GRAEME FRANCIS
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This page will be dedicated to resources that can help you develop your technique and musicality on all things percussive. Check back often, as I'll be continuing to develop this area of the website. Please get in touch if you have any questions about this material - I welcome your feedback!              

​ - GF
Stick Control 

Like many percussionists, one of the first really important workbooks to which I was introduced as an undergraduate was George Lawrence Stone's "Stick Control for the Snare Drummer". This phenomenal book has now been an important part of my technical and musical development as well as a focal part of my teaching for almost two decades. I know I'm not alone in my love for this book!

More specifically, I've continued to invest in the set of variations on the first three pages (Single Beat Combinations #1-72) that originated with Joe Morello, a student of George Stone's, and were taught to me by Dr. Jill Ball at the University of Western Ontario. Over the years, I've learned new variations from other colleagues and students, and developed my own application of these to the drum set. I teach these variations to all of my students, and am regularly asked to remind former students and colleagues how these variations worked. So here they are! I've organized the first eight variations into individual pdf's, and they are available below. Don't skip the introduction - it's worth a quick read to make sure you're getting the most out of these exercises!

Additionally, I'm excited to announce that I've recorded video demos of these variations for Vic Firth, and they will be released in the near future. I'll post videos here as the series becomes available! For now, I have the basic variations explained below. I'll explain how I apply these to the drum set in a following entry.

Here's to efficient practicing (and read that introduction!),

GF
Introduction
File Size: 52 kb
File Type: pdf
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Vamps
File Size: 350 kb
File Type: pdf
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Straight Constants
File Size: 353 kb
File Type: pdf
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Shuffle/Swing Constants
File Size: 570 kb
File Type: pdf
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Straight Triplets
File Size: 293 kb
File Type: pdf
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Alternating Triplets
File Size: 480 kb
File Type: pdf
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Paradiddles
File Size: 349 kb
File Type: pdf
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16th-note Fill-ins
File Size: 416 kb
File Type: pdf
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Triplet Fill-ins
File Size: 375 kb
File Type: pdf
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Pad and Drum Set Exercises

As a young student, I benefitted greatly from exercises learned from my teachers. For years, I've been using these exercises to work out various technical aspects of my playing while adapting them for my students' development. Use these as you like, and find creative ways to apply them to drum set and other percussion instruments.


​Double Strokes - one of the most fundamental (and challenging!) technical issues we face as drummers. Here are some exercises I've used to sort out my doubles.
Double Stroke Workout #1 (8th notes).pdf
File Size: 299 kb
File Type: pdf
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Double Stroke Workout #2 (triplets).pdf
File Size: 237 kb
File Type: pdf
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Double Stroke Workout #2 (Variation 1).pdf
File Size: 334 kb
File Type: pdf
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Double Stroke Workout #2 (Variation 2).pdf
File Size: 127 kb
File Type: pdf
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Double Stroke Workout #2 (Variation 3).pdf
File Size: 90 kb
File Type: pdf
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Double Stroke Workout #2 (Variation 4).pdf
File Size: 477 kb
File Type: pdf
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Doubles McGee.pdf
File Size: 489 kb
File Type: pdf
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triplet_diddles_workout.pdf
File Size: 54 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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