Looking for some challenging material?

There are many influences that I would have to give much credit to for where I'm at as a drummer today. Jim Burk, a neighbor of mine growing up, was a huge influence in showing me new stuff and inspiring me to play and practice. Jim Krutz was a professor at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska and "forced" me to relearn my stick grip and learn to play the fundamental rudiments on a practice pad. Both of these influences really have helped me get to where I am today as a player.

In later years, there is one book that I have to give much credit to. I still haven't mastered everything in it, and I've been working through it slowly for a few years now. When I want a challenge that is bound to help me improve my drumming, I open my copy of Marco Minneman's Extreme Interdependence: Drumming Beyond Independence (With Audio CD).

The exercises can be fairly abstract, but you'll find yourself applying this stuff in ways you never thought you would. I played drums for a conference a couple weekends ago, and one of the songs involved me playing a relatively straightforward snare and bass portion (think marching percussion sound for the chorus of a rock worship tune). The bassist was hitting some tight grooves that I wanted to lock into and accentuate, so when practicing I locked in a foot pattern between the bass drum and hi-hat that went along with his grooves quite nicely. When I switched between playing the snare part to the playing a beat on the full kit, I maintained the exact same foot pattern, which added a nice cohesion to the mix. Had I not studied Extreme Interdependence, I would not have been able to maintain this pattern with my feet regardless of what my hands were doing. This book contains paradiddle exercises on steroids to help you develop complete interdependence and autonomy on the drum kit.

I have found that actually getting away from the kit and practicing independence patterns on a practice pad and using my feet on the floor is actually very helpful, which Minneman recommends at his clinics. Here's an example of some basic independence patterns to give you the general idea (sorry for the poor vocal quality, the "drumming" quality is good, though). This is Minneman giving the basic example:



And here is an application on the kit (again by Minneman), just to give you an idea of what possibilities this could open up for you as a player. Notice that when he is going crazy he is also maintaining some kind of pattern with at least two of his limbs:



I have really come to believe that the application of fundamental skills and rudiments to the set and independence drills applied to grooves are the two marks of an extremely talented player. Sadly, most drummers learn neither. I had been playing for almost six years before I "went back" to learn them, so don't give me any excuses. It's never too late to improve ;)

I hope this material is as helpful to you as it has been to me, or at least I hope it inspires you. You can buy this book online by following the link below or most Guitar Centers and other music stores tend to carry it (although it's probably cheaper online).