East Carolina University Marching Pirates Drumline

Thank you for your interest in the Marching Pirates Drumline!

This is the technique portion of the audition packet for the drumline. You will find single-line
exercises, as well as full-ensemble exercises. Many of these are universally known exercises, and
are essential in any marching percussionists’ repertoire.

You will be responsible for your own familiarity with each exercise, as they are very important to
the development of your technique, which is important to your success as a member of the
Marching Pirates Drumline!

Exercises and Cadences

Along with the technique portion, you should also download and learn the Exercises “Jojo,”
“Hurkey & Tam,” and “Finger Pains.” These will be a regular part of our warm-up regimen, and will
more than likely be called upon for auditions.

The Cadences “Eye Patch,” Peg Leg,” and “Swashbuckle Swagger” will be our street beats, and may
also be called on for auditions.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by email

wgnicholsjr@gmail.com

I’m looking forward to a great season with the Marching Pirates!

Happy Drumming,

Nick Nichols
Building Technique
Included are exercises & etudes to help build strength in the key areas of marching percussion.

Single-Hand Exercises

Two-Hand Exercises

Diddle/Double Strokes

Stick Motion

Timing

Flams

When practicing these exercises (or anything else, for that matter), always...always, ALWAYS...USE A
METRONOME.

For some of the etudes, there will be a single-part exercise, as well as a scored-part exercise for the entire
ensemble to play. Whether a snare drummer, tenor drummer, bass drummer, or even a cymbal player, do
yourself a favor & get accommodated with the single-part exercise first. This is where the strength & chops
are built.
Single-Hand Exercises

Single-hand exercises are those exercises in which you play a rotation, or variation on one hand, before you
play anything on the other hand.

These exercises should be played at various tempos, as well as various dynamics.

Some of the included exercises are classic, & universally known. Some are also written to go slightly past the
basics, and really challenge you physically & mentally.

Eight on a Hand
It doesn’t get anymore self-explanatory than this. You play eight notes on one hand, then play eight notes on
the other hand. Rinse & repeat.

Although simple (& monotonous), this is one of the most important exercises you can play. Every note you
will ever play, has some correlation to this. You must be able to play it perfectly.

How Many on a Hand?

This exercise was written to break out of the monotony of Eight on a Hand. It will keep you counting all the
way through the very end (& keep you focused!)

Eighth Note Timing

This exercise isn’t about the notes you play, it’s about the notes you don’t play. The rests are key in this, so
you have to keep counting!

Accent Tap
Also known as “Bucks,” this exercise will build strength in differentiating between accents & taps. Believe it or
not, this can be a major problem for some percussionists. Make sure to give two a distinct height for your
accents, & a distinct height for your taps. A good starting point would be to play your accents at a forte level,
& your taps at a piano level. You can even try reversing them.

Double Beat
The precursor to the diddles & double strokes exercises. This exercise will work to build the strength in two
consecutive notes on one hand, followed by a rest, or space. Again, you must be able to play this at various
dynamics & tempos. Try changing it up a bit, & accent the first note of each grouping, then change it up
more & accent the SECOND note of each grouping! This will really begin to build some double-stroke chops.

Shups
Very similar to the double-beat exercise, but in a triplet feel. This exercise will help you to play relaxed, as
well as work on your triplet timing.

Huck Digga Dit/Triple Beat “Hucks”

Funny name, serious results. This is a combination of an Accent-tap exercise, with a triple-beat exercise, that
is, three consecutive notes on a single hand.

For this one, you must focus on getting the same sound for all three notes in each grouping (The last note in
the group must sound the same as the first note). This will really build some finger strength. Don’t let it die
out!
Eight on a Hand - Single Part

Variations:
- All dynamic levels: pianissimo, piano, mezzopiano, mezzoforte, forte, fortissimo

- Crescendo each hand: start with pianissimo, end the hand with forte. Be careful not to accent the last note
on each hand!

- Decrescendo each hand: start with forte, end with pianissimo. Be careful not to slow down as you get
quieter!

- Up & Down: start the right hand with piano, crescendo to forte; start the left hand with forte, end with
piano. Repeat this pattern each time through.

- Down & Up: start the right hand with forte, end with pianissimo; start the left hand with pianissimo, end
with forte. Repeat this pattern each time through.

Now, come up with some of your own variations!

Eight on a Hand - Ensemble
How Many on a Hand?
Count!
Eighth Note Timing

The object of this exercise is to count, count, count!

Train your hand to simply not play during the rests...don’t tense up & squeeze the stick!
Eighth Note Timing - Ensemble
Accent Tap - “Bucks”

Another exercise you should master at many different tempos, & different dynamics.

Change this exercise up, by switching the accents & taps, play accents on the drum head & taps on the rim,
any combination you can think of!

But above all - relax!

Lowercase letters = unaccented notes

Uppercase letters = accented notes

Accent Tap - “Bucks” - Ensemble
Double Beat

Make sure you are getting the same sound from each note of each group. Don’t let the second note be weaker
than the first, & vice versa.

Vary up this exercise by turning it into an Accent Tap exercise -

- Accent the first note of each group, the second is a tap

- Tap the first note, & make the second note an accent

- Crescendo through each hand

- Decrescendo through each hand

- Up & Down

- Down & Up
Double Beat - Ensemble
Shups
Flow!
Huck Digga Dit/Triple Beat
Say it, you’ll get it! (Huck-dig-ga-dit)

Lowercase letters = unaccented notes

Uppercase letters = accented notes

Huck Digga Dit/Triple Beat “Hucks” - Ensemble
Two-Hand Exercises

Two-hand exercises are those exercises in which you involve both hands. This is how most real music will be
played. Just like the single-hand exercises, he two hand exercises should be played at many various tempos,
as well as many various dynamics.

The Grid
The Grid is an exercise pattern in which there is a constant, & a variable. Most of the time, the rhythm is the
constant, & the accent is the variable. This will be explained for the two exercises included. You can apply
many different rudiments into the grid, such as the flam accent, flam drag, etc.

16th note Grid

In the 16th note grid, the constant is the underlying 16th note rhythm, as well as the stick motion. The
variable are the accents, which change around to the different subdivisions of the beats.

Triplet Grid
The triplet grid is much like the 16th note grid. The constants are the triplet rhythm & the stick motion. The
variable is again the accents moving around to the different subdivisions.

Two-Handed Accent Tap

This exercise is the most similar to playing real music. The accents are not necessarily constant, & the rhythm
is not always constant.

16th note timing

Timing is one of the most important aspects of percussion, especially when supporting a marching band, wind
ensemble, or even an indoor percussion ensemble.

Like the eighth-note timing exercise, this exercise will help to develop your timing of sixteenth notes, which
will develop your sense of pulse, to prevent the music from speeding up or slowing down.

The exercise may look lengthy, but it is not as long as it looks. It is written as a check pattern, followed by 12
variations of the 16th note groupings within a quarter note. You should play the check pattern, & then play
one of the 12 variations. A “cheat sheet” is also included, written in a shorter form. Feel free to cut it out of
this book, & take it with you!
16th Note Grid

Triplet Grid

These are the basic forms of the exercises. You can vary these exercises, to challenge different aspects of
playing simply by adding elements.

- Add a diddle on the accent

- Add a diddle on the note after the accent (called a “tap drag”)

- Add a diddle on each downbeat, not the accent.

There are several ways in which these exercises can be adjusted to challenge different techniques
Two-Handed Accent-Tap

As mentioned earlier, the two-handed accent-tap exercise is very close to passages you might play in “real”
music.

This exercise may be slightly more challenging than what you have practiced thus far, but if you start slowly
and build up your tempo, your hands will become exponentially more adept to handling these types of
passages.

You can also vary this exercise in similar ways as you did with the grids.
16th Note Timing - (Use a Metronome)
16th Note Timing - Cheat Sheet

When practicing this exercise, play the check pattern, then use one of the variations 1-12 to replace the
grouping of 16th notes.
The Good Stuff
Now that we’ve learned the basics, it’s time to get to the elements that make marching percussion fun &
unique. Some of these techniques may require a certain level of “chops,” so make sure you’ve mastered the
basics first.

Diddle Exercises
A diddle is simply playing two notes on the same hand consecutively. It may sound easy enough, but you
must strive to get the same quality of sound on the second note as you get on the first note.

Duple Diddles
This exercise introduces the basic diddle motion, as well as the underlying rhythm & subdivision that diddles
will take on when employed.

Chicken & a Roll

While the name may make you laugh, it works great to develop your endurance using diddles for long roll
passages. You can repeat the last measure as many times as you like.

Triplet Diddles
This exercise is very similar to the diddle exercise, but employing the triplet stick motion.

Stick Motion Exercises

Stick motion is exactly as it sounds, the motion, or speed in which your sticks move when playing through
contrasting rhythms consecutively.

Stick Shift Straight Sticking

Stick Shift Diddles

Stick Shift Paradiddles

Flam Exercises
A flam is the technique of adding a grace note, or “small” note before a strong beat or subdivided beat. Often
times, especially in marching percussion, a flat flam is used. This occurs when both sticks strike the drum at
the same time, but at two very different heights. Flam passages, at quick tempos, can be very challenging

Flam Taps
A flam tap is adding a tap after the flam, with the same hand which was the strong beat of the flam. You can
also “invert” this by tapping with the opposite hand.

Flam Accents
Essentially, a flam accent is a flam followed by two alternating strokes, most often followed by another flam.
Many different variations can be used in a flam accent.
Duple Diddles

Make sure when practicing this exercise, that all notes are the same height.

You should be able to play this exercise at many different dynamics & tempos.
Duple Diddles - Ensemble
Chicken & a Roll/Hades

You should be able to play this exercise at many different heights & tempos.

Chicken & a Roll/Hades - Ensemble

Triplet Diddles

As always, this exercise should be mastered at different tempos & dynamics. You can even take it further:

-Crescendo the odd measures, decrescendo the even measures

-Decrescendo the odd measures, crescendo the even measures

Triplet Diddles - Ensemble
Stick Shift - Straight Sticking
Stick Shift - Diddle Sticking
Stick Shift - Paradiddle Sticking
Flam Taps

Flam Accents