Snare

Drumline Packet
Battery Approach & Exercises
Taha Ahmed

Thank you for your interest in audi3oning for Monarch Independent Percussion. The informa3on and
philosophies in this packet are designed to make you a be=er musician, allow us to start with the same
mindset and approach, and prepare you to have a successful audi3on process and season.

Please note, this is not the ONLY or RIGHT approach, it’s just how we choose to teach at Monarch. Be
open to different ideas and try to learn as much as you can. The staff is here to help you but at the same
3me, we must evaluate every individual objec3vely and do what’s best for the team. You will get
feedback and some construc3ve cri3cism throughout the process. With that being said, a=ending the
‘Experience Camps’ will only behoove you and improve your chances during the audi3ons.

Keep in mind, you are audi3oning at all 3mes! Be professional and stay mentally engaged. The staff is
looking for a good aStude, work-ethic, skill sets, physical abili3es, preparedness, recep3veness,
presence, and performance quality. It is not only about how you are as a player and performer, but also
how you are as a human. Some3mes, a good personality can be the deciding factor. At the same 3me, it
is impera3ve that you are striving for personal greatness and individual clarity. We must have perfect
individual clarity for us to achieve ensemble clarity.

For any ques3ons regarding the content of this packet or music, feel free to email:
tahaahmed22@gmail.com

Also, join the public Facebook group en3tled, ‘Monarch 2021 Audi3ons’. It is a great resource to find
other prospec3ve audi3onees and connect, post videos, get feedback, etc.

Let’s get started!

APPROACH
At Monarch, we believe we have an APPROACH to the Ba=ery and our technique will be dependent on what the
music calls for. We don’t believe there is a right or wrong technique, but rather, techniques are the tools u3lized
to achieve different musical intents. We like to define what the s3ck should FEEL like in your hands to achieve the
SOUND we are looking for. We take into considera3on that individual is built from a unique anatomical
standpoint so we don’t stress everyone looking the exact same. Our philosophy is - instead of telling the players
what to do, we let them play how they are comfortable (to an extent) and tell them what not to do. Obviously,
there will be guidelines but in the end, we want the player to feel comfortable while playing. With that being
said, to achieve the same sound the players will naturally approach the stroke the same way and will inherently
end up looking similar. If someone’s technique is inhibi3ng them from achieving the desired sound, then we will
make adjustments. Now with all that being said, we will go into much further detail to give everyone a base
founda3on to begin with.
SOUND
Our approach has 3 “umbrella” concepts
that will dictate our techniques. Techniques
are tools, not rules. We like to explore and
u3lize a variety of techniques to add more APPROACH
tools to our “tool box,” so to speak. The
TIMING FEEL
technique we use will be dependent
on factors such as the tempo and the music.

Sound:
Our “Sound Iden=ty” is derived from the intent of the music. We priori3ze musical phrasing and
dynamics: we aim for a sound that is a full, warm tone that isn’t choked off. The word “resonance” can
be applied to all aspects of drumming. The s3cks must resonate to allow the drum heads to resonate to
cause the drum to resonate and create a full sound. If you are crea3ng sounds that match our sound
iden3ty out of your instrument, you are more than likely approaching it the way we would like. Each
individual has to create a good sound and also BLEND and BALANCE with the rest of their sec3on. You
have to be able to use your ears equally as well as your hands. Not only do you have to evaluate your
sound ac3vely and constantly, but you need to be able to blend that sound within your sec3on and
subsequently within the ensemble. This takes ears that can hear everything in the environment you’re in
and a brain that is capable of making subtle adjustments that enable you to fit into, and contribute to,
the ensemble sound. The first step in achieving this is to make sure you are producing even sounds
between your hands and playing in the proper zones. As stated before, the s3cks have a pitch of their
own and if you hold them too 3ghtly you will inhibit them from resona3ng, therefore choking off the
sound. The drum heads also need to resonate in order to produce good sounds. This is achieved by
playing with a good TOUCH. Touch simply refers to the amount of pressure you apply to the implement
in your hand. For the most part, we talk about making the s3ck “feel heavy” by having a “light touch” to
get the sound we want on all passages. This is achieved by having even pressure throughout the fingers
and hand on the s3ck. The s3ck will vibrate (breathe) in your hand as a result of the impact and we
control this with different STROKES.
Timing:
Timing is an integral concept for the ba=ery sec3on. The ba=ery must be predictable with their tempo to
allow the rest of the ensemble to have an anchor to listen to and play with. Each individual is responsible
to be able to play in 3me so the ba=ery as a whole has no variance. Be excellent with your 3ming for the
rhythms to be mathema3cally accurate (there will always be excep3ons). When you play something, play
as if your audience is a computer that will transcribe your every note. Always prac3ce with a
metronome; we cannot stress this enough. Building good internal 3me is just as important as building
chops. We always like to talk about the “groove pocket.” We consider everything you play will create
some sort of groove and if you feel the music this way, your body naturally tends to stay in the pocket. If
we all feel the same pocket, then we will play together. Everybody likes that comfortable feeling of being
in the pocket. As an individual, you should prac3ce perfect tempo, so that as an ensemble, we can
prac3ce perfect alignment.

Feel:
Many of our techniques are dictated by the feel: The feel of the music, the feel of the s3cking pa=erns,
the feel of the visual responsibili3es, etc. We like the players to be relaxed but deliberate. We are looking
for the best sound with the greatest ease, or in other words - efficiency. We use an ergonomic and
anatomy-based approach to movement. Your body’s joints, muscles, and tendons all have specific ranges
of mo3on so we u3lize this knowledge to play more efficiently. A lot of our techniques emulate how a
drumset player would approach their instrument; the smoothness and fluidity to their playing is
essen3ally what we are going for. It is also acceptable (and recommended) to feel the music you are
crea3ng. It is easier to convey the intent to the audience if they can see you puSng out some emo3on
and performing. Monitoring one’s posture is also much more important than people think. Your neck,
shoulders, arms, and hands should all be relaxed and there should be no unnecessary tension anywhere
in your body. Any tension can lead to less resonance, therefore affec3ng the sound.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Grip and Stroke Types:

It is important that the drum be at the right height for you. We will not sacrifice individual comfort for
matching drum heights across the line. A rough guideline (for Snares and Tenors) is this: With your hands
relaxed down by your side, bend at the elbow un3l your forearm is rela3vely parallel with the ground.
From there, the elbow down to the bead, should have a very slight downward angle. For Basses, the
forearm will be approximately parallel to the ground.

For all sec3ons, the thumb will be across from the index finger (two-point), but depending on the
applica3on, we will some3mes relax the index and allow the leverage to be shihed to the middle finger
(three-point). The difference between the two will be much less a visual change but more of an internal
refocusing of energy to different parts of the hand. The rest of the fingers will wrap naturally around the
s3ck; they should be loose and relaxed but not leave the s3ck. It is also impera3ve to play in the proper
zone on the drum head (depending on what the music calls for). There is no way to balance a sound if
the players don’t play in the same part of the head.
The stroke will lead with the fulcrum and ini3ate from the wrist but it is not isolated to just the wrist. The
arm and fingers will move naturally when different muscle groups are needed. Using the arm, wrist, and
fingers in conjunc3on allows you to u3lize the full range of muscles; from the big power muscles to the
small, fast, twitch muscles. We like to talk about the 3 levers in percentages. The whole mechanism is
100% which will be distributed amongst the levers depending on what the music calls for. The stroke
should have velocity and weight transfer, and this is what allows you to get a full sound. It’s not about
how hard you hit the drum, but rather, how fast. U3lize the arm’s “dead weight” in the stroke and allow
the drum to assist you by using the rebound and mo3on.

The main stroke types are: Full-Stroke (Rebound), Downstroke (Controlled), Taps, and Upstrokes. Taps are
essen3ally full-strokes at a soh volume. With Full-Strokes & Tap strokes, the rebound should return the
bead to the point of ini3a3on, hence the “rebound stroke.” With a downstroke, the stroke should feel
the same as a full-stroke prior to hiSng the drum. Aher the bead contacts the head, the wrist mo3on
should return to a posi3on that controls the rebound to the next intended volume. The players should
avoid squeezing the fingers to stop the s3ck as this will cause a change in sound and “touch.” The
upstroke is the reverse: it begins with the same stroke as a tap and then aher contact, the s3ck is lihed
by the wrist mo3on turning the s3ck up to a greater height. Again, the less varia3on in hand-shape and
pressure on the s3ck, the less varia3on in sound.

Playing Posi8ons & Instrument Specifics:

Snare: For the Leh-Hand Tradi3onal grip: The back of the s3ck should rest in the “webby” connec3on between the thumb and
index finger. The thumb should connect with the index finger roughly at about the first knuckle of the index finger. The middle
finger should rest on top of the s3ck within it’s natural curvature. The s3ck rests on the cu3cle of the ring finger and the pinky
curls naturally underneath. The en3re hand should have a natural curvature with the hand resembling the shape of a “C” (from
the top view). No unnecessary tension or “manufacturing” of the hand should be done. The hand shape should be in “neutral
posi3on,” and no flexing or condensing is required. The stroke will rotate around the fulcrum point using prona3on or
supina3on of the hand, resembling the mo3on of a turning doorknob.

Top View Inside View

For Snares and Quads: The matched-grip will be “American” grip. This means it will be rotated slightly outwards in rela3on to
the drum. We want to u3lize the best of both German grip (hand flat, wrist access) and French grip (Hand ver3cal, finger
access). Usually, the crease created between the thumb and index finger will approximately be a 45° angle. The bead to the
elbow should create a straight line.
 Quads: The “home” base is RH over Drum 1 and LH over Drum 2. This is where your hands will rest when not playing and
should always be returned to in spaces or rests. Our basic technique revolves around the “Three Points of Alignment.” These are
the elbow, the fulcrum and the bead of the s3ck. We aim to keep these in alignment for unifica3on of “around” technique as
well as maintaining of the Y-axis (ver3cal) technique when adding mo3ons on the X-axis (horizontal). There are three main X-axis
mo3ons you will need to master: Pivot, Extension and Retrac3on. Pivo3ng side to side from the elbows controls the mo3ons
near home base. Extension is moving the forearm and wrist forward away from the body which allows mo3ons reaching across
to the opposite side of the drums. Retrac3on is the opposite of Extension which allows you to move back towards home base as
well as in towards the spock drums. In general, the wrist and lih of the forearm will control the Y-axis and will match the
mo3ons the other sec3ons employ. When playing crossovers, avoid bending the wrist so not to cause poking at the drumhead.
The crossovers will either be a s3ck-on-s3ck, wrist-on-wrist, or arm-on-arm crossover depending on how many drums the
crossover covers.

Home Base Stick Wrist Arm

Pivot

Extension

Retraction

Bass: The forearm should be parallel to the ground. The mallet will be slightly turned in towards the head (imagine the
downward angle for Snares/Quads). The bo=om of the mallet should not be visible from the audience perspec3ve. The mo3on
should resemble that of playing on a flat drum, just turned on the side. No unnecessary bends in the wrist are needed. Your
thumbnail should be visible to you at all 3mes during the extension of the stroke.
Prepara8on:
The success you have during the audi3on, and overall success of the Ba=ery is heavily dependent on the
amount of prepara3on you do beforehand. A couple of prac3ce 3ps:

• Be diligent with your prac3ce regime

o Prac3ce everyday in order to build the muscles necessary
▪ Don’t try to procras3nate and cram everything the day before
o Shorter, focused prac3ce sessions distributed throughout the day are more efficient than one
long session all at once.
• Prac3ce with PROPER technique
o It does you no good to “get through” the music with bad technique
• Start SLOW!
o Build the correct mechanics and stroke types FIRST, then work on speeding it up.
• Get in front of a mirror
o Pay close a=en3on to the details of your stroke pathways, s3ck angles, bead placements, etc.
• USE A METRONOME!
• Prac3ce on a drum (if possible)
o A pad just doesn’t feel or sound the same
• Record yourself
o Great prac3ce tool to see and hear exactly what you are doing
o Use the “Slow-Mo3on” tool

What to Expect / Bring:

We will spend a majority of our 3me during the camps in subsec3ons. This is to allow the staff to give a li=le
more individual a=en3on and informa3on to each audi3oning member. We will mostly use the exercises
contained within this packet as audi3on material, although there may be things thrown at you on the fly to
see how you adapt and your mental for3tude. At any point during the audi3ons you may be asked to
demonstrate something. Keep in mind that this is not meant to humiliate you, but to allow us to see how
you do. You may be asked to play because we want to use you as an example of how to do it correctly!

• Bring your own drums3cks

o You should use whatever implements you are most comfortable with to give us the most
accurate representa3on of your skill sets
• Bring your own drum & stand (if possible)
o We will have instruments but most likely not enough for everyone. Again, we want you to be
comfortable while playing. If you do bring your own — LABEL IT!
• Bring a prac3ce pad
o You will not be on a drum the whole 3me. If you’re not on a drum, you should s3ll be
drumming
• Bring a pencil / highlighter / music
• Bring Earplugs!
o It’s loud. Save your ears
• Wear athle3c clothes / shoes
o There will be a visual por3on

Again, this is not the end-all, be-all for technique. This is just a compila3on of all the things we consider at
Monarch, and a set of “guidelines” to adhere to. In the end, you are here to play and make some music so have
some fun!
Exercises & Warm-Ups
Below is a packet of “Basic Skill Sets” that cover a mul3tude of isolated mo3ons and rudimental vocabulary.
Regardless of sec3on, these exercises are good for every drummer to have in their arsenal. This packet also
contains Full Ba=ery exercises that will primarily comprise our “Warm-Up Sequence.” Keep in mind that
everything is subject to change and be ready for anything. We could ask you to play something that is not in the
packet. Prepare everything in this packet with a metronome and marking 3me. The tempos are listed but be
ready to play it slower or faster.

Defini8ons:
• Dynamics:
o Our approach is to use dynamics and not “heights.” We define dynamics based on the sound we
want.
▪ To correlate our system with the “height system” use the conversions below
• These are all rela3ve. This is a general guideline but we will make adjustments as
needed per the music.
o pp = 1” (grace notes) / beneath fulcrum
o p = 3” (taps) / 0° / flat wrist
o mp = 6” / 22.5° / ¼ wrist turn
o mf = 9” / 45° / ½ wrist turn
o f = 12” / 67.5° / ¾ wrist turn
o ff = 15” / 90° / full wrist turn
▪ Again these are all rela3ve. This is a general guideline – use your ears.

• Set Posi=on/ Mark-Time / Duts:

o The s3cks will start down by our sides already in both hands. The s3cks will come up on beat 7 of
the count-off. The s3cks will go down on beat 3 between reps and come back up on the
subsequent beat 7.
o We will mark 3me with the heels together and toes apart (1st-posi3on). The en3re foot will come
slightly off the ground. There will be a natural sway and flow to the mark-3me as well.
▪ As a default, start marking 3me with the LEFT foot.
▪ Start marking 3me the last 4 beats of the count in.
▪ Con3nue marking 3me between reps
o The duts will be short yet ar3culate. We will dut the last 4 counts of the count-off with the
syllable “dut.”
o The s3cks will come in aher the final rep on the half-note aher the release.
 Commissioned by Monarch Independent Percussion, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
Snare
Harmsen/Filipiak/Pyles
flicker
Show Excerpt

q = 200

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4
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1 2 3 4
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5
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5 6 7 8
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3 3
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/ œ œ œ œ œ f œ œ œ œ œ œjœ œjœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œjœ œjœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ f œjœ œjœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
R r r L L R l l r L R L L R L r l r l r l R L L R L r l r l r l R L R r L r l R l r
9 10 11 12
ff f ff ff
p p p

- - - - - - - - - - -> Edge
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3
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13 14 15
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -> Center
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16 17 18 19
mp mf f ff fff

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