Drumming In All Directions (Hal Leonard and Hudson Music) is a groundbreaking approach for developing coordination, all-limb freedom and creative control at the drumset. It's designed for drummers of all styles who want to reach the highest levels of performing and creative freedom.

DID sprang from something most of us experience- frustration over lack of facility and freedom at the kit. Seeing students struggle while tackling a beat or finding my own limbs tangle in the heat of battle, I returned to that central drummer's question- how do we achieve total freedom at our instrument? Or more specifically: all-limb freedom. That’s when our 4 limbs work harmoniously together to execute anything we want while playing. Reaching that elusive goal is entirely possible. It's how we go about it that's the problem! So what gets in the way? Two simple but important reasons:

Reason 1- Often there’s little thought given to using the same techniques for both hands and feet. I’m referring to the natural motion techniques of Stone and Moeller. Free stroke and Moeller technique are about making relaxed throwing motions with stick or beater and using the rebound energy for multiple strokes. The beauty of all limbs using these same techniques is that it equalizes them within a framework of fluid, relaxed movement.

Reason 2- There’s a gap in our limb training. It’s really a deficiency in the training of limb motions. Did you know there are 25 ways our 4 limbs combine into alternating motions? When you consider lead limbs verses secondary limbs, you actually have 50 motions. Every motion is important but as drummers, we often master a few at the expense of others.

Perhaps you see the problem? How can we progress from simple coordination to full limb integration when there's a foundation of tension and vital limb motions are undeveloped?

Traditional coordination methods are a valuable tool, but they don’t address the problem. They approach all-limb freedom by coordinating patterns against each other. If a drummer hasn’t integrated natural motion techniques into their playing or trained their limbs with the 25 basic motions, the result is overall tension and limbs burdened with juggling patterns. Coordination becomes a math problem, figuring how one pattern plays against another. The experience is fragmentation, which is counterproductive to developing all-limb freedom.

Drumming In All Directions is a new kind of coordination system. It offers a more fundamental, integrative approach to all-limb freedom by using natural motion techniques to coordinate limb motions instead of patterns.

The key to DID is the Limb Matrix- a progressive ordering of the 50 limb motion combinations. The limb motions are developed by a series of workout routines and groove solos, each based on a unique rhythm-melody. Rhythm-melodies are elemental figures that occur in all music, no matter the style. Finally, the limb motions are played with time keeping ostinatos to cover all the ways we play drums.

By combining fundamental limb motions with figures basic to drumming, you’re reflexes will be sharpened and tuned. You’ll develop the muscle memory and playing experience for a solid coordination technique. You'll achieve a new freedom of expression that really is drumming in all directions!

Learn more about Drumming In All Directions at:

www.DavidDieni.com

Hal Leonard (Print Edition)

Hudson Music (ebook Edition)

where you'll learn more about Drumming In All Directions and can view sample pages. You’ll also find DID on Amazon, Hal Leonard and anywhere Hal Leonard products are sold!

David Dieni



