r/drums • u/WetFlamingo • 11h ago
Question Problems engaging wrists and staying loose
Before summer this year, I received feedback for a university drum exam in which my teacher recommended working on moving the effort from my shoulders and elbows to my wrists to help with finger control/generally more controlled strokes (the rest of the exam went well despite this \o/ ).
I tried working on this over summer, but I think I’ve got some issues (or just difficulties) with loosening up my wrists which I feel have been really holding me back from developing control and speed.
This was most noticeable in the last few weeks when I took a few lessons on brushes and we identified that I’m still moving from my elbows and struggling to accent pressing the brush shoulder down into the snare. I also tend to notice going about day-to-day life that I’m often pretty tense, or rather not very loose.
Can anyone share what’s worked for them in trying to shift the effort from elbow to wrists? I’m hoping there isn’t a deeper physical issue here and it’s just a case of loosening up
2
u/ZildCym 6h ago
Keep it in the wrists/fingers, especially at the novice/intermediate levels. “You must master following before you lead”.
It will take many years of dedicated, consistent practice to gain the proper facilities. Developing the proper systems is paramount…I would practice on all surface densities.
4
u/Original-Ad-4723 11h ago
low stick heights are usually what forces it. do slow singles on a pad with the tips only an inch or two off the surface, at that height there's no room for the elbow to do anything so the wrist has to take over. then raise the height gradually and back off the second you feel your shoulder creep in. also check your grip pressure, if the back fingers are clamping the stick the wrist locks up with them. classical piano teachers drill the exact same thing, tension anywhere up the arm caps your speed and control, so learning to stay loose is kind of the whole skill.