relaxation

Fast & Furious Drill 2

Drill 2 in Kristin’s Fast & Furious series reinforces the skill of staying relaxed while playing at speed. It also helps you keep practice knowing where the 1 is without having to emphasize that beat. Like Fast & Furious 1, it’s good for group practice and the kind of individual practice that’s the only option for most of us right now.

Notation for the drill is here and the video is here. Approach this drill the same way you did F&F 1: pay attention to your hands, arms, body - and your face- as you gradually pick up your tempo. As soon as you feel yourself tensing up, stop, shake it out, and start again at a tempo where you know you can stay relaxed. In addition, pay attention to the first beat of every measure (hint: it’s always ka or kara) but don’t overemphasize it. This can be tricky for the phrases that start with ka instead of kara!

When you get back to your group practices or classes, add a straight teke teke jiuchi to this and use that to drive the speed up. At that time, the shime player can be the one who watches people for tension. Everyone should pay attention to their own sound and the overall sound of the group to make sure that first beat isn’t overemphasized.

Happy practicing!