PERCUSSION
A PERCUSSION CLASSIC | Mark Shelton
Dwight The Drummer was working at the music store when I inquired about percussion practice material . Among Dwight ' s recommendations was the book Stick Control , and I decided to take his advice . That three-dollar purchase back in my college days proved to be a wise move as I invested hours practicing the exercises in this time-honored percussion classic .
That ' s my actual book in the photo . Look carefully and you can see the $ 3.00 price tag along with my masking-tape repair job . For over three-quarters of a century , percussionists have sharpened their skills with this famous educational opus by George Lawrence Stone . Stick Control was voted # 1 in Modern Drummer ' s 1993 list of 25 Greatest Drum Books .
The pages of Stick Control include exercises to develop the percussionist ' s ability to play a plethora of right / left permutations in both duple and triplet rhythms along with material to master control of flams and short rolls .
Although the exercises in Stick Control are written with standard notation , percussionists with limited music-reading skills can benefit from practicing the basic right / left permutations found on the first several pages . Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional , you will find ways to challenge and improve your percussion skills with Mr . Stone ’ s classic book .
STRIKING While the cover reads " Stick Control for the Snare Drummer ,” most of the material can be applied to other implement-struck instruments including timpani , xylophone , timbales , and drum set .
Since the basic skill set for stick playing crosses over to hand-drumming techniques , practicing the permutations and single stroke exercises in Stick Control will transfer to congas , bongos , djembe , and cajon .
SWEEPING Playing drums with brushes consists of striking along with the sweeping ( or sliding ) technique . Many years ago , I attended a clinic by the renowned drummer Ed Soph . A master of playing with brushes , Ed recommended playing exercises from Stick Control using the sweeping technique . Duly inspired , I dug out my copy of Stick Control and began to put Mr . Soph ' s advice into practice . Applying sweeping motions to the permutations in Stick Control will not only improve your brush technique , but