How to Fast Swing like Tony Williams: Drum Lesson

[@2007christian]

Great advice! THANKS A LOT!

[@elitedrumlessons6174]

Finally somebody broke this down and teaches it! Thank you!

[@editbyStar]

I think this is a really useful video for those who are looking to get better at hand speed and clean rudiments overall. I really dig into the idea of overcompensating and repetition excersises. I have searched for a lot of different techniques to develop faster hands but building your whole hand technique around one method is counter intuitive. Also many drummers claim to practice without focusing that much on a specific technique. Great video, and amazing playing!

[@tomtomboy6471]

Thanks Nick. I'm 66, still learning. You really can "teach an old dawg new tricks"! Ha! I gotta practice!

[@AdityaNair-c7t]

Not a jazz drummer by any means I just came across your video while binge watching Tony Willams solos, but the crescendo technique looks like it could be very useful in developing paradiddle speed. Just what I was looking for!

[@chrismason3283]

Thanks for putting the effort in! I’m struggling with getting my strokes clean and have gone back to basics, this vid has given me some great stuff to practice.

[@nram3930]

Great playing, great excercises. Ive been a bit stuck lately in regards to speed and control, lets see if this cescendo spiel get me through - if someone would remind in this thread me in a month I'll report the result.

[@redrover6104]

its been more than a month but, how’d it go?

[@spydaaa14]

Brilliant lesson

[@Progdrummer]

Great lesson thanks

[@RayHennebeul]

Nick, awesome lesson. I am learning up tempo jazz. I am spending a lot of time on the first bar of your page. This is a great way to improve comping. You are a great drummer. Thanksfor the lesson lesson

[@alphonsostudebeker]

Спасибо товарищ for that lesson, great job

[@mr.freedom396]

I lm getting a ton of mileage out of this video. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!

[@Epicurus48]

Thanks

[@Rolback1247]

Muy bueno gracias Muy linda batería y tocas de 10

[@nickmonticello]

You're welcome.

[@fredericdimeo5764]

Good lesson man ...good explications

[@walt3851]

Awesome video. Super helpful! Thanks so much for posting.

[@isaacleedrums]

Great playing and great teaching. Thank you.

[@nickmonticello]

Thank you!

[@AlexMartin011]

These are great examples and analogies for putting the weights on the bat and removing them. Do you have drumline experience? Or marching? It seems evident in your traditional grip and doubles.

[@nickmonticello]

I was on drumline/marching band in high school. Doing practice pad exercises with marching-snare sticks is like putting weight on the bat too.

[@AlexMartin011]

@@nickmonticelloYeah, it’s funny. I’ll practice with Ralph Hardimons and go back to buddy rich or Weckyl sticks and it almost feels like I’m playing with chop sticks. But it’s effective.

[@bearclawshooster2173]

This was great. Had a little breakthrough with this explanation. thanks man

[@BillRayDrums]

Great stuff man!

[@nickmonticello]

Thank you Bill!

[@thewelshwizard5869]

That playing is particularly impressive 👌

[@jarrahdrum]

Excellent thank you , subscribed

[@KikoDorea]

Nice job! Thanks! That accent on the last note of the groupings is the idea behind Joe Morello's "Stone Killer", right?

[@nickmonticello]

Yes, I had to look up Stone Killer and I saw a video of Thomas Lang explaining it, and it's the same principle. It's the best way to make each stroke as similar in volume/quality as possible.

[@berkkucukpehlivan]

I was waiting for this kind of tutorial for a long time. Thank you for this.

[@kb1drums]

Earned a sub! This is awesome that you have us some exercises to work on. thanks!

[@kaelmoffat2198]

New to the channel...really like how you break this down. One question: page 38 of what? Are you working from Reed book?

[@nickmonticello]

Yes, Reed's Syncopation. I just realized I never named the book in the video!

[@jerrylehti7230]

Well done

[@adityatyagi4009]

Very cool lesson and demonstration. I have a LOT to work on! :P

[@rollsaround2096]

Honestly, I didn't know what kind of drumming I was about to watch. But I struggle with jazz stuff in general, so this was nice to catch and have more exercises to do. Thanks a bunch :)

[@oh4497]

excellent video, i've never seen those comping techniques before. incredibly grateful that you've immortalized your knowledge here. to clarify- are you using entirely wrist technique all the way throughout the tempo ranges? is there any conservative finger use, or are they simply for control?

[@nickmonticello]

The fingers are mostly for control. I find that I'm able to play the fast threes even if I take my middle, index, and pinky off the stick (although it becomes slightly less controlled). It doesn't matter so much the specifics of how much wrist vs. fingers to use -- what's most important is that you try to make the third stroke the loudest, or slightly crescendo through each stroke. Really fast tempos (300bpm) do require some finger, but no matter what specific finger or wrist technique you use, the main idea for practice is the crescendo/overcompensation idea.

[@oh4497]

thanks so much

[@luisfernando-mm3jt]

Nice work

[@BrunoTagliasacchiMasia]

great man

[@nickmonticello]

Thanks!

[@pal4597]

This is killer...thanks!

[@damianquadro]

Very nice lesson! You know, there´s still a speed I can´t accomplish which is the one needed to play the tune "Katahdin"by Steve Smith. I even tried reversing the accent in the group of three strokes on the hi hat, I mean, accenting the first one instead of the third one to see if I can get more speed. Have you tried that tune? If so, could you give some piece of advice for it, or even better, make a video? Thanks!

[@nickmonticello]

I hadn't heard it before but I looked it up. That's fast! I think the best exercise to do is the crescendo 3's that I mentioned in the video. Instead of accenting the first note, try to accent the third note. In my experience this is the only way to make all three strokes sound consistent. The accented third note is harder and takes more practice than relying on bounce alone, but it's worth it.

[@szederjessidavid1830]

Thank you bro 🙏

[@SalMichael]

This is excellent, what stick brand and type are you using?

[@nickmonticello]

Normally my favorites are Vic Firth Steve Gadd's. I just grabbed some sticks lying around for this video and I think they were Vater Gospel's.

[@DanielMendoza-dt9ms]

Buen vídeo. Me suscribo ya. Saludos desde Toluca, México ❤ Do you give private classes?

[@nickmonticello]

I do give private classes in my area, and have given some Skype lessons. I don't have a mic setup for it but I could try!

[@ckimchi]

Can tell you played marching snare. Love seeing the technique and practice concepts applied to drumset.

[@PeterKudelin]

this is really cool with the overcompensating concept. you are also REALLY good!!

[@michaelkirchhofer3266]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🙏🏻

[@maddropproductions4967]

thankuuuuyy

[@dannylaverdedrums]

Pg 38 of what book?

[@nickmonticello]

Ted Reed's "Syncopation"

[@CatrinaDaimonLee]

ur hands arent bleeding...i saw whiplash..i know good drummers hands bleed. :D