First things first - download your free time-linked "improve your speed” practice routine here.
You can’t open social media without seeing a drummer showcasing their otherworldly single-stroke speed, and showing you exercises to “get there”.
Not to mention astounding shows of explosive speed from drummers like Tony Royster, Mike Mitchell, Ron Bruner, and Riccardo Merlini.
“If I just work hard enough, I’ll be able to play singles like those folks,” we think.
But what if that were wrong? What if these freakishly-fast folks were simply…born with it.
Today, I welcome drum mechanics expert and friend of the channel Brandon Green back to answer that age-old question. Several months ago he shared a provocative video comparing his - trained over 25 years - single stroke speed to his wife’s. (She’d never played drums.) And Brandon’s wife wins “going away”.
We then delve into the musculo-skeletal reasons some humans may have an advantage from birth.
But if you're on my list you probably already know the punch line: "who cares?"
It's actually several layers of who cares.
First, for the average drummer still working on functional technique, a hypothetical genetic speed limit on the very top end of their speed is like a 60mph speed limit on a freeway when our car is out of gas. Our first concern is going from zero to anything, just as most drummers' is "how can I go pretty fast cleanly and efficiently."
And we'll show you how to do that: Brandon with some strength exercises, I with some technique ones you can practice even away from the kit, and without making any noise.
But the even deeper layer of "who cares" is "how much would I use Riccardo Merlini singles in musical applications even if I could do them."
And I believe there are so many ways to be great as a drummer that, beyond the functional speed most-anyone can develop, you're unlikely to encounter the generic speed limit in the real world.
Hope you enjoy!
And if you want to grab a 14-day trial to Brandon Green’s Drum Forever Fitness Program, and support me in the process, you can do that here.