Music of Choice

[Kallidoraknox]

I started out using the speed bag just as a tool for boxing and have only recently discovered punch drumming. So I am curious on what type of music everyone likes to punch to. I'm always on the look out for new bands/artists. When I'm punching I like anything from Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones to soundtracks and movie scores like Kill Bill. And of course, Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball is always appropriate.

[Zaza]

I started out using the speed bag just as a tool for boxing and have only recently discovered punch drumming. So I am curious on what type of music everyone likes to punch to. I'm always on the look out for new bands/artists. When I'm punching I like anything from Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones to soundtracks and movie scores like Kill Bill. And of course, Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball is always appropriate.

Whatever gets you going. I like to put on a random radio station and see what I get. It's mostly about the tempo of the tune for me, I need to feel the groove!

[Kallidoraknox]

Yeah, I get ya. I have to feel the groove too. Ha. I was reading something on here about bagging to a slower tempo. I'm going to try that for sure. It will probably help me focus on my form. My focus needs more focus.

[Speedbag]

Yeah, I get ya. I have to feel the groove too. Ha. I was reading something on here about bagging to a slower tempo. I'm going to try that for sure. It will probably help me focus on my form. My focus needs more focus.

Hey Magabriel,

Bagging to a slower tempo can be interpreted several ways when punch drumming, because it is NOT as much about the speed of the music as it is your punching ability and "punch drumming method" you use.

notice in the open, (0:39 - 1:48) I am punching pretty slow, in what I call Basic Rhythm Punching on 8x5 bag to a fairly slow song "don't stop believing"
At 1:55 I stop, talk a bit and explain a couple of what I call syncopated combinations, then continue hitting to that same song, and you will notice I am punching a lot faster. That is due to the punching style I am using. So from 1:55 to about 5:36 I am punching a lot faster, using syncopated combination style punching. At 5:36 or so I drop back to the straight time punching as the song fades out to 5:42 or so. notice the punching speed change required to drop back to straight time punching.

On the next song on that video, (5:45) "spirit in the sky" which has kind of a heavy bounce beat that almost demands that you punch in basic rhythm / straight time punching.

From 5:45 - 6:37 I stay in pretty slow basic straight time punching, then use Some Front Double Punching and then Outward-Triple Elbow striking combinations, which require I hit the bag hard and faster to get all the parts in on time and keep the last fist landing "on the beat" - but it is still straight time punching, just using multipart techniques.

At 6:55 - 7:66 I jump into syncopated combinations, notice how much faster the bag is going. Then I stop and say "that's almost too much bag" and at 7:27 go back to the slower basic rhythm punching to the song.

What I mean by too much bag on that song is, there is not a lot of "funk" or syncopation in that song, it's pretty much a straight, simple four beat rock song, and all the syncopated bag beats are overkill to what that song demands. So, for this song that slower straight time punching style works best (IMO of course). If I wanted to punch harder to that particular song, I could use a larger bag, which would make me punch a bit harder to match the larger bag movement to the song, or I could let a bit of air out of that bag to make it a bit slower.

Here is another one of my older videos that kind of emphasizes that also

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPDHFASb6KY

This video shows a fast piece of classic music, "William tell overture" and you can punch a bit slower to it using straight time punching, then at 1:12 or so I jump into syncopated combinations which demands faster bag hitting to make the bag beats match then back off to basic again at 1:27. This is a softer part of the song and the melody at this point would be killed by the syncopated bag rhythms (too much bag). So I choose to cruise a bit slower until the fury of the song takes off again at 1:49.
again at 2:55 until 3:05 I back off to basic for variety and rest for the ending.

Punch drumming (IMO) is not about doing fancy bag combinations to the music, it's about complimenting the song with the bag beat and knowing how to do that really depends on you bag skills and understanding the beat patterns of the bag. Basically you can punch slow or fast to ANY particular song if you can punch in half time, straight time or double time. Of course, you do have to be able to sense that beat-time and be able to manipulate your bag skills and bag beat to sync them up .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h667D33zxGk

Pretty slow but funky piano piece, with a lot of syncopation in the melody and beat. So a slow syncopated bag beat fits great on this 8x5 Leone. for a more challenging workout I could put up a larger bag, and have to punch harder to do the same combinations. notice at 1:22 - 1:33 I have to jump up, punch faster to make the straight time punching style bat beat match. (I could also drop down much slower and do this in half time but it I'd have to barely hit the bag to keep the bag slow enough to make it work).

but the point is you can almost always do "Slow bagging" or "Fast bagging" to any song depending on how you can manipulate your bag rhythm. .

Hope this helps.

[Kallidoraknox]

Wow, thanks for the tips! The last video with the song from Neal Powers was incredible. Looks like I have a lot to learn.

[Speedbag]

Wow, thanks for the tips! The last video with the song from Neal Powers was incredible. Looks like I have a lot to learn.

Wow, thanks for the tips! The last video with the song from Neal Powers was incredible. Looks like I have a lot to learn.

PART 1:

Punch Drumming is about the "BAG SOUNDS", and from a performance perspective really focuses on the accent (loudest) punch heard in the technique or combination, for that is the punch that you and others will determine how much "in sync" your bag beat is with the song. So your accented or loudest punch(es) in punching are what keep you in time to the song. Every speed bag technique or combination ( or non-stop repetitive combinations.....remember, we are always joining techniques from together in various combinations) takes on a definitive beat pattern that becomes very recognizable and easy to hear, ...so much so that you can actually him it or voice it out. Many of those beat patterns will fit easily to most music written in 4/4 time, ....which is most popular western music.

I know that sounds complicated, and it becomes overcomplicated in the written word (like my explanations... ), however the concept IN SOUND is simple. for example: The triplet rhythm.

We all know what that is, we hear it in our head, it that very recognizable "hypnotic bag beat" that drew most of us to the bag. It is THE single most recognizable feature of the speed bag. We can all hum it or voice it out. You can count it,
1-2-3... 1-2-3..... .. with the first "punched sound" the loudest (accented) and the next two unpunched beats (swinging rebounds), getting softer. you can voice it out as DA -da- d, or however you hear it, but you do hear it in your head and you can easily recognize it. This simple triplet rhythm pattern can used to punch directly ON the beat to ANY song written in 2/3. 4/4 or 3/4 music simply by changing the speed of your punching to line up the "punch sound" loudest punch (1) to land directly on the perceived beat of the song. You tap your foot to the song, You punch the bag in triplet rhythm so your PUNCH lands when your foot taps, ....You ARE punching drumming directly in time with the music and you will hear that bag beat sync directly to the song. any song. The punched (loudest) rebound is the sound that keeps you in time to song. the unpunched or swinging rebounds do not play a part in your timing with the exception that you have to adjust your power to let them happen, but you adjust your power and punching speed to stay in time to the music by the Punched rebound, not the swinging ones.

Now, the triplet rhythm, or basic punching pattern as we call it, ...is in fact a combination created several ways, by combining single punches from the same side of the bag. You can use Front Circle Punches, Front straight punches, Reverse Single Punches or Side Single Punches. It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the next punch must come from the SAME side as the last one. that will create the triplet rhythm. ( see: rules of rhythm)

One video that really emphasizes the triplet rhythm, and what I call "Basic Rhythm Punch drumming" is my Elvis Medley. Most 50's and 60's rock and roll music has that basic 4/4 rock beat with very little "funk" or syncopation. Just a continuous driving beat pattern with a melody that is also pretty much tied to the downbeats of the song. Basic Rhythm punching fits great to this type of music, and I could list a hundreds of songs this works to.

Now in this video you will see I pretty much use the basic triplet punching, pattern, fist rolls (easiest technique to sync to a song because every punch is accented), and a lot of double fist pass through, or double fist linking (Front Double Punch FDP to Reverse Double Punch RDP or Side double punching SDP)

Notice continuous triplet rhythm punching can easily fall in sync to these songs, I just match the punched (loud) rebound to the beat of the song, - fast or slow, it doesn't matter. notice "hound dog" and "jail house rock" are faster songs than "all shook up". I just punch a bit faster or slow, and the punch beat lands on the song beat - and my ears tell me when it is right. So do yours.

Now, you will see and hear a lot of Double Fist Pass through patterns. These would be written several ways FDP ' ' RDP... or SDP ' ' SDP... etc. The point is, these double fist pass through combinations also have a very definitive beat pattern to them when done by themselves. Da d....Da d..... or however you voice it out, but when done by themselves repetitively they have a very definite beat pattern that becomes easy to recognize. Sing that beat pattern to any song, line up the accented Punch (beat) to most songs and you will feel it sync up to the music. The secret is knowing that the second fist of a double punch is the loudest, and that is the fist that must land "on the beat" of the song. Now at this point you should say "wait a minute, you are passing through that bag using TWO rebounds between these techniques, not three". And you would be right, of course. This combination occurs in the double bounce rhythm (rule of rhythm #2). and I would say, "from a punch drumming perspective, it doesn't matter. As long as that loudest accented punch lands ON the beat, it works. The secret is knowing how to finely adjust your punching speed and force "up or down" slightly to adjust to allow the required number of rebounds in a combination to occur. TIP: when punch drumming and moving your hands around the bag, using different combinations, you do not always punch with equal power and force. The song beat stays constant, but your punch force and bag speed does not, that must be adjusted up or down to keep your accented punches in time to the song.

(more in next post.. PART II)

[Speedbag]

Wow, thanks for the tips! The last video with the song from Neal Powers was incredible. Looks like I have a lot to learn.

PART II ........ (from above)

Consider this: When you do a Front Double Punch_(FDP) to a Reverse Double Punch_(RDP), it requires 2 rebounds inbetween and is written like this: FDP ' ' RDP. This creates a very common accent beat sound used in almost any song, and the secret to using this combo in punch drumming is to have the second fist of the double punch land on the beat of the song (when you tap your foot). Remember, you are just following a double punch with another double punch from the opposite side. The lead or first fist of the double punch can be viewed as a pick up beat and lands just a smidge before the real beat of the music.

Now, let's look at another double punch combination. When you do a Front Double Punch_(FDP) to a Front Double Punch_(FDP), it requires 3 rebounds inbetween and is written like this: FDP ' ' ' FDP. This also creates a very common accent beat sound used in almost any song, and the secret to using this combo in punch drumming is to have the second fist of the double punch land on the beat of the song (when you tap your foot) just like the other combination. Remember, you are just following a double punch with another double punch from the SAME side. again, The lead or first fist of the double punch can be viewed as a pick up beat and lands just a smidge before the real beat of the music.


Both of these work great in punch drumming, but the secret is understanding the SAME side FDP combination is in the triplet rhythm and has an extra swinging rebound (3, not 2) and you must allow TIME for that rebound to occur. On the bag, you allow time for more or less rebounds by adjusting your punch force slightly. To do FDP ' ' RDP to a song requires one punch force, to do FDP ' ' ' FDP to the same song will require another punching force. They will both work fine in the song if you match up the second fist on the beat, but you will have to punch slightly harder or softer to make them match. THAT is completely up to your punching skill and ability to control the bag speed by your punch force, as well as your ability to pass your fists through the bag.

Now, consider the fact that the combination of FDP ' ' ' FDP, actually has 6 rebounds in it. Think about it, rebound 2 and rebound 6 are accented because those are when your second fist hit the bag. Sync up those louder rebounds to the song beat and you will be "on time" to the music. the lead fist of each double punch is a pick up beat. now let's add another pick up beat, by adding the elbows in front. aha...

now we will do the combination of Outward-Triple Elbow Strike_(O-TES) ' ' ' Outward-Triple Elbow Strike_(O-TES). Doing repetitive OTES also has it's own definitive beat pattern that you an easily hear.
but for our purpose here, we have added the elbow in front of the FDP to make it an O-TES, and since we have now added both elbows into the combination, we have added two more rebounds into the combination. From a punch drumming perspective, now you have 8 rebounds, with the 3rd and 8th rebound landing ON the beat of the song. to allow for the extra rebounds you will have to punch harder to sync your last punch of each technique to the song beat. Remember, the space between the song beats stayed constant, but the number of rebounds you have to make went up, so you have to add force to let those extra rebounds occur. And after all of this explanation, the only rebounds that are important in this combination for timing your bag beat is the last (loudest rebound) of each technique, in this example, rebound 3 and 8. As long as they land ON the song beat, your bag beat is in time to the music. From a timing perspective, the sounds made by the unpunched swinging rebounds don't matter. They add cool beats to the sound, but as far as keeping you on-time to the song they play no part other than they must occur and you have to add a bit of force to let them.

From this point, if you want to drop the elbow and go back to the FDP ' ' ' FDP combo, you are dropping two rebounds and will need to decrease your punching force to match up the last fist of the double punches, and this combination requires less rebounds.

The point of all this is that the SOUND PATTERNS of the bag combinations is the most important factor for pure punch drumming. Obviously the higher your bag skill, the more techniques and combinations you can do, the more bag sounds and rhythms you have to use in your drumming. You will notice as you improve that you really like certain bag beat patterns. I have my favorites and you will find yours. You will create those sounds or beat patterns a lot. So much so that you can often tell who is punching the speed bag in a gym just by the sound pattern of their beat. without looking, you will start to recognize "their beat" because they punch a certain way. and they can probably use their favorite beats to punch drum when they (or you) learn to sync those accented beat patterns to music.

In the Speed Bag Bible, I wrote the chapter 11 "Echo rhythms and training to music" for the sole purpose of learning to create certain repetitive beat patterns that I like and found pleasing and useful, and show (in text form) how to create those rhythms repetitively, starting from any side of the bag and continuously moving it around the bag, creating an ongoing repetitive beat from all around the bag. (the beat will "echo" itself.... hence the name. That was shorter than calling it "Non-stop repetitive beat patterns from all around the bag" that scares the hell out of me just thinking about it). Fair warning: it's a complicated chapter, not for the feint of heart. You need to understand my speed bag combination writing system fairly well to follow it. Sorry, there is just no other way to communicate this in text.

Most of those combinations can be used for punch drumming when you learn to adjust their speed to match up the accented beats.

I'm sure I may have confused you enough, so think about it and there will a test on this next Tuesday.

just kidding. But.... listen to your bag beat. Feel the sound it makes. It has a pulse and when you learn to control it, it will sing to any song you play it with.

[Kallidoraknox]

I’ve probably read your post(s) at least a half a dozen times already today. Each time I read it I understand it a little bit better. You’re right the sound of the basic punching pattern is what caught my attention in the first place. And now I’m hooked…

Your Elvis Melody video was very helpful. I listened to it several times and concentrated on the beat of the bag with the music.

Now I just need to get to my gym and practice…practice…practice.

I also found you on Youtube and subscribed!