true in difficult four-limb coordinative exercises, where you're trying to work far past the level of your conscious mind telling your limbs what to play--to the point where it feels habitual or second nature, where your mind is not bogged down trying to coordinate your limbs anymore but free to keep its awareness on the music.
    F.  Tape yourself
         Listen for qualities of playing you're trying to achieve.  It's important to remain patient and not get discouraged if you don't sound quite like your drumming hero--they weren't able to get to their level of playing too quickly either.  Sound quality doesn't need to be stellar either; just clear enough so that you can hear all of the components of the kit.

IV.  Practice of playing music and exploration/improvisation  A continuation of III B, sort of.  This can be its own step in the process (sometimes a reward for good technical practice), or simply infused at different times during any practice session to "break up the monotony".

    A.  Apply what you've heard
        It's been said that you can't truly play something well (musically) unless you hear it in your head first.  In sports, there is a practice known as visualization.  A successful athlete will visualize him/herself excelling (in a way specific to their sport) before they play.  We can apply this idea to our practice if we want to learn a groove, fill, solo, etc that we have heard someone play.
        1.  Practice playing songs you know and/or interest you, including
            a.  the right beat/feel at the right tempo
            b.  fills, to the best of your ability and/or equipmental limitations (amount of toms, cymbal selection, etc.)
        2.  Practice deviations/permutations on beats, exercises or fills you have down.  While it's great to emulate the sound/style of your favorite players (EVERYONE does this!), it's also natural that you're going to take your interpretation of that player's sound and make it your own.
    B.  Improvise
        1.  Play solos.  Play free-form/open, and also try setting up some parameters for soloing.
             a.  jazz soloing
                1.  trade 4's, 8's, even 12's (standard blues form) with yourself, and play over the forms of some jazz standards you know
                2.  limit your sonic choices to a few components of your kit when soloiong.  Some examples: 
                   -drums, no cymbals
                   -cymbals, no drums
                   -snare drum/bass drum
                   -floor tom/hihat foot
        2.  Explore; play things you've heard--fills, licks, whatever.  Take a drum fill you like and come up with different ways to play it.  Play it on different drums, in different tempos, or in different feels.  Again, you can set up parameters for it and make it your own, as opposed to doing it the way it was already done.
    C.  Tape yourself.  At this step, it's important to listen to yourself creatively rather than technically. 
        1.  See if you hear yourself overusing a certain pattern or phrase or leaning towards a particular part of the kit (Heavy on the cymbals?  Too much toms?  Hi-hat overload?).  Check your phrasing as well.  Is it clear and concise, or do all of your ideas run together?  Drummers tend not to ever focus on phrasing because the instrument doesn't require the use of the breath like wind instruments do.  Make sure you use space.
        2.  Record (video or audio) your gigs/performances so that you can listen to yourself in a group context as well.  This is vitally important.

V.  Practice away from the instrument

    A.  Listen, Listen, Listen to all styles of music; keep an open mind
    B.  Learn to hear/feel your own deficiencies and investigate ways to improve upon them; be a self-diagnostician
        Good players become great players by essentially becoming their own best teachers.

Remember, all playing is practice, and all practice is playing!  Here's something I posted to a drumming-related message board recently in reply to a question regarding practicing and practice time:

Q:  I'm wondering how someone can sit at a drum set and practice for 3 to 4 hours or longer at a time.  At this point I don't think I could do that at all.  I'd like to get to a higher level with my practicing but after an hour or so my mind starts to wander and before I know it I'm off doing something else.  Do you have your time all planned out, or do you just go at it?

A:  Your practice routine should, most importantly, be extremely FOCUSED. You needn't pay too close attention to how much time you spend in a practice session, but more to the point what you are trying to accomplish. You can't totally concentrate on what you are doing if you're constantly watching the clock, so you ought to first do yourself a favor and take the idea of the need to practice "for X-amount of hours" out of the equation.

One major thing I suspect it may be beneficial for you to remember during your practice is taking your time and working through everything SLOWLY and DELIBERATELY. When I was younger and had a shorter attention span, I tried to just race through everything. Obviously a very frustrating affair, especially if you're trying to figure out something very complicated, as is often the case with us drummers! As I got older and more experienced (and also had to learn other percussion instruments), the more I learned to "climb the mountain one step at a time", so to speak. It's one of the great ironies of practicing: the slower you take it, the more quickly and easily you see positive results!

So, if you were to take a couple of things you're working on now, I'd bet you could take what you do in an hour of somewhat focused, but kind of random practice, and slow it all down and work through it deliberately and completely...it'd take you probably about 3-4 hours but you'd have it down much better! Plus, it will inspire you to work more and work harder the next time. Next thing you know you're spending all day in the shed! Not because you feel you have to but because you WANT to, and you are approaching it with a calm, patient tenacity. It has a snowball effect. But again, the point is not how much time, but WHAT YOU DO in that time.

These are just sort of a couple of general rules of thumb, which I think (at least partially) gets to the crux of your initial problem--that you simply lose interest after about an hour of practicing.

Another mental thing to grapple with is the idea of actually figuring out what it is you want to accomplish in your practice time. That's a much more complicated thing to deal with, but it's one of the really fun things about being a musician. You get to call your own shots as far as developing your own style! But, you do need a COMPLETE plan which involves working on the fundamentals (technique, rudiments, basic time playing, etc.) as well as working on stylistic things, i.e. ideas from your favorite drummers, soloing, fills, other fun stuff...not to mention a healthy dose of listening to everything you want and need to listen to.


VI.  Zen and the art of playing music

    Let go of your need to sound good  You'll be much more successful (and have more FUN!) this way.  This is true in practice and in performance!  All of the next four points do kind of state very similar ideas in regard to egoless practice, or the act of letting go of your ego for the sake of better music and continued improvement overall.  I've found in my experience that one of the most destructive forces to one's musicianship is their ego (in one form or another, one's desperate need to sound good).  I started practicing meditation a number of years ago, and I've found that there are parallels between meditation and many aspects of good musicianship.  The primary link is the surrender of the ego.  If you have any questions, thoughts, inquiries to this discussion, please don't hesitate to let me know.  Some books on how we can approach music this way are "Effortless Mastery" by Kenny Werner, "The Art of Practicing" by Madeline Bruser, and "The Inner Game of Music" by Barry Green and W. Timothy Gallwey.

       A.  Don't ever attempt to play "perfectly".  Such a thing does not exist.
       B.  Let go of any expectations of how you're going to sound
       C.  Don't come to the gig with any pre-concieved notions of how you're going to approach the music, such as: "I'm going to play just like so-and-so on that new CD I've been listening to!"  You run the risk of closing off your mind and using too rigid an approach.  It's great to work out new ideas you've been hearing, but do it with caution and in moderation when you're playing with other people.  If you're listening intently, the music will inform your approach, not the other way around.
       D.  Stay physically and mentally relaxed at every step
       E.  Gently but actively focus your awareness on what you are presently doing without letting your mind get distracted
      
Here's another message-board post regarding the idea of perfection in drumming.  A drummer named Chris Warunki posted a great idea on which I expounded:

Originally posted by CLWarunki:
As soon as an artist realizes that there is NO SUCH THING as perfect, then creating and performing becomes much more natural and expressive.

Beautifully put, Chris!

For one thing, I think that we can strive for perfection without being obsessed with it. That's what I always try to do. Playing with precision is cool, but it's not where my FOCUS is when I'm playing--my focus is on where I am in the music and trying to bring something fresh and exciting in terms of my ideas. That's where some players come up short, in my opinion--with their ideas.

Second, being a perfectionist isn't necessarily a problem (I certainly call myself one!) as much as where we focus our efforts to be perfect.  Perfection is a pretty blanket concept (notice I used the word "precision" above instead). We should take care not to define it for ourselves solely in terms of machine-like rhythmic accuracy but also in the ability to come up with new & different ideas, phrasing, expression, joy, creativity, inspiration...