Show summary The chop exercises in this playlist are designed for rudimental drummers who really want to push their hybrid rudiments to the next level. If you’re not a rudimental drummer, you might want to skip this section unless you’re up for a serious challenge. There are a ton of shopping sprees, chug variations, hybrid rudiments, and more that are designed to push your stick coordination and control beyond your current limits. My favorite play-alongs in this section are the shopping sprees, but any of the exercises will challenge you if you practice them fast enough lol.

Show summary Cheezy Poofs is a classic exercise written by Murray Gusseck for the Santa Clara Vanguard (SCV) drumline back in the 1990s. This playlist includes a few variations of Cheezy Poofs that allow you to practice playing along to audio that has perfect rhythmic accuracy. This allows you to practice listening in and playing clean with proper rhythmic interpretation. Note that these play-alongs do not display all of the sheet music, due to copyright agreements with Murray (you can purchase the sheet music from Tapspace); however, you can hear the entire part, so it’s perfect for practicing with.

Show summary This exercise will challenge your coordination and rhythmic precision by blending complex hybrid rudiments with syncopated accents using the Chicago, cheese Chicago, and book report hybrid drum rudiments. When practicing these play-alongs, pay careful attention to the inner beats and ensure your taps and grace notes are low. Use the timestamps in the description to break down the sticking at a slower tempo before pushing your hands to maximum velocity. Note: the first half of this exercise was popularized by the Bluecoast in their exercise titled “Who Put the Suvin in the Queso,” which also includes Suzie.

Show summary This playlist is all fun combinations of hybrid rudiments that last between 2 and 3 counts of 16th notes. Chug has been played by drumlines around the world for decades, as it creates unique combinations of rudiments that put your stick control to the test. Take advantage of the timestamps in the description to find a tempo that challenges you, and focus on breathing and staying relaxed to prevent tension from creeping into your hands while you play. If you’re not sure how to do that, see the Tips + Lessons below.

Show summary This pdf lists some common hybrid rudiments I played while marching snare in high school, college, and DCI. If you can play the majority of the rudiments in this pdf, you’re ready for the other chop exercises in this section. When practicing them, focus on playing slow and controlled, gradually speeding up the rudiments. I elaborate on how this builds chops in this video.

Fast-Slow-Fast - Slow-Fast-Slow

Show summary This drumming practice tool is designed to work on both your chops and technique. Simply pick what you want to improve (e.g., a rudiment), select a subdivision in one of the playlists that matches your rudiment, then pick a tempo range in the description of the video. The play-along will either gradually speed up (Slow-Fast-Slow) or slow down (Fast-Slow-Fast) one click at a time. The play-along will reach your final tempo, hold it for four measures, then gradually return to the starting tempo, moving one click at a time. This allows you to not only refine your technique while drumming, but to slowly push yourself to play a rudiment faster. Add this into your daily drum practice routine and you’ll notice huge improvements in a couple of weeks.

Show summary Flammus is a classic flam and flam drag exercise written by Murray Gusseck for the Santa Clara Vanguard (SCV) drumline back in the 1990s. This video allows you to practice playing along to audio that has perfect rhythmic accuracy. This allows you to practice listening in and playing clean with proper rhythmic interpretation. Note that this play-along does not display all of the sheet music, due to copyright agreements with Murray (you can purchase the sheet music from Tapspace); however, you can hear the entire part, so it’s perfect for practicing with.

Show summary Float drag rudiments are hybrid rudiments played in five note groupings, with a diddle on the fourth partial. The rudiments are named after DCI Hall of Fame drumline instructor, Tom Float. These Float drag exercises are a lot of fun to play, especially if you’re playing super fast. If you’re not sure how to speed up these rudiments, check out this video.

Show summary This playlist has a bunch of resources to help you improve your hybrid rudiments, combining standard rudiments into complex, brain-teasing sticking patterns that will test your mental and physical dexterity. The 100 Hybrid Rudiments in a Row play-along is one of the trickiest play-alongs on my website. Seriously. If you’re not an advanced rudimental drummer who can already play a bunch of grid variations and shopping sprees, I’d avoid this one unless you start at 40 BPM and have a lot of patience. Whatever play-along you choose in this playlist, it will help you refine your hybrid rudiments.

Show summary This is a simple, but challenging exercise that helps you build your drum chops. The exercise is very simple to learn because the accent pattern is RLRR LRLL RLRL RRRR and then you repeat everything off the left (LRLL RLRR LRLR LLLL). This exercise can be played with many different rudiments and variations, some of which can be found in this playlist. If you’re unsure how to relax your accents while playing quick upstrokes, watch this video.

Show summary Forget snare breaks, THIS is what you should practice if you want to have fun while improving your control of hybrid rudiments. This shopping spree playlist includes classic and modern shopping sprees from some of the best drumlines in the world (e.g., Blue Devils, Santa Clara Vanguard, Riverside Community College, and many more). Whether you’re an intermediate or advanced rudimental drummer, there are some really cool sprees to learn that will help you improve. Just remember to use the timestamps in the description of each video to select a starting BPM (hint: GO SLOW), then let it gradually speed up one click at a time while you maintain relaxed over your drumsticks.

Fast-Slow-Fast - Slow-Fast-Slow

Show summary This drumming practice tool is designed to work on both your chops and technique. Simply pick what you want to improve (e.g., a rudiment), select a subdivision in one of the playlists that matches your rudiment, then pick a tempo range in the description of the video. The play-along will either gradually speed up (Slow-Fast-Slow) or slow down (Fast-Slow-Fast) one click at a time. The play-along will reach your final tempo, hold it for four measures, then gradually return to the starting tempo, moving one click at a time. This allows you to not only refine your technique while drumming, but to slowly push yourself to play a rudiment faster. Add this into your daily drum practice routine and you’ll notice huge improvements in a couple of weeks.

Show summary This exercise gets its name from the accent pattern (RLRR LRLL). You’ll work on playing hand-to-hand or back-to-back rudiments like flam drags, cheese, flam fives, etc. This exercise REALLY works your drum chops, so make sure you stay relaxed when playing the upstrokes. If you’re unsure how to do that, watch this video.

Show summary Suzie is a classic exercise for working on inverts and cheese inverts. Yes, there are lyrics to this exercise. No, they are not family-friendly. When practicing this play-along, pay careful attention to not tighten up on the accents. Use the timestamps in the description to start at a slow tempo with a relaxed technique, then let it gradually speed up one click at a time. Note: this exercise was popularized by the Bluecoast in their exercise titled “Who Put the Suvin in the Queso,” which also includes the first half of the Chicago book report exercise.