Movements, timing, and precision of drummers

Abstract

Percussion instruments vary a great deal in material properties and characteristics of the interaction. Most drums, however, produce sounds with well-defined onsets, and contact time between player and instrument can be very brief. Players of percussion need to have precise control of timing and striking force for sometimes very rapidly repeating, fast movement patterns. This chapter starts by outlining what is specific for drumming movements and how they can be measured. Some general movement strategies used in drumming movements are described and also how tempo, dynamic level, and the surface struck affect the player-instrument interaction and timing control. Lastly, full-body motion capture data from a drum set performance is used to illustrate some of the points addressed in the chapter.