Terry Bozzio

Independence · 50–120 BPM

Your left foot closes the hi-hat on the '&' — the space between the numbers. Most drummers' left foot is asleep; this wakes it up.

Goal: An independent left foot that keeps the pulse for you

Hands · 50–160 BPM

You alternate hands, one hit each, non-stop. You do NOT stay on the snare: every bar your hands move to a different drum so your arms learn to travel.

Goal: Even singles that stay even while your arms travel around the kit

Hands · 50–140 BPM

Each hand plays twice before you swap. First hit is powered by your wrist, second hit is the stick bouncing.

Goal: Clean doubles you can move onto any drum

Hands · 55–150 BPM

A paradiddle is the 4-note sticking R L R R, then mirrored: L R L L. The trick is that the accented (loud) note swaps hands each time, which is how drummers get fills to flow around the kit.

Goal: Paradiddles that automatically travel around the kit

Independence · 45–110 BPM

Each limb gets its own distinct part: right hand plays quarters, left hand plays an offbeat pattern, right foot plays a syncopated kick, left foot ticks 8ths. None of the four parts are the same rhythm.

Goal: True four-way independence with four genuinely different rhythms

Independence · 45–110 BPM

'Ostinato' just means a short pattern you repeat without changing. Here your right hand and both feet play a fixed loop while your left hand improvises on snare and toms.

Goal: Genuine four-way independence

Independence · 50–130 BPM

Half-time means the snare only lands once a bar (on beat 3) so everything feels slower and heavier. Keep your left foot ticking underneath so the pulse never disappears.

Goal: Holding an underlying pulse during quiet sections

Independence · 55–130 BPM

Instead of thinking 'groove' and 'fill' as separate things, you orchestrate — spreading one continuous musical phrase across every drum and cymbal you have, so the kit sings a single melody.

Goal: Kit playing that sounds composed and orchestrated, not just grooved

Hands · 55–130 BPM

Every beat has 4 notes. The first one is loud (stick starts high), the other three are whispers (stick stays 2cm off the drum).

Goal: You control volume, not the stick

Progressive & Odd Time · 45–110 BPM

In the same amount of time, your hands play 3 notes and your feet play 2. They only line up on note 1. The classic phrase to say out loud is 'NICE cup of TEA' — hands on every syllable, feet on NICE and of.

Goal: Internalise the polyrhythmic feel

Progressive & Odd Time · 50–120 BPM

The bar is still normal 4/4 — 16 notes. But you accent every 3rd note. Because 3 does not divide into 16, the accent lands somewhere new each beat and only lines up again after 3 bars. This is the 'over the barline' sound.

Goal: Comfortable playing one rhythm on top of another

Progressive & Odd Time · 45–110 BPM

You play triplets (3 notes per beat). Then you decide that one of those triplet notes is now the new beat. The tempo appears to change but you never actually stopped — that is what Dream Theater do constantly.

Goal: Dance of Eternity thinking, at a beginner-safe tempo

Hands · 50–140 BPM

You play the exact same sticking the whole time — only the volume changes, climbing one step every bar from a whisper up to as loud as you can play cleanly, then back down.

Goal: Full conscious control over dynamics at any speed

Double Kick · 55–130 BPM

Same 16th note double kick, but treated like gym intervals. You play until the timer stops you, then rest completely.

Goal: Hold your tempo for 60 seconds with no tension

Progressive & Odd Time · 55–160 BPM

No grid, no tab. You play music and deliberately drop in at least three things you practised in this session.

Goal: Turn exercises into music

Double Kick · 70–190 BPM

Short bursts above your comfortable tempo. Speed is trained in tiny doses, not by grinding.

Goal: Raise your top speed for short phrases