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6/6/2020 9 Drumming Tips from the Pros | Sweetwater
Create a Functional Practice Routine

Kenny Aronoff (Smashing Pumpkins, John Mellencamp)
“I look at, ‘what things do I need to work on right now?’ — you know, take care of business first. I
narrowed it [my practice routine] down to 20 or 30 minutes. It maintains that extra 3% you can lose if
you don’t practice each day. I’ll sometimes do it three times a day: early in the morning, before a show if
I’m on tour, and crazy enough, sometimes before I go to bed, so I’m that much more warmed up when I
wake up in the morning.”
Ever wonder what a daily practice routine looks like for author and
industry icon Kenny Aronoff? He gave Nick D’Virgilio an inside look
during an exclusive 2016 interview. Kenny’s quadrupedal practice
pad routine, based around his own 13 Hand Patterns exercise (see
Power Workout: Complete), is a set of steps he follows every day to
stay limber and warm up before a show. If you want to fast-track
your workout routine and maintain your progress in and out of
season, follow Kenny’s exercise steps, or build your own routine
based on what needs improvement today. Make it interesting and
challenging enough that you can stick to it every day, and your
chops will stay up in and out of season.

Study Yourself

Josh Dun (twenty one pilots)
“I would go to shows and then go home and play drums and try and
get better. Sometimes, kind of how athletes watch game tape
afterwards, I would set up a camera while I play and dissect it and
figure out how I can improve. I’d watch myself play a drum fill and
be like, ‘It doesn’t sound cool’ or ‘It doesn’t fit’ or ‘I think I can do
something a little more exciting’ — just from watching it, because
what I feel in my head feels way different than how it really comes
across. Even now, I go on YouTube and watch our own performances
and kind of critique us — the stage in general — but then myself as
a musician.”

Have you ever watched yourself perform? It’s a vulnerable place to put yourself on the chopping block
and dissect your own art, but it can be awfully telling. As Josh told us in a 2017 interview, self-critique
was and continues to be an important step in his progress as a drummer and showman. If you can’t
stomach scrutinizing yourself, invite a friend or loved one to give you tips about how you can improve. It
won’t always be fun, but it can give you some ideas of your current strengths and how you can better
yourself as a performer and artist.

What are some tips that have inspired you along your musical journey? We’d love to hear from you.
Contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer via email or phone at (800) 222-4700.

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