Office Drumming: Fingers To Wrist Control

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Do you work a desk job, or a place where you can’t sneak out to play drums? Let’s be honest: this is the case for most people.

If you can spare a few minutes during your lunch break or around the time you grab your morning coffee, you have time to work on your playing. Just keep a practice pad and a pair of sticks at work, and remember to set aside a few minutes every day.

So if you only have a sliver of time to practice, how do you make sure you’re being productive?

Try this finger to wrist control exercise. Finger control is something drummers use often, but don’t typically use exclusively. You’re more likely to use your fingers in conjunction with your wrists to manipulate the stick (in finer movements, like shuffles or fast rolls around the kit). If you exercise these muscles exclusively on the practice pad, you can level up your technique while you’re at work!

Set a tempo that’s comfortable for you, starting with single strokes using your fingers. Then transition fluidly to your wrists, trying not to have any ‘hiccups’ as you switch techniques. Make sure the strokes sound as even as possible. Your fingers should play a supporting role when using your wrists. Then switch back to the fingers-only motion.

Once you have fluid transitions between finger and wrist techniques, try switching between them more quickly (but still at the same tempo).

Any practice can be good practice, even if you’re just working on rolls for a few minutes each day. You’ll start to notice improvement after some time, and that’s what’s important. Try it yourself!

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Jared Falk is a lifelong drummer, drum teacher, and the co-founder of Drumeo. For over 18 years, Jared has been a leader in the online music education industry, publishing his first online video lessons in 2003 and founding Musora in 2005.