You don't need a drum kit to practice rhythms and improve your rhythmic skill. You can create beats just using a pencil and a little creativity. The stylus works as a high-pitched percussion instrument for creating beats on a desk or table. Accompany the pencil with your hands and feet to create a well-rounded rhythm. You can also make beats by hand. Ahead.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Perform Basic Techniques
Step 1. Prepare a tabletop battery
You can mimic many tones of a drum set with the proper table setting. Since most people like to use pencils to kill time at school and work, you may have a variety of notebooks and books. Hardcover books or textbooks produce excellent drum tones when played with pencils. Notebooks create a softer drum sound.
- Experiment with the supplies you have.
- Water bottles can create a variety of shades depending on how full or empty they are.
- Experiment with two pencils and pretend you're John Bonham playing Moby Dick.
Step 2. Delete the cymbal function
Many people unknowingly imitate the playing of a cymbal on a drum set with a pencil. There are several types of cymbals in a drum kit. The common cymbals are the "hi hat", the "ride" and the "crash". The hi hat is the most commonly used drum cymbal, as drummers can have it closed or open, making the cymbal versatile. The ride is a softer cymbal that creates a bigger sound than the hi hat.
- The crash cymbal is often used to accentuate parts of a song. The crash is used sparingly and for the loudest parts.
- Both the hi hat and crash cymbals are used as a constant beat indicator.
Step 3. Use a constant hi hat part
An easy sound to imitate with a pencil is the closed hi hat. The closed hi hat consists of a crisp tone that does not resonate such as a ride or crash. Practice playing a steady beat by counting 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 while tapping the number with the pencil. This is a standard 4/4 time.
- To play an even more steady beat, follow the beat of a metronome or the radio. Not all songs are played in 4/4 time.
- You can also practice triplets by counting 1-2-3 1-2-3. A triplet is a rhythm that equally balances three notes as one measure or half a measure.
Step 4. Use your hands and feet with the pencil
The proper pencil rhythms are matched with other parts of the body. If you're using the stylus as a cymbal, you can use different hand shapes to create other drum sounds. Create a fist to mimic a kick drum. You can then use an open palm to create a snare.
- You can also use your feet to imitate a bass drum or bass drum. Drums are parts of the drums that vary in pitch. They are typically used to fill the drums and to solo.
- Try incorporating other drum sounds with the stylus used to play the cymbals.
Method 2 of 3: Play Advanced Rhythms
Step 1. Imitate a swing rhythm
The swing rhythm is a common jazz rhythm that is easy to imitate with a pencil. If you have ever listened to jazz or swing music, you will be able to remember this rhythm. Count 1-2-3 / 4, and for 3/4, don't pause like you do between 1 and 2. Once you start to feel the swing rhythm, you can add your own varieties.
Step 2. Make a snare roll
Snare rolls are a type of drum fill made purely on snare. Play a snare roll by holding a pencil in each hand. Count 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4, but alternate hands after each hit. You can keep time by tapping your foot half time. Start slow and work towards a quick roll, or in this case, a pencil roll.
Step 3. Practice playing “paradiddles”
Paradiddles are drum exercises that you can practice to improve your rhythm and coordination. Most paradiddles consist of a 4/4 tempo in which you alternate between the left and right hand in a specific way. A paradiddle touched on 4/4 means that each hit lands on a number when you repeat the 1-2-3-4 count. This is an example of a 4/4 paradiddle explained with the right hand (D) and the left hand (I):
D-I-D-I-D-I-D-I
Step 4. Play rhythms on the fly
Take two pencils and play when you feel the need. The beauty of playing on the go is that you can do it on any surface. This is a great way to test various sounds. For example, a pencil hit against a chain link fence will sound different than one hitting a metal post.
- Looking for different sounds can benefit you if you like to record sounds outside of a recording studio.
- Take a field recorder with you and document any sound that catches your eye.
Method 3 of 3: Use Tone Possibilities with a Pencil
Step 1. Balance the pencil in your hand
Playing a rhythm with a single pencil is a bit more complicated than using your hands in combination with a pencil. You should hold the pencil so that you can use both ends of the pencil quickly.
Hold the pencil with your thumb and index finger directly in the center of the pencil. Feel the weight and adjust the grip until the pen feels balanced
Step 2. Play the low sounds of the pencil
You can mimic the low tones of a drum kit by using the eraser side of a pencil. The eraser side of the pencil produces a muted tone similar to that of a drum or kick drum. Increase the low tones of the pencil by tapping on a hollow surface such as an empty bottle.
Step 3. Experiment with the sharp pitch of a pencil
The tip side of a pencil is best to use when mimicking the higher pitches of the drums. Sharpen the pencil to increase the amount of treble in the sound. You can increase the high-pitched sound by tapping on a hard surface such as a metal desk.
The tip will likely break if you hit hard for the beat
Step 4. Create rhythms using only a pencil
Practice alternating the sides of the pencil from the balance position between your thumb and index finger. Try to make a simple rhythm by counting 1-2-3-4. Play the treble side for 1-2-3 and then play bass on the 4. Start slowly and work towards a unified rhythm.
- Play your favorite songs to get a better feeling when holding the stylus this way.
- You can also play along with a metronome to help you with timing.
Advice
Remember not to let go of your thumb and index finger when striking. Also remember to practice daily and simply in a freestyle. It doesn't matter what sound you make
Warnings
- Doing it in the middle of a mid-volume test in the front row is also not a good idea.
- Don't do it to the point where teachers can tell you are the one doing it.