Finger control technique is mostly associated with speed drumming. It’s a very important hand technique to practice because of its use in blast beats and fast ride and hi-hat patterns for funk and jazz. Very fast drum fills and patterns that rely on quick bursts of strokes are highly dependable on this technique as well. So if you’re going to practice the finger control technique you have to do it accurately from the get go, since it can take long to get good at it. With that in mind, this free live drum lesson with Jared Falk on the helm was designed to give you plenty of tips and exercises for getting your finger control technique to where you want it to be.
Finger control technique isn’t used exclusively all the time. You’ll play it in conjunction with your forearms and wrists more so than as a solo technique. A great example of that is when the wrists are used as the prime motors for the hands. The development of your fingers will guaranty that the drumsticks are kept in place and under your control. The double stroke roll will see a great improvement as well, especially when you’re trying to play it consistently on surfaces that lack bounce. You’ll be using your fingers to propel the sticks for the second stroke, after the initial one is played with the wrist.
The exercises on finger control Jared Falk came up with, focus heavily on hand isolation and moving between different note values. However, you’ll also find some cool exercises for practicing wrist to finger transitions – and vice versa – and for developing your fingers without sticks or practice pads.