- Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:09 am
#2268
following the thread about shoulder and back injuries, i thought i'd start this thread. i've seen many people injure themselves as a result of bad dunun technique. let's discuss how to improve our dunun technique. when refering to any particular technique, please indicate if it applies to horizontal or vertical dunun playing.
to begin with, i'd like to talk about the horizontal stick movement on the skin. it's often harder for people to begin with and involves some rotation of the arm. often i see people leaning their whole body a bit to the side when playing, which is really bad posture and likely to cause shoulder and back injuries. it can be avoided to a large degree by having the dunun at the right height, or adjusting one's sitting height to the dunun. another injury with both horizontal and vertical dunun playing is lower arm injuries resulting in a pain that goes right up the lower arm. while there is some adjustment for the body to make when beginning to play dunun, changing from vertical to horizontal (or v-v) or playing for longer periods of time, technique is the main factor.
for both horizontal and vertical playing, the stick should not be held too firmly, but not too lightly either, otherwise the stick could go flying and injure someone else
the index finger is semi-extended and the thumb under and slightly behind it. the angle of the hand should be such that the thumb is almost on top, but not quite. don't have the index finger on top. the ring and little finger is tucked underneath the stick. this position/grip is also favoured by many kit drum players. it allows the stick to bounce between the ring finger and the palm of the hand.
with horizontal dunun playing, the whole arm makes the movement. there is some wrist involvement to increase the bounce, but it's only slight. the bouncing of the stick helps reduce a lot of the impact and force required. when you do that, playing becomes a lot more effortless. to begin with, many people find it helpful to use the fingers to move the stick to get a feel of that bouncing action.
another very important thing is momentum. there's a particular feeling in every dunun pattern. it creates a flow. try not to make dunun playing a cerebral exercise - get out of your headspace and feel the flow and momentum of the music. it will really make the music a lot more effortless and allow you to keep going for long periods of time. with horizontal dunun playing, it's often necessary to begin the stroke slightly early to achieve that momentum. with vertical playing, this isn't as apparent because you're aided by gravity.
to begin with, i'd like to talk about the horizontal stick movement on the skin. it's often harder for people to begin with and involves some rotation of the arm. often i see people leaning their whole body a bit to the side when playing, which is really bad posture and likely to cause shoulder and back injuries. it can be avoided to a large degree by having the dunun at the right height, or adjusting one's sitting height to the dunun. another injury with both horizontal and vertical dunun playing is lower arm injuries resulting in a pain that goes right up the lower arm. while there is some adjustment for the body to make when beginning to play dunun, changing from vertical to horizontal (or v-v) or playing for longer periods of time, technique is the main factor.
for both horizontal and vertical playing, the stick should not be held too firmly, but not too lightly either, otherwise the stick could go flying and injure someone else

with horizontal dunun playing, the whole arm makes the movement. there is some wrist involvement to increase the bounce, but it's only slight. the bouncing of the stick helps reduce a lot of the impact and force required. when you do that, playing becomes a lot more effortless. to begin with, many people find it helpful to use the fingers to move the stick to get a feel of that bouncing action.
another very important thing is momentum. there's a particular feeling in every dunun pattern. it creates a flow. try not to make dunun playing a cerebral exercise - get out of your headspace and feel the flow and momentum of the music. it will really make the music a lot more effortless and allow you to keep going for long periods of time. with horizontal dunun playing, it's often necessary to begin the stroke slightly early to achieve that momentum. with vertical playing, this isn't as apparent because you're aided by gravity.