it can also inspire ideas that can be used to create grooves and fills .
FEET The benefits available from practicing Stick Control are not limited to the hands . Many of the exercises can be applied to foot technique . Stomping through the various permutations of rights and lefts found in the first several pages will give your feet a coordination workout .
FEET AND HANDS TOGETHER If you are up to a multi-limb challenge , try playing the permutations found on pages 5 through 9 with both hands and feet .
• Play the exercises with your hands and feet playing in unison .
• Play exercises with your hands while playing a simple downbeat pattern with your feet .
• Play a permutation with your hands while playing a different permutation with your feet . ( That one is a mind-bender !)
GROOVE GENERATOR In addition to improving your technical skills , the material in Stick Control can be a catalyst for creating groove material . Using the exercises on pages 5 through 9 , place one stick ( or hand ) on a sound source , the other stick on a different sound source , and begin to play the permutations . The various patterns of rights and lefts will immediately orchestrate between the two sound sources . Listen for the timbral and rhythmic interactions that can be developed into grooves .
Try this example on the cajon : 1 . Find Single Beat Combination # 33 on page 6 .
2 . Place your right hand on the bass tone of the cajon , your left on the corner slap , and start playing .
3 . Give a little accent on downbeats 2 and 4 . That ' s an instant groove !
4 . Experiment further with accents , ghost notes , and playing with a swing feel .
The possibilities are endless as you explore orchestrating the hundreds of patterns in Stick Control .
George Lawrence Stone was honored for his achievements as a performer , educator , and author with induction into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1997 . Mr . Stone ’ s original 1935 English-language version of Stick Control has been re-engraved and is now available in Spanish , French , and Italian . Although the price has increased since my three-dollar purchase back in the last century , the wealth of practice resources in Stick Control remains a true bargain .
© 2020 Mark Shelton Productions / Percussion For Worship
Mark Shelton A freelance musician and educational consultant based in Dallas / Fort Worth . Performance credits include North Carolina Symphony , Gateway Worship , Daystar Singers & Band , TALEA , Wichita Falls Orchestra , Tin Roof Tango , and Dallas Wind Symphony . www . marksheltonmusic . com percussionforworship . blogspot . com