As teachers and players, we often observe and comment on playing with a smooth motion because it's a visual cue that reflects how you're feeling, holding the stick, moving the stick, and as a result, how you'll sound.

A common struggle for players occurs when the tempo or playing demand increases. Players will often begin to tense up and work harder in an attempt to "muscle out" the notes. Instead, we have to force ourselves to stay relaxed and

maintain that flow and consistent sound. One of the simplest things you can do is just remember to relax and breathe! In today's lesson, we discuss how you can build chops through strategies such as developing single legato strokes

in each hand, gradually increasing the number of strokes, and filling in the parts.