The Performance-Ready Method for Drumline Warmups
Creating a rehearsal warmup and exercise session that genuinely mirrors the performance!
This page will outline the Performance-Ready Method for drumline warmups and exercises.
Below is the method that will connect all the dots! Follow these steps, and your drumline will be conditioned to respond to elements of the performance during the warmup process. This is the Performance-Ready Method!
Note: This is not a technique outline. While I do have an in-depth technique ideology in my pre-built drumline warmup packet, this rehearsal method will outline an effective way to use your current technique (and any current warmup music) to more accurately reflect performance scenarios. You can also find my free drumline warmup music here, which is written for several ability levels and also reflects some performance elements that some people neglect.
First, let’s address all the housekeeping items:
- Snare double stick bags should be placed on the left side of the snare drum. Hear me out! With the stick bag on the left side of the drum, with traditional grip, the performer can gain leverage and PUSH the sticks down into the bag (instead of trying to let them slip down into the bag using gravity alone, like when on the right side of the drum). Then, taking the new sticks out works the same on either side. However, a bonus feature of having the bag on the left is that it opens up the right side of the drum to play on! You can hit the side of the rim or even the shell if desired. Instructors, also be sure to give your snare drummers an extra stick or an extra pair so that they have spares if they are dropped. The extra pair could also just be thinner sticks for use in the show, as long as they aren’t stranded on the field if they drop one!
- Be sure to stand with the feet in the same position as the band or corps (parallel first position, open first position, third position) and make certain that the drumline is marking time the same way the band or corps does (heel up or whole foot up).
(Note: If leveling the snare drum heights, make sure the tallest snare does not have to reach too low with their left hand in traditional grip. If the drums are a bit higher, it may also help everyone reach the front edge when desired.)
- Snares should stand more than a stick and a fist apart. Use a two-step interval at least, and sometimes even more for smaller lines, as they could easily be spread out on the field during a performance while playing. Feel free to take up some space while you play!
- In an arc, the bass drums stand on the left side so we can see their right hands (basslines tend to play with their right hand more than their left, so as an instructor, you will see more notes). Bass lines should also be free to turn in place to recreate listening situations from the field (meaning that they can turn their backs to the snareline if they need to face the bottom bass drum as needed). In a group with cymbals, the cymbals can stand behind the snares (which allows them to transition in front of the snares if needed).
The Performance-Ready Method:
- Whatever the center snare does, you do. To begin, the center snare gets set. They may say “set” out loud if needed. If the drumline is not set or ready the staff will tell the center snare to get the line set. The center snare will not start the exercise until everyone is set and ready.
- All warmups begin with sticks down to the side, come up on 3, move on 4 if applicable. This is a nice way to get reps on bringing sticks up in time, and not just out and in.
- 4 taps to start, then all subdivide 4 counts. This begins to recreate entrances as they occur on the field. There are basically zero times a phrase will be “tapped off” during a performance, so don’t rely on that at warmups at all, use subdivision instead. Note: Having everyone subdivide is helpful because individuals can make minor adjustments to get exactly in time before they play a single note. This vocal adjustment creates cleaner attacks because performers no longer need to adjust after the first note on the drum.
- Between warmup reps there are no taps. The center snare subdivides 4 counts alone, then everyone subdivides 4 more counts together (like at the beginning) in order to play in time from the first note again. Everyone closes their sticks after every rep! This rehearses show phrasing and gets the members focused on closing the sticks together every time. Do not mark time between reps, this allows anyone who was off in the feet to regain their footing. This also rehearses halts in the show! Finally, when you want the drumline to stop playing everyone is already automatically halting and closing their sticks anyway, this means you only need to cut off the center snare instead of making a big scene about the last time and making sure everyone sees it! If you need to tell the line something quick, you’ll only need to communicate that to the center snare, maybe by just holding up a finger to pause instead of cutting off the entire drumline.
- Tempo changes are handled by the center snare tapping off 4 counts as if beginning the warmup again. Do the sticks stay up or do they put their hands to their sides? The answer to that is once again, center awareness. Whatever the center snare is doing should be what everyone else does. The simpler answer to this question is to just keep the sticks up and closed during tempo changes for the most efficiency.
- Stick changes between reps. (16 counts instead of 8 between reps – indicate with sign language “CHANGE” to everyone.) Close on count 2, typically, push sticks down into the bag on count 5, pull up new sticks on count 9 and let both hands fall to the sides, get the sticks into each hand behind the back on count 11, up over the drum on 15, and move on 16 if needed. Basses can simply put the old mallets away on count 5 and pull the new mallets out on count 9. These counts will feel very natural for all of the performers and also allows us to rehearse stick changes under pressure, like in a show. Note: As an instructor, you have now conditioned your drumline to change sticks clean and efficiently in 16 counts. This means you need to make sure they have time in the music to change sticks using 16 counts, so write accordingly or make adjustments to the music as needed to gain 16 counts.
Step-by-Step Outline (Quick Version):
Center snare gets set and then gets the rest of the line set.
All start with arms and sticks down to their sides.
Center snare verifies everyone is ready before starting (should be very quick).
Center snare taps 4 quarter-notes at exercise tempo.
Everyone subdivides 4 beats in time.
Play the exercise.
Sticks in after every rep and don’t mark time between reps.
Center snare subdivides between reps.
Everyone subdivides 4 beats in time.
Play the exercise again.
[Repeat steps 7-10 until you want to stop.]
Staff signals next tempo to center snare OR cuts off center snare. [For tempo change, center snare re-taps 4 quarter-notes and then recloses sticks to match everyone else.]
When done, center snare relaxes indicating everyone else can relax.
[Repeat from step 1 for next exercise.]
During warmups the staff can use basic sign-language signs to communicate when possible.
Staff can call out stick heights out loud or using that number of fingers. Stick changes can be rehearsed between reps using 16 counts between reps while center snare subdivides.
[Video of drumline demonstrating tap off and subdivisions between reps (including snares playing at the edge sometimes, tenors always open on drum 1 to play on drum 2).]
Additional Communication Method:
Drumlines are loud! Why waste your time trying to yell over them to communicate? As a performer, it’s also very distracting to try to understand what someone is yelling to you over the loud drums while trying to play. Try this instead! Learn some basic sign language, some of which you already inherently know! Teach the drumline the simple ones that they’ll regularly see, which will also help with repetition as they will see the same signs often. This method of communication also allows for recovery. If someone makes a mistake, you don’t need to try to yell over the drums or, worse, cut off the entire line in order to communicate something small. This means that the drumline can now recover through little mistakes instead of learning to just stop for every mistake. If the drumline doesn’t learn to recover, they will not be able to do it in a performance! By stopping the drumline for any small mistakes, they’ll be conditioned to stop for little mistakes in the show rather than recovering. If you can communicate effectively with sign language during the warmup process, they’ll be able to gain the important information while still playing, bolstering their ability to play with confidence and also conditioning them to be aware of information centers. These information centers can be the instructor, the drum major, or the center snare. Hell, you could communicate with ASL from the stands if you really wanted to (and your drumline is aware enough)!
Here are the signs that can be used easily with little foreknowledge of ASL. These simple signs can be interpreted easily, and all of them can be learned quickly through repetition. Enjoy the freedom of communicating effectively without having to yell over the drums!
-Think
-Listen, or listen in
-Watch or Focus
-Yes
-No
-Early
-Late
-Open (because many diddles are crushed)
-Change (to signal stick change during warmup rep)
[Embed ASL signs in columns above]
https://www.signasl.org/
There Are So Many Immediate Benefits:
- You can use any warmup or exercise with this method. It’s plug and play!
- The method is self-correcting, so if someone is off with the feet or timing, it’ll reset every single repetition!
- The entrances are all initiated the exact same way as in the performance because you don’t get to tap off entrances in the show!
- Sticks in after every rep rehearses phrases like the show, with the added benefit of only needing to cut off the center snare at the end, rather than the entire line!
Link to my warmup packet again, too!
