3 Tips for Troubleshooting Finger Control 

Dude, after isolating individual fingers for the last few days, I searched like a fucking madman to find this video again just so I can comment and tell you THANK YOU!!!

Man your an amazing educator. My biggest problem has always been knowing how and what to practice when I sit down. Great job

I don't know why, but every so often it's incredibly helpful to have someone point out obvious things. Thanks for this video.

My left hand is going to love this. I've always had problems blasting with my left hand because my fingers get wonked.

At 52, (playing since 1980), I've mostly found the main reason your left hand always lags behind the right is that the right is always constantly playing 8th notes on Ride or HH. The left only backbeats on 2 & 4. That makes the right at least twice as strong. So, you have to practice rolls and lead rolls with the left hand during practice. I've finally got that 8th note Moelar whipping motion down with the left shoulder. Now I can do up tempo swing with the left arm on the ride. Took decades.

Thanks for rubbing it in my face. This is probably the first vid I see on this topic actually going into the struggle of learning the technique in the first place instead of just showing the endproduct of years of practise and then claiming it's supereasy to learn. Well not for me, I've been struggling with this in my left hand for a long time, but most of it has to do with me not wanting to go in depth and really attacking the problem. So thanks for showing the reality of it and the tips on what to really focus on. I'll try it!

I am a beginner on raw drums having begun my first attempts on the conga drums which I love to play. Recently, I wanted to learn playing with sticks and pad with the help of a Rudiments book. It is quite a challenge. By some sort of magic you appear on RU-vid with exactly the problem I'm having early on...just when I most need the solution and the encouraged advice for patient practice. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom.

My teacher just pointed out that I had no real finger control. I was just hitting with my thumb and my index as a grip. After 5 years of drumming, I suddenly realized why I could not get some real speed with paraddidle and 16th notes.

You are one very smart man which will make you the bestest teacher ever. Btw, "Isolate" is my favorite word when m teaching. Cheers!!!

Stephen, if you could perhaps in the future make a video about how to incorporate finger technique into German grip playing, I would be really thankful!

Thanks for explaining this so well! I worked on this in my playing a few years ago just to get my hands even with each other. I now find myself teaching finger control to students as we work on doubles, and I find this to be a trickier subject to teach. Hearing you teach it though helps it make more "verbal" sense in my mind, which will probably make sense to students. Sometimes someone can learn just by watching, but when you put a specific explanation on it like that it clicks even better. Thanks for the video! 👍

Best lesson so far on how to approach successful drumming, thank you!

Other online teachers need to learn their craft from YOU!!! Thank you “freaking hella massively”. Everything just clicked in with what you where explaining. (Feeling kinda stupid for not getting it sooner). Being a new-be beginner drummer, it gets overwhelming with the massive amount of uploads on the Tube. You just made it understandable. Much love and appreciation!!

Everything ingenious is simple Many thanks!

These grip and technique videos are so helpful! I know this has been what's behind my difficulty in achieving speed, and it's great to see this broken down!

Find your videos so helpful & Informative.

Dude, I got more from this than I have in years of drum instruction. Outstanding.

Watching your videos consistently evokes feelings of personal guilt (which is a good thing) when it comes to time efficiency in practice and how it doesn't serve you in any way to be half assing what you could be doing unequivocally more effectively to achieve the desired result. I get really motivated watching how you break things down and it's inspiring, thank you!

I have nerve damage in my left pinky and ring finger. So for control on rely on the thumb and first two fingers. I am slowly get a little strength in my weak fingers and hopefully can get to adjust with the two weak fingers. I use a guitar finger strengthener and it has helped lot.

Find me another drummer on here that's better at breaking down all the issues we run into as drummers...and I'm subscribed to just about everyone I could find...hands down the best videos for learning on here...honestly dont stop making these videos..you are making huge improvements in our drumming...you should have at least a million subscribers...I know there's a million drummers out there who could pick up something...thanks Stephen for all your time making these videos...for some of us it means a lot...✌

This is great. You can do the same thing with open/close for doubles

This is great info specially for edrums where dynamics and control are even more important since you're playing "for the trigger".

Stephen, your videos have been on fire lately (though they are always awesome)! This is probably my favorite of yours. It would be nice to see a follow-up, wherein you talk about the different applications of the three grips, even in the context of playing a particular style or song. Many thanks for your great contributions to the drumming community.

Many thanks Stephen ,an excellent and clear breakdown of finger control . I find it enormously helpful and encouraging when you mentioned your own difficulties with your left hand ,and how you broke it all down to pinpoint the problem . This technique really does take a lot of work to develop ,thanks for reminding us of this and that it's all part of the journey . As I'm sure you are well aware ,the feeling of frustration when you have tried and tried to learn something difficult like this ,and aren't really seeing any real progress ,can be so painful and discouraging . Thankyou .

So much sense made! Thank you

Thanks mate.. some days I feel great when practising my rudiments and other days I feel like a beginner ! Your tips have really helped .. appreciated 🥁 🇦🇺

Love the systematic approach to it. You can take that "troubleshooting" perspective onto anything and extract some improvement out of the exercise! Stephen, you're the man! ✊🏽

Detailed solution for major problem.❤️

Just wanted to say that, 'your no nonsense way of explaining these exercises and techniques is fresh and fun.' I'm an older (garage player) but technique and accuracy are paramount, as they should be. I haven't played in awhile so it's 'back to basics'. Watched your 'Time, Groove and Transition vid and will stick with that for awhile. This vid is excellent for strengthening 59 year old fingers so "Thanks"! ...oh and ...I have subscribed...👍

Just wanna say thanks for this video, I've been struggling to get control on my doubles, this video really helped to isolate the issues with my left hand, thank you for sharing.

This guy is an amazing teacher/musician.

love that you are here man, thanks so much. Do you have a drum pad recomendation?

Thanks Stephen that's a brilliant exercise for the wrists

Thanks for being my drum teacher! I wish so much that RU-vid lessons and videos of my favorite drummers playing had existed when I first learned to play drums. It is so much easier to learn now! When I was a kid you rarely ever got to see drummers play up close. VCRs where for rich people! Your only hope was that mom and dad would take you somewhere where there was a band!

Thank you for sharing so selflessly Stephen

Awesome lesson. Noticed a huge improvement after 2 hrs of this exercise.

wow! such amazing explanation. thanks for help!

Dude, is their anything that you can't teach? Just finished your practice series and am already seeing improvement. Awesome stuff

I cannot express how much this video has helped my drumming. My left hand has always been holding my speed and feel back, but it's getting better every day! Thank you so much man, you're like the Jesus of drumming.

Great advice. Thank you.

Great lesson. Thanks

Great tips. Haven’t heard of isolating specific fingers in finger control exercises until now. It’s probably my left pinky that is holding me back. Haha. I’ll work on it. Thanks.

I’m a god at drumming lol gave me a good laugh 😂 Very helpful tips, always watching your channel Stephen! Thank you!! 👍🏼👊🏼

You're so right ! Thanks Stephen.

Awesome Steve.. I’m a drummer of 25plus years n my finger control is a disgrace

I am really looking foward to applying this, I just feel like saying thanks in advance. Because me too the ring and pinky on the left hand are just not as good as the middle finger

Glad I clicked this on. Initially I was like "naw I figured this one out already" but you nailed it with those back two fingers; I was just noticing that the other day.

I am very new to finger control, and I identified the issue in my hand right after this video. My thumb and index finger weren't holding it right. Now that I have that part down, I know this information will come in handy soon. Thanks for giving me the confidence, I really needed it!

Wow.. its a huge helpful video. Thanks for making us notice that. 👍

The thing is maybe it's not even not knowing how to perform with a certain technique, it's that in the stress of a performance we revert to old habits. I mostly drum in my basement, and I can be a damn technician when I know I can fail without people staring at me, but when I played with bands, man, it was hard to stay relaxed! So except for alcohol or drugs would you say there is a way to stay relaxed and play at your best, say for someone with stage fright/social anxiety?

Great deep dive. Thanks Stephen. I very quickly identified my left pinky as the "weak link." Isolated it and working on it now. Once it strengthens up, I'm gonna take for a run on the metronome.

I like your explanation it sounds like you are fault finding engineer.as fault finding based on logical reasoning.find the weak finger isolate work out out stuff together I like that.

Great video. I will apply this diagnosis tomorrow. Thank you :)

I am SO gonna go try this! Thanks for this!

Funny, I was doing exactly that because of my week left hand. So I was on the right track. Thanks Stephen.

Those are some great tips Steven :) thanks a lot! I'm jumpin on it tomorrow.

Just the information I needed, thanks Stephen.

Agree here. You want as much of hand muscles working, your motor muscles. Elbow to fingertips. Work your weak side twice as much as strong side. You want equal hands. With control comes speed. You want easiest, fastest, simplest point to every head or cymbal, etc, struck. Twirling good for finger control. Practice French grip more, it utilizes fingers more. Strengthen them. Want good wrists? Practice in firm pillow. The more muscles trained, the less fatigue, pain issues. Learn to relax arms, wrists, fingers. You want controlled, straight up and down strokes on drum head. Put a dot, tape on head, and concentrate on hitting it directly. You will be amazed at how your overall general play will improve. Its brain first. Its a lot of steady controlled practice. You need at least an hour to 3 hrs a day when starting out. One day lost of no practice, is one day lost. Drumming, percussion, is about style, control. Timing! You need to know where 1 is as you play. Count as you practice. Metronome used wisely and to be steady. And can do all this while warching TV, listening to music. Play along! Use your hands a lot. Even eat left handed instead. Do more with your weak side. Some say play lose. Not starting! You gotta have total hand control, hold stick tight enough to move around a kit. Hard crashes. Or, just playing very softly! The lose trick comes with time. You will learn to feel your stick, fingers faster. Change up or alternate grip. You will feel it! One little tiny move of one finger, you’ll know you good or not. Speed will come. And when you break. You stop there. Slowly pushing yourself and avoiding pain. Takes time to train motor muscles. You will have to practice a lot, and good productive practice time. No way out but this. Should be fun for you!! You are a drummer. Drummers sit on thrones! You have to be special. And no one will ever play like you. You wear a lonley crown.

Thank you!

Great video. That seals the deal. I am signing up for Drum Shed, frugality be damned. That's what mastercards are for, right?

Hey Stephen! I just want to quickly say thank you for all this tips... I do really appreciate all your advices and I can guarantee this tip have been helping my drumming... again thank you and greetings from Mexico!

Great video, great humor too... Thanks for this helpful material!!!

Thanks again, Stephen! I'm loving the journey!

I saw a video where someone said that the stick should rest on the first joint of your index finger for I think a German or American position to get the most bang for your buck but I can't figure how how to have my fingers relaxed and somehow keep the stick on the first joint of my index finger? The stick seems to want to go to the second joint of my index finger. Thoughts?

Great tips man... All your lessons are awesome

Good lesson, excellent points. After 35 years of studying, gigging, some teaching..music was my 'day' gig..fyi. my issue. My opposing digits, thumbs on both hands are no longer functioning...they are literally worn out. The thumbs no longer sit in that saddle. I need two hands to turn the ignition, diff ways to use a door handle..the hand doc says the thumbs needed to be fused. Not so funny. The hand specialist asked "what do you do for a living" "drummer" I say..."thats too bad" he says. Im almost to the point of surgery if it would give me strength in the fulcrum..any thoughts other than that sucks? Thanks again. Sadly my passion, my livelihood is really screwed.

This is a great video and a very important topic. Thanks my friend

Well conceived and articulated. Thanks for doing this.

Thanks for sharing these methods have included it in my practice time.

Thanks for this video man!

I did a lot of this sort of practice 10+ years ago. I'm probably due a reboot as I've improve on all areas of my drumming but I'm guilt of not looking at the fine tuning stuff. Thanks a lot for the video

thank you teacher. nailed it.

The part on strength and control made a huge difference in my playing

This video was great. Finger control is definitely my Achilles heel. Do you have more lessons on developing finger control on your web site? I really feel like my lack of finger control is keeping me from moving my playing to the next level.

Great video! I will focus on these tips in my practice time from now on. My only question is about how long should we spend (at a minimum) to apply these concepts. I just don't want to spend hours doing them while neglecting the rest of my areas for improvement, but also I don't want to spend too little and get discouraged because I do not see any improvement. Thank you again!

This really helped! Thanks!

You can look at that inevitable repetitiveness of warm ups, and practice as a simple physical exercise. Like the zen repetition of working at yoga and working out with weights is. And, do it while watching T.V.

Stephen, you seem like you're in a bad mood on this one. But thanks for the continued education and expertise. I dig this every time from you.

Excellent, quick advice. Thanks!

great advice. im a beginner and already realizing the left hand weakness. my hand is already sore but thats ok. i think its my ring finger that needs more work than the pinky. i wonder if this is common. off with the wedding band. lol.

Here's a strange one for you. I've been practicing my finger control a lot lately and like you find my left hand lags behind my right. The weird thing is - I'm left handed! (even though I play a right-handed set up). I thought the issue in my left hand was lack of strength, in one (or all) of my fingers, but I've since discovered it's not really that. It seems that the grip in my left hand (French Grip) isn't as efficient as my right, so it was not transferring power through the stick as well. After some experimentation and adjustment with my grip I was able to gain a lot more speed/power and get it closer to the level of my right hand. I probably focus 3x as much on my left as my right, but it's still only about 90% (at best) compared to my right.

THANKS A LOT for this lesson Stephen! :-)

This video is a finger saver. Thanks 👍

AMEN! FINALLY A VIDEO ABOUT DRUMSTICK SLIPPING THANK GOD!

Thank sr

Excellent video; sometimes I do a hand exercise by opening and closing each finger say for a minute each- what do you think?

Hey steven, when i practice finger control the stick slides back into my hand. must i apply more pressure between the thumb and the pointy finger? great video thanks.

Hi Stephen, you remember those asian steel balls people roll around in there hands.i thought recently that might help my really weak right hand too. Thank you for the wonderful help. Jon

Probably my biggest issue in my drumming. Thanks again Stephen! Mostly a punk drummer, all middle finger 😋

My problem is getting my rolls to sound even with the fingers. I can do the fingers individually on each hand but when I try to do a roll with both hands its a mess. Any advise or exercises on finger rolls with both hands?

Sweet, dude! Great info as usual!

as a beginner drummer this helps alot, thanks, so does the link to better doubles thanks

Thanks Stephen. Nice to know I'm on the right track, plus you enhance my journey with great tips! I'm using Stone's Stick control for finger exercises. Actually, I also use it for Drum set 4 limb Independence. Are there any other good finger control method books?

Wow thanks Stephen. What a very insightful way of looking at finger control. I never looked at it that way. I manage to get up to a certain speed and then tense up and it sounds like crap. I'm definitely going to use your tips and see what happens. Thanks so much

I have a weird problem that i am right handed drummer and when i pick a stick in left hand i get instantly feeling i am holding it right, but when i pick up stick in right hand and start playing flying fingers technique (in slow tempo) my stick starts to bouncing askew. i always trying it with both hands in the same time and i have all fingers in the same position, but when i start to play that stick bounce like this / :-(

Wow... I never thought to do this. My left hand consistently comes up less high in a single stroke and my arc is often wobbly. I just found out that my left pinky is by far my weak link. Left middle, left ring, pretty good. Left pinky, it's all over the place and I can't even get a straight arc in the stick. I actually have had issues with left pinky control on violin for the 24 years I've been playing it. Maybe isolating here will help that too. 🤔

Thanks for the reminder !! Need to dig into it a lot deeper. !! Stupid left hand !! Lmao

Your vid saved my life bro 🙌🤙 it was that damn pinkie ring finger for sure

My main issue has been to find the right… wrist angle, if you can call it that. Every time I try to do finger control, I end up bending my wrists in a weird way, and if I don't I can't seem to put any strength in it. Maybe it's because of my weird thumbs, I don't know…

Mine will be right hand but ring and pinky would be the problem cuz it's weak but I still can't play really fast with left or right is it practice to play faster 🤔🥁 Stephen ?