Five Tempo Method

I keep referring to this so I thought I'd better explain it. The following is cut and pasted from a handout I give to my drum students:

The Five Tempo Method

Speed – The Final Frontier!

Most musicians have at some stage wanted to be able to play a particular pattern or piece faster. The usual advice regarding this is to start slowly and gradually work the patterns up to speed. The Five Tempo Method is a way of doing just that in an organised, methodical way.

In order to practise a pattern or piece using the Five Tempo Method you need a metronome and a note of the traditional metronome markings. These are:

40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 63, 66, 69, 72, 76, 80, 84, 88, 92, 96,100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 120, 126, 132, 138, 144, 152, 160, 168, 176, 184, 192, 200, 208

At the slower tempos the difference between the markings is small. The difference increases as you move into the faster tempos.

If you have a particular pattern or piece you want to work up to speed you first need to find a tempo that allows you to play the piece/pattern with ease. Practise the pattern/piece through at that tempo and then repeat the whole thing at the next four tempos. The aim is to play the entire exercise at five tempos. The next time you work on this pattern/piece your starting point is one tempo faster than your previous starting point.

Example:
Day 1 - 60, 63, 66, 69, 72
Day2 - 63, 66, 69, 72, 76
Day 3 – 66, 69, 72, 76, 80

Try to be patient when you reach your top speed. Keep working up to your top speed on a daily basis and eventually you will get beyond it. Remember to remain relaxed (physically and mentally) and enjoy the process, not just the result.

This method works particularly well when applied to whole pieces. If you are practising a short phrase or lick try repeating the pattern 16 or 20 times at each speed.
Give it a try – it always works for me!