Rogue Samba

The Murray Spivack Method

Who was Murray Spivack?

• He started his career as a trap drummer, percussionist, and sound effects artist in Hollywood.
• He was the sound designer for King Kong and wan an Oscar as the recording engineer for Hello Dolly!
• He taught hundreds, if not thousands, of drummers in Hollywood.
• He taught stick control and snare drum only. Drummers would go to additional teachers for kit lessons.

What did he teach?

• The grip.
• Four building blocks: wrist stoke, up stroke, down stroke, and rebounds. Every rudiment is built from these four techniques.
• Each student would study with him for 18 months.
• Lessons were every other week.
• Notation and reading were part of his curriculum.
• Students were expected to practice and study for two hours a day.

What are the advantages of his method?

• The grip has low physical impact. It is not injury prone.
• The grip allows the stick to bounce freely from the drum, producing a clear, open tone.
• The technique sets a low “floor”, so that quiet notes are easy to play.
• The downstrokes and open grip enable very loud playing with little effort.
• The combination of quiet and loud notes enables strong dynamics for expressive playing.
• The low floor makes it easy to play consistent rim shots.
• The technique can be played with low tension, allowing “flow”.
• Fast playing can be accomplished with rebounds and up/down strokes.
• The practice technique is built around low tension. Speed will come, but not at the expense of adding tension.
• Rather than umpteen, unrelated rudiments, Spivack grouped them, based on the four building blocks. This makes the rudiments easier to remember. It also enables a structured practice routine, where you start with a basic skill and add one complexity at a time.

What style did he teach?

• None. He taught the technique, rudiments, and reading. It was up to the student to apply this knowledge to whatever style they might play.
• He recommended that the student think about technique when practicing, but to just think about the music when performing. If you practice well, you will naturally apply it to your performances without forcing it.

What equipment do you need to learn and practice the technique?

1. Sticks. (Duh!)
2. A practice pad. (Practice on the pad; perform on the drum.)
3. A metronome. (Vital for practice. One option is MetroTimer, which includes an interval timer.)
4. A mirror. (Ensure that both hands move similarly, and that sticks reach the same height.)
5. A clock. (Each skill gets played for a minimum duration.)

What grips exist?

• The French grip has the index finger on top of the stick. The stick is cradled by the thumb and middle finger. The other fingers have little or no role.
• The German grip has the thumb on top. The stick is cradled by a curved index finger. The remaining fingers can act on the stick.
• The American grip is halfway between the French and German grips. The thumb is on the side. The stick is cradled by a curved index finger, so it is closely related to the German grip. The remaining fingers act on the stick.
• The Spivack grip is most closely related to the French grip, but the index finger is moved to the side. The middle finger is the fulcrum. The thumb and index fingers act as guides. The remaining fingers have little or no role.
• The traditional grip for the left hand is played with the palm up. We will skip this. We will use a matched grip, where left and right hands use the same technique.
• The caveman grip uses a closed fist. Its only advantage is that you are unlikely to drop your stick with this method. If a caveman tries to steal your stick, hold onto it with the caveman grip.

The Spivack Grip

1. Relax your arms at your sides.
2. Your thumb and index finger should be pointing down. There should be space between them – roughly the width of a drumstick.
3. Raise your hands and wrists by bending your elbows to a 90-degree angle. There should still be space between the thumb and index finger.
4. Bend your middle finger, while remaining as relaxed as possible. The middle finger should not touch the thumb.
5. The big knuckle of the index finger should be the highest point on your hand. If not, rotate the wrist as needed.
6. Place a stick into one of the hands, while keeping the hand relaxed…
• The stick should be resting on the middle finger and the heel of the hand.
• The side of the pad of the thumb should be touching the stick on one side.
• The index finger should be touching the stick, opposite the thumb. The stick should be touching the end joint of the index finger.
• The stick should be touching the final joint of the middle finger.
7. Some players hold the stick a bit more closely, curving the index finger slightly. Even so, there should still be a gap in the opening between thumb and hand. This can give more control and make it less likely to drop the stick, but it can choke the sound if held too tight.
8. Other players hold the stick further away, nearly at the end of the fingers. This can be difficult to control, and you might drop sticks here and there. The advantages are an open tone and low tension.
9. How close or far you hold the sticks is a matter of personal preference. When starting, a closer grip might be more comfortable. After the grip becomes comfortable, experiment with holding the sticks further away. Eventually, you will find the sweet spot.

Practice Position

• Sit with good posture.
• The top of the pad should be at roughly the height of your navel. This is where the snare would be with a drum kit.
• When playing samba with a caixa or repenique on a strap, or an agogo or tamborim in the hand, you definitely won’t be playing with a flat surface at the navel. Still, it’s good to have a consistent practice position with the pad in a comfortable position.

The “Floor”

• When at rest, hold the tip of the sticks about ¾” above the pad.
• The sticks should be roughly parallel with the pad or drum head. There should be no rimshots; however, to play a rimshot, you only need to lower your hand position slightly.
• When positioning a caixa or repenique on a strap, ensure that you can get into the floor position comfortably.
• Get into the habit of returning to the floor, when possible. That said, when playing certain notes back-to-back, this isn’t possible or needed.

The Single Wrist Stroke – Finally!

• With the stick at the floor, bend the wrist and hit the drum once with one hand. Repeat with the second hand. The hits should not be loud.
• For louder singles, cock the wrist back before striking.
• The volume of the hit depends on the stick height.
• Take care to get only one hit per stick. (if you get multiple hits, congratulations. You have jumped ahead to rebound strokes. But let’s focus on singles for now.)
• The loudness of the hit depends on the height of the stick prior to the stroke. For a ghost note, make the hit from the floor. For a moderate volume, cock the wrist back slightly before sending the stick towards the drum. Accents are accomplished by raising the stick very high, and these will be covered in the up and down stroke section.
• Pay close attention to both hands. Unless an accent is intended, the left and right sticks should be raised to the same height. This is what the mirror is for.
• Also watch the mirror for differences in grip between left and right hands. If they differ, experiment with adjusting to match one hand’s preference, then the other.
• Listen to the right and left hits. If they do not sound identical, it could be due to different heights, different grips, or poorly matched sticks. (If your sticks don’t match, go shopping – and test that the sticks match before buying.)

Single Wrist Stroke Practice

1. Set up your practice area with sticks, pad, metronome, mirror, and clock.Find the fastest tempo (R, L, R, L…) that you can play consistently with these characteristics:
• Minimum tension. (Don’t let your ego to push you to play faster and tighter.)
• Zero rebounds or doubles.
• An even cadence. No swing or bouncy horse grooves.
• No (or very rare) mistakes or bobbles.
• Even dynamics. (Watch that mirror for matched stick heights.)
2. When starting, you won’t sound pro or machine like. That’s okay. Just find the fastest tempo where you play to your ability without tension.
3. Write down your fast tempo for today.
4. Decrease the tempo by 20 bpm. This is your slow tempo. Practice it for five minutes straight.
5. Take a break of 1-2 minutes. Shake out your hands. Stretch. Close your eyes. Relax. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR PHONE!!!
6. Increase the tempo by 10 bpm. This is your medium tempo. Practice it for five minutes.
7. Take another 1 to 2-minute break.
8. Increase your tempo by another 10 bpm. Practice your fast tempo for five minutes.
9. Take at least a 5-minute break and reflect. Soak it in.
10. Okay, now you can look at your phone, if you must.
11. Repeat this singles exercise daily. (Chad Wackerman studied under Murray Spivack and created the masterclass that I studied. He’s an absolute master. And he still does this exercise as part of his warmup.)

Next steps…

• Up and Down strokes. A free hit, plus accents!
• Flams – These are just up and down strokes, alternating between hands.
• Triplets, using single, up, and down strokes. This is a great pattern for playing samba.
• Rebounds and doubles. Free speed!
• The open roll – just repeating doubles.
• Rebounds and triples.
• The closed roll – just repeating triples. (Not as useful in samba. More of an orchestral technique. But it doesn’t hurt to learn it.)