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PETER VAN DYCK: We're going to look at the right strokes, today. And what I mean by that
is how to hit the drum effectively, economically and in a motion that you can repeat over and
over without getting tired. I'll show it to you first and then we'll talk about it.
Looks easy enough, so let me explain it a little bit. We want to be relaxed from our
shoulders down to our fingers, and we want to use as little movement as possible. We
want the stick to do the work. So first, there's the up stroke, and this will happen right
before you hit the drum. Notice most of the motion is in the wrists and less and less
progressively down the arm. Same thing with the right hand. The down stroke is simply
letting go of the stick and letting it bounce off the drum once the stick hits it. Do that
with the other hand. Put them together.
And these are the right strokes.