Drummers Only pt 2: Time from Your Toes

This tip profoundly changed the way I conceptualize and execute keeping time when playing a kit. I think I first read about this in a Modern Drummer article with/by Steve Smith many years ago. Derek W. if you're reading, it may be in that musty stack of MD mags I gave you last year ;-)


Time from Your Toes
Drummers usually keep time with their hands. Right handed drummers primarily with their right hand. In other words, of the 4 appendages a drummer plays with (exception Rick Allen), our dominant focus is our hands. And we tend to keep time, in our minds and physically, with the sticks. In essence, our feet follow the lead of our hands.

In this article I encourage you to flip that: Keep time with your feet. Or another way to say it, play from your "feet up."

Thinking about keeping time with your kick drum and hi-hat will "shore up" those looser appendages. Your foot playing will become more solid. As a result, your overall playing will improve. Not to mention that in any mic'd-up rock situation, the kick is the most dominant part of the kit. Loose feet = loose grove. Tight feet = tight groove.

You probably don't think about it, but it's likely your hands and feet are playing slightly different time. Unless you've worked on it a lot, your right foot is developmentally behind your hands. Why? Because drummers are always working on having fast hands.

As I've been mulling over this post, John Bonham came to mind. Think about a a Led Zep song like "All My Love." Bonham seems to drive his time with his kick drum. And his overall time-keeping always sounds rock-solid.

Here's an applicable example of "feet up" playing. When you're playing a song and a fill in bar 8 is coming up, what do you think about? Your hands. You think about what you're going to play between the snare and toms. Your kick drum is an afterthought.

Keeping time with your feet will change how you think about and play fills; which is great, because our timing tends to suck when we play fills.

Also by thinking of your feet more and incorporating them into a fill, will make for more interesting and impacting fills. Now speaking of timing...

The biggest problem among drummers is we keep bad time. This is our #1 problem.

Ladies and gentlemen, this has got to stop. We have no chords or scales to memorize, no transposing to do. So let's get serious about this.

If you don't have a metronome you can listen to with ear phones, get one. Turn it on and start playing--from your feet up.

Once you start feeling comfortable with it, slow it down. It just got harder. Why? It takes more control to play slow. Your feet (and hands) have to be more precise when the tempo is slow. Playing really slow tempos, in rock-solid time, is a phenomenal exercise!

Work that metronome from super slow to fast and everything in between. I promise you, the first time you put the metronome on, you'll swear it's not keeping steady tempo. Trust me, the error isn't with the metronome.

So, conceptually and physically, play from your feet up. It will help lock all 4 of your appendages into the same groove, which will make your time more solid, which will help you better serve the song and the band.


Coming up: Pt 3: "I must Decrease" (it's prob not what you think it is)

Drummers Only pt 1: Humility

I've been beating on things for forty+ years. Took my first lesson in '73. Studied briefly with Dr. Mueller at Ball State. I play anything from rudimental marching snare, jazz, pop, rock, country, worship music, blues etc., sight read a chart or sit in and play by ear.

I recently had the honor of sitting down with a young 20-something drummer looking for feedback and advice. In our conversation I realized there are some foundational truths that relate to all drummers. This is a 6-part series on the essentials of successful drumming for all musical styles.


HUMILITY: Putting others first.

This may be the most difficult principle of drumming. Why? Because we become drummers to gain attention, take the stage and gain accolade. This is what's best about my drumming and at the same time, most difficult.

This is about putting the good of the song and the group ahead of yourself. As a drummer, there are always licks, patterns and fills that I want to play. That's the wrong focus.

The song and the group, since they're more important than me, determine what I should play. Sometimes a song demands rhythmic simplicity. That means I swallow my pride and lay down the most simple, solid musical groove I can. Great chops over-used in the wrong song is the wrong part.

Sometimes I'm playing with a band that has a weaker rhythm section; or perhaps you have vocalists that aren't in time. That scenario demands that I simplify what I play so that the other members of the band can more easily lock into the groove. If a vocalist, bass player or keyboardist is loose rhythmically, I will always simplify my part to better serve them.

In a rehearsal situation I may talk to the players who aren't keeping good time. I strive to be kind. I usually broach it in the form of a question, "Did you know you slowed down going into the bridge?" I will try to do it discretely so others can't hear. If I do this well, they'll usually ask me later, "Was that better?" When it's done well, every healthy person loves feedback.

On the other side of things, if I'm doing a prog rock, The Who or Dave Matthews Band tune with a solid crew, heck yeah, I'll tear it up with some appropriate wicked chops. But again, only as that flashy style fits the song and serves the group as a whole.

The goal of a great drummer is to make the band better. If people compliment me without complementing the band, that's a lose. If your goal is to be noticed as a great drummer, you'll never be a great drummer. Great drumming lifts the level of the whole ensemble.

Being humble doesn't mean you never have the spotlight or are noticed. It means you have the spotlight and are noticed IF it's appropriate to the song, the gig and serves the group.

Humility: Put others first. Let the tune and the group determine what you play. That's the path to great drumming.

Coming up: Pt 2... "Time from Your Toes"

Videos of me playing live.

Oakbrook at the Movies "INCEPTION"

Great times doing 3 in a row of this summer series. This was my 100th talk @ Oakbrook; God is good! Look for Mark to close it out with "Tron" and "Hoosiers" in the coming weeks.

Message text in PDF click here.

Checkout YouVersion Bible app click here.

I forgot to say that YouVersion will actually READ THE TEXT TO YOU! Does it get any easier? I'm really enjoying the reading plan "The Essential Jesus."

Lukas Nelson & Fireworks @ Foster Park

Had a GREAT time Friday night at Foster Park taking on one of Kokomo's free concerts at the new arts pavilion. Lukas Nelson is the son of famed Willie Nelson.

Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real did a great job of Willie covers to their originals. It's blues+rock+county+Willie+60s = fresh good jams! Really enjoyed them.

The rained out fireworks from the prior week followed the show so by the time the concert was over there were more people in that grassy lawn than I've ever seen before--huge crowd!

And the fireworks were AMAZING; one of the best displays I've seen in quite a while!


Pictures of Lukas and the band click here.

Pictures of fireworks click here.

Oakbrook at the Movies "Forrest Gump"

Really enjoying teaching biblical truths through the perspective of movies. Next week I'll take a look at Inception.

To read a PDF manuscript of today's talk click here.

An MP3 usually shows up here by Tues.

Here's the song that followed the message click here.

Oakbrook at the Movies: "Up"

Fun times teaching on biblical truth represented in the great movie, "Up." No matter your age, I highly recommend renting this one.

Here's the opening video: Carl & Ellie

Here's the Zimmer's "My Generation" video click here

Here's my message text in PDF click here

Podcast of message shows up a few days later click here

Solution pt 5

Click here for a PDF of the message text concluding our explosive "Solution" series. Wow--Oakbrook stepped up in HUGE WAYS! So proud and excited for what we'll continue to do!