Drumming is a demanding physical activity that is as much athletic performance as musical performance. Drummers put their whole bodies into motion, whether they are marching, working a rock drum kit for a long gig or playing hand drums for a dance or circle event. Warm up with drum hand exercises to avoid developing injuries or repetitive stress conditions that might interfere with future drum playing and daily activities.
Drumming Warm-up
A gentle warm-up on the drums relaxes the hands and gets the blood flowing, preparing the hands and wrists to stretch. Use a practice pad or foam padding rather than your drum kit so that you can work fingers and wrists anywhere without disturbing others, recommends professional drummer Steve Dow. Drum simple, steady patterns such as alternating left and right hand eighth notes, playing two eighth note beats with each hand and playing a slow, steady quarter note march beat, recommends Rock Drumming Underground, an extensive online resource of product reviews, drum lessons and technique articles by a team of professional drummers and instructors. Repeat each warm-up pattern for about 5 minutes, for a total of 15 to 30 minutes of hand warm-up. Use different stick grips, or different size sticks, as you warm up to exercise different parts of the wrists and fingers, Rock Drumming Underground advises.
Wrist and Finger Stretches
Complete cardiovascular fitness and strength helps drummers maintain peak performance, according to Dr. Daniel Buch of DrummersHealth.com. After several minutes of full-body warm up, Dr. Buch recommends a series of stretches including two stretching exercises for the wrists and fingers. First, with the arm straight out in front of you and elbow straight, palm pointing upward, grasp all four fingers with the opposite hand and gently pull the fingers downward, with the hand flexing at the wrist. Hold for 20 seconds then slowly release. Repeat several times, then repeat with the other hand. Second, with arm straight out and a straight elbow, with the palm facing downward, again grasp the fingers and bend the hand down while keeping the arm straight, bending at the wrist. Hold for 20 seconds, gently release, repeat, then repeat with the other hand.
Stretch With Stick
To further stretch the wrists and hands and get them working together, stretch while holding a drum stick in both hands, suggests Rock Drumming Underground. The simplest two-hand drum stick stretch is to hold a single drum stick in both hands, then curl the wrists downward until you feel a gentle stretch, then curl them upward as far as they will go. The stretch should never hurt, but should let you feel the stretch and the loosening of tight muscles.
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