Mike Johnston: 10-Day Plan For Faster Hands, Pt. 1

[@farshimelt]

The most encouraging thing for me is that at 82 yrs. of age, I can still learn something that improves my playing. Thank you.

[@gvaratta]

I've been teaching for 30 years and I use this system with my students and it WORKS! Thanks again bro!

[@michaelcozad5875]

Thanks for share'n your knowledge. I have for the first time, found a use for the internet. Bought my first kit at 59 yrs young, playing geriatric punk/rock....whatever. Best of times...I'm loving drum"n.

[@zagorith14]

That's awesome. You never too young to start. Haha.

[@ChaCadrummer]

I like to practice single stroke roles on a pillow with heavy marching sticks. I use slow, but full strokes first with fingers, wrists, then arms, 5 minutes each, totaling 15 minutes. I increase the speed by 1bpm about each day.

[@xeno4600]

just wanted to say thank you for this video. my double strokes went from clean @75 bpm to 125 bpm (clean) in 10 days. on average, my other rudiments gained about 20 bpm in 10 days. i did practice for about 3 hours a day, but i really can't believe how big the improvement was. Thanks for this awesome video! you got a new subscriber today!

[@wheelholder12]

Jonathan Viveiros paly a paradiddle diddle in eighth notes , then go to 16th notes , then 32 nd notes . play double beats rrll for 4 beats then play a paradiddle diddle going back to the double beats which is actually a long roll. Play your beats as smooth as you can so if you close your eyes it sounds like you are playing all singles . Mix and play everything of this nature and you WILL play faster but remember, to fast and it will sound like crap . If you have a friend that plays get he to practice with you that way you can listen to each other .

[@forman357]

How do you time them? Just start a metronome at what you think it will be and keep adding 5 bpm?

[@south8887]

I have been practicing this for about 2 weeks and it has been pretty awesome to see it come around. Every day i seem to use less thought to sustain the exercise at tempo, and then as any good thing should it comes out naturally in playing. Had a friend who i play with regularly mention he noticed an improvement in my technique, so that was a nice confirmation that i am on the right track! Thanks!

[@DRUM]

www.drummagazine.com/lessons/post/10-day-plan-for-faster-hands/

[@mickeyromeo]

such a liar. You don't even play.

[@Crimzz-xh5qb]

@@mickeyromeo how do you know?

[@ryandebeer4226]

Hi mike I've been playing drums for 17 years and your helpful tips are great. Thanks man

[@tiphaineluccy3795]

Drums are really fun. 😄

[@miffyn1737]

Plus it's a brain exercise too. Still painful than maths

[@Dsullivann]

Drums are life 🥁

[@hansmeisterschulz5941]

Slow and steady wins the race! Thank you for the upload and reminder. Be blessed

[@tootallforbaseball]

Great job, Mike. I am a former educator and player myself. You have a great personality and great approach!

[@nospoon17]

Awesome info, as soon as thinking isn’t involved the true magic happens in music and in life. Love you in a brotherly way Mike!

[@drumminfro]

Best drum teacher ever! About to sign up for Mike's Lessons and buy all your books

[@DRUM]

The link to the story is here. www.drummagazine.com/lessons/post/10-day-plan-for-faster-hands/ Some people have asked about Mike's sticks. He plays a Vater 2451.

[@wmbmatt]

This WORKS! I did it a little differently. I haven’t played in 5 years so this was an incredible way to regain my coordination. I did each exercise twice as long and for 20 days. All my rudiments are 200 bpm plus now: thank you MIKE!!!

[@oetie33]

Thanks for the tips and sharing you’re knowledge. I play snare since I was 5 years old. And now 41 years later still learning trying to get better. It is really as you say, mind over muscles as I think of it. This will really help 👍👍

[@RafaelToscano]

That lesson, for me, is GOLD! Because I was thinking exactly in the same way you said (left-left......) and it's helping me a lot!. Thanks! :D

[@larry88008]

I always find something helpful, even if its not the full lesson, and so I am encouraged. In this lesson counting the quarter notes out loud which I found difficult before is becoming easier. This lesson reminded me to do this.

[@6lu5ky86]

This makes good sense. I guess you could say it's more hand eye coordination and smaller bits of information that you can store and recall more swiftly.

[@absinha6209]

Spot on! His hands look like a hummingbird's wings

[@DailyMusicalGrowth]

Will incorporate in my daily exercise. Thanks alot.

[@stevenkorenek389]

He is doing flams Correctly! Everytime I hear someone playing flams, the grace note and main note are so close together that it sounds like one note. Good job.

[@anonymus5316]

This is true for reading also. We have inner monologue going on when we read. The key to read faster is move eyes swiftly through lines. Same goes for drumming. Need to shut down the inner monologue and Get your hand working.

[@andrewworrall4302]

what a brilliant teacher

[@CDMAHTCDESIRE]

When talking about Double Strokes, You start with a wrist 2 tap, but end in a faster "open close" technique. These are two different techniques....same thing for the paradiddle..(once you start playing faster{i can see your fingers open and close}).sometimes we don't realize we are doing the open close as it is very natural outcome after playing rudiments for a while... wanted to point that out..

[@ZackMester]

He has a great way of explaining these things

[@EyeAmMyOwn777]

FANTASTIC lesson. Thanks Mike!!!!

[@dndgav]

Always explained so simply. Cheers Mike!

[@Averag3Jo3]

Trying to watch this at work with no sound.. The captions/subtitles on this are hilarious! .... "Perry did a little" = Paradiddle-diddle :P

[@alohafromkenya21]

Joe B_FoT johnny was a race car driver

[@PerryEarl]

I tend to paradiddle-diddle, a little.

[@TrueBlueBoogie]

Mike - power packed lesson amigo! fantastic hits on 5 of the rudiments! Thank you!

[@knuckledragger549]

Q : do you know what a metronome is? A : A little short guy from the big city. God bless Y'all.

[@aldomares1887]

Michael B. Porter dude...

[@knuckledragger549]

I hope that's a good thing

[@princessemma80]

Aldo Mares hawkwind

[@anemchalupa2083]

metro-gnome

[@TrueBlueBoogie]

Yes - it’s a clicker device: it ticks within a set bpm.... :/

[@ZeroFourTwentyFive]

Excellent! I will be focusing on flam taps and paradiddle diddles.

[@subZ3roUK]

It's the Mike Johnston ghost note pro by DW with the bar that can fit on either side removed. I'm sure you can get it on amazon or a similar retailer.

[@hi_stoney2041]

Bro thanks for this 10 day plan... Seems to be working... 🍻🍻🍻

[@dornelli1]

fantastic looking drum set

[@davidcalcano4178]

The workout is crazy but it is to nice Im really thankful for this video Men its make you work hard but you see thee progress when you play And people be like you toke some lessons or someone teach you the and just by telling this people no Mike Johnston 10-days workout thats all they just think I'm playing around but I'm not. Actually yesterday one of thee people of the Church I go to thought that there was another DRUMMER on the drums but when he saw he was like you your taking lessons finally I just told him what I'm doing just my 10-days workout

[@bassistlearningdrums]

Saw the article in Drum! magazine. Very impressive!

[@Sharpesoundaudio]

i love how he says the students were as fast if not faster than me.... i very much doubt it

[@CDMAHTCDESIRE]

That was just to tickle your ego.. Good strategy, to get inspired. We sometimes need it....

[@christophmeirich5928]

"No baby bounce stuff" 🙂😄😆🤣😜🤪 Have a nice sunday!!!! Greetings from germany Christoph 👏👏👏👏👏

[@rockyvsrambo82]

Awesome Lesson Mike

[@IzzyOnGuitar]

that works on every instrument. I play Guitar for over 26 years now, and everytime i come to a new technique, i pratice it as slow as possible. After 2 oder 3 Weeks my fingers literaly fly over the strings.

[@analyticalprocess3622]

The Oakland Stroke from Tower of Power is founded on the Paradidle- diddle

[@charlielogan2538]

There's no way around it, try this out and your hand speed will develop. The flam exercise, I think it's number two, next to Stick Control, is one of the best warm up tools I have ever used. Thanks Mike!

[@roxannepeypascissurs9929]

4:10 is the best part of the vid

[@StreetsOfVancouverChannel]

Very well said... this is a fab perspective for many players to keep in mind when practicing. Peace.

[@tylerpedersen9836]

Interesting that the grip in his right and left hand is so different. Pointer on the right hand is curled behind the stick creating a fulcrum at that point, while the pointer of his left hand is uncurled/straight. Also much more of a german position in the left hand, whereas his right hand is more American/french. This is especially noticeable at minute 5:00. I wonder what implications such technical differences between hands might have for building speed (if any).

[@tasdingo7891]

Really appreciate this Mike.

[@andrummer21]

Thank you sir, this is exactly what I need.

[@DRUM]

www.drummagazine.com/lessons/post/10-day-plan-for-faster-hands/

[@GuilhermeMendesG]

MIKE, you're a best! THANK YOU.

[@AstroPinoy]

the best so far I found

[@vincentbendera]

ok day one is today!! lets try it

[@johnnyvillegas1725]

maaw zoh how did that work out for u ?

[@stuartspence1139]

Great stuff Mike

[@8LOU_SKUNT]

Great technique for learning ostinatos

[@BoxUpMyBones]

Probably as long as you feel fit. If you're going for endurance, go for 2 minutes. If you just wanna get your rudiments down quickly (say, before practice with a band or something) then just go up and down in your speeds, and increase the time you spend at top speed more as you go along. Basically, you set your own goals, then accomplish them. :)

[@luismoncada9280]

Awesome lesson. Thank you.

[@jddrawz]

Honestly, for me, I feel like my left hand just doesn't have the natural ability for speed, but I do have the rudiment muscle memory.

[@Water_meter_enthusiast]

A lot of it is dynamics. Each part of the drum kit is more or less audible or sensitive than the other (ex. toms are less sensitive and harder to articulate with than the snare or cymbals). I would say use a pillow to do some of your rudiments. It definitely builds your strength.

[@oditpramuditya3056]

Best teacher!

[@BoxUpMyBones]

If you're hurting your hands, you may want to consider investing in some drumming gloves. They take a little getting used to, but they help absorb some of that shock you get from the sticks. Also, with the speed, it's ALWAYS a good idea to start off slow, and go up. Don't forget to stretch beforehand as well! That's something ALOT of drummers forget, and why they find themselves cramping up and hurting after so much time.

[@sharksdelight]

Thanks, you're right. Obviously, the pad is not a replacement for the kit and will try the pillow thing you and Dan suggested as well.

[@grcJudGe]

Just good straight up teaching

[@Dude29]

wow this is awesome, excellent tips!

nice video bro... thanks for sharing! :D

[@ReubenLujan]

Y'all should check out Tommy Igoe's Great Hands for a lifetime dvd, really cool stuff on there along these lines. Might wanna also check out a book called Stick Control. That book alone will keep you busy for years!

[@wheelholder12]

you can do all of these in one lesson by keeping them all at the same tempo and building them up to a faster speed . Try playing paradiddlediddles hand to hand at 140 bpm .

[@ns81]

Wow Mike Johnston is the rare video host who's equally good at drumming and speaking. It's interesting that every great drummer has videos like this because they know that's what people are searching for online - 100k views - but you don't get great without understanding that fast hands are at most a symptom of solid fundamentals and not really useful in isolation. Sells videos though!

[@deedstreak]

Hey Mike, would you mind sharing what practice pad you are using? It's such a beauty

[@robertdevadason1885]

You just inspired me dude!

[@smokeythebear99]

"As soon as it starts to get sloppy, write down your score" Oooook.... *checks notes*.... One.

[@Danfromoverthere]

Awesome awesome video! Thank you

[@Darbohne]

it's the Mike Johnston Ghost Note Pro Pad! :)

[@delizade]

what is the last exercise's name? (didn't understand name that mentioned on the video) 5:03

[@Wildbro-i6f]

I really like that drum pad!! What specific brand is that??

[@phammoura1]

Hi Mike, I get so much help from your videos. Thanks for the pushing!!

[@MattSudeta]

Amazing lesson!

[@VivatChristusRex99]

What brand is that pad?? And nice information, some one that can teach right

[@willfarrow7516]

WHAT and WHERE is that ROOM! OMG - it's beautiful... your house?

[@mellindrums]

It's Mike's studio.

[@garycarter961]

Wow! there's so much I don't know. I didn't recognize one of those beat names and I've been "playing" for 30+ years. My speed, of course, is very very slow.

[@Outsquatchin]

Did you ever teach at Carrillo college in Santa Cruz??

[@cameosundo4404]

Why shouldn't I use the moeller stroke for the doubles? Is it in general or just for this exercise because you want develop your speed?

[@safademirhan3795]

Is the necklace you are wearing "Sic Parvis Magna" ?

[@EvilSoundsEntertainment]

What practice pad are you using? Thanks.

[@fortythirty]

The pad is the DW Mike Johnston pad

[@alexd.3760]

Is it necessary to practice the paradiddle diddles accenting the left hand too?

[@BANPAL-iq7yu]

Sir I have a question is your practice pad stand a snare stand?

[@hudsonneely3589]

How do you do the Para-di-dul-di-dul?

[@augustburnsred3541]

the paradiddlediddle is played rlrrll

[@abudabisas]

i will use this for basketball to dunk good, just repeat slow jumps

[@TastyGravySauce]

"zaggity ziggity zoggity" xD

[@mghc7]

thats what confuse me too...yeah i can max out at certain speeds and but for how long...more details please...and by the way i did do the ten days ,i have been playing for 30 yrs and i have seen an increase..fun stuff...i will do this again as well..i wonder if that is ok

[@davemarcelinojr.5786]

very informative thanks.

[@Zazquatch1]

hey john. what is your prefered setup of drums, sizes n all?

[@jlamjustin9812]

What is a good tempo for beginners to control my doubles are weak ?

[@dlreed70s1]

master teacher. thanks.

[@juggernaughtish]

Please respond these are good questions id like answered too

[@bluewoodie21]

Where can I obtain that awesome drum pad!!!

[@hershb5178]

How do I go about scoring and comparing my results?

[@brianmcc5293]

for you first speed could you record it?

[@ronnieburton20]

very helpful thanks

[@martybmurphy]

How long are you supposed to be able to hold your max speed for? 4 measures, 2 minutes? Does anyone know if that was mentioned? Thx!

[@spidermight8054]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@nattysoul]

Thanks Mike your the best.........