Groove Exercises

I almost never practice with the metronome on the beat. These exercises can get you started using the metronome in new ways.

Practice these exercises to work on placing flams anywhere within a phrase. In orchestral music flams should not always be accented.

Practice all the different stickings to get comfortable starting ruffs with either hand.

All of these exercises are designed to be played with just one hand. Try them separately with both right and left hands.

A marimba arrangement of one of my many favorite movements by Bach

These two 12-bar blues choruses are a masterclass in sound, phrasing, legato, rhythmic freedom, etc. I’ve made a very basic transcription of just the notes and approximate rhythms. As with all good music, the nuances defy notation.