Snare Drum Warm-Up, Part 2

The second in a five-part series about creating the ideal warm-up routine.

Part 1 of this series explored ways of warming up the big muscles. In this article, I want to talk about transitioning to the small muscles.

Element #2: Moving from Big Muscles to Small Muscles

This exercise is a combination of singles, doubles and paradiddles:

Note that this is written in 3/4 time. Too often exercises are written in 4/4 and we mindlessly play them. Doing an exercise in 3/4 time will help warm up your mind as well as your body.

Remember to start at a slow tempo and use a big range of motion to the get your muscles loose. Use a metronome and track your progress. Try increasing the speed of the metronome by two beats per measure every time you repeat the exercise. (This can be done manually, or with the use of an app.)

Creating a warm-up routine is an individual process and what works for me will not necessarily work for everyone. Feel free to create your own routine! 

Check out the other postings in our Snare Drum Warm-Up series:

Part 1: Warming up the big muscles

Part 3: Accent patterns and wrist lifts

Part 4: Adding flams to the equation

Part 5: Wrap it up with rolls