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The Importance of Rhythm Practice
In general, young drummers tend to spend their practice time on phrase-like techniques. Of course, these are
something you need to know, but the real role of drums in the music — the real core of their importance — is in the
rhythm. If you can't generate a good-feeling beat, all the rest is of little use. Although it does depend somewhat on
the particular style of music you're playing, you should strive to become a drummer who makes the listeners bodies
naturally start moving! When you're able to generate a pulse that feels like it's welling up from your body, your
technical playing will also become more polished.
Take Advantage of the METRONOME Function
PAD SOUND
This menu lets you change the sound you'll hear when you strike the pad with headphones or speakers connected to
the RMP-5. You can practice anytime anywhere using the RMP-5's metronome and its pad with a mesh head, but if
you connect headphones or a sound system, you'll be able to practice while enjoying realistic drum sounds that
respond to your strikes. Even if you're practicing with just the natural sound of the pad (without connecting
headphones or speakers), you can develop your stick control by paying close attention to the nuances of the stick
striking the head, with the added benefit that your ears won't fatigue even after long practice sessions. But if you
don't want the metronome to be heard by those around you, or conversely if you have to practice in a noisy location,
you always have the option of using headphones so that you'll be able to concentrate. It's good to have choices to
match your mood or location!
TEMPO
In this menu you can change the tempo of the metronome. An adjustable range of 20–300 means that you have a
variety of ways to practice. A setting of 60 means that there are sixty beats in a minute. This is the same speed as the
beeps of the time signal that's broadcast on the hour by some radio stations.
Practice Various Tempo Settings until You're Comfortable with Them All!
In your daily practice, it's a good idea to start your practice at the same tempo each time. Of course, some songs will
be faster and others will be slower, so in order to be sure that you can play songs of any tempo, you have to practice
the same essentials and phrases at different tempo settings. For example you might think that slowing down the
tempo would obviously make it easier, but you'll be surprised to find that in some cases it's actually more difficult!
Be sure to practice at various speeds — a slow tempo, a medium tempo, and as fast as you're able to play. Another
thing is that if you've always practiced at a tempo of 120, and your band is playing a song that's at 116 or 122, you
might just find yourself playing at 120 without intending to! Slight changes in the tempo can make a big difference in
the feel of a song. Intermediate and advanced drummers should work to become comfortable at any tempo; for
example if you practiced at 120 today, try practicing at 123 or 115 tomorrow.
Let's Practice with RMP-5
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