Snare Drum Practice Tips: Balancing the Physical, Mental, and Emotional
- Nathan Coles
- Aug 15
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 25
How Josh Jones approaches practice for musicianship that goes beyond the notes
When most percussion students think about “snare drum practice tips,” they focus on the obvious: stick control, tempo accuracy, and clean technique. But as Josh Jones explains, focusing only on the physical side of practice leaves two equally important elements underdeveloped: the mental and emotional.
In this lesson, Josh shares how to integrate all three into your daily routine, so you can practice like a balanced, thoughtful, and musical professional.
Table of Contents
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Meet Your Instructor
Josh Jones’s path to the professional stage began early—at just two years old, he was already exploring rhythm on anything he could reach. By the age of five, he was playing in church, and by fourth grade, he joined the renowned Percussion Scholarship Group, directed by Patricia Dash and Douglas Waddell.
Over the years, he’s performed on From the Top, The TODAY Show, and Chicago Tonight, won the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, studied at the DePaul School of Music, and held principal percussion positions with orchestras including Calgary Philharmonic and Grant Park Orchestra. His philosophy? Every degree of technical progress should serve musical expression—and every musician can grow by balancing physical skill, mental clarity, and emotional awareness.
Follow Josh's work at www.drummojo.com
The Three Dimensions of Practice
According to Josh, practice isn’t just about perfecting the hands—it’s about balancing:
Physical – The mechanics of playing and how your body feels while doing it.
Mental – How you think about your playing and interpret feedback.
Emotional – How you manage your feelings about successes and mistakes.
When these three are in sync, your playing feels effortless, intentional, and expressive.
Physical Awareness: Training Without Tension
Many students focus on timing, rhythm accuracy, and clean execution—but Josh urges you to also notice how your body feels while playing.
Example: In rolls, some players raise their shoulders or flare their arms, creating unnecessary tension. Josh’s approach is to keep motions consistent between single strokes and rolls, only adding what’s essential.
Ask yourself:
Where am I holding tension unnecessarily?
Am I using more pressure than needed in the fulcrum?
Could a different grip or finger position make this easier?
This kind of awareness prevents injury and leads to smoother, more efficient technique.
Mental Focus: Practicing Without Judgment
Josh believes a relaxed body starts with a relaxed mind. One of his most powerful snare drum practice tips is to remove “good” or “bad” from your vocabulary during practice.
Instead, replace subjective judgments with objective observations:
Was it in time or out of time?
Was the tone appropriate for the music?
Was the dynamic balanced with the ensemble?
This shift removes emotional baggage, keeps practice constructive, and frees you to focus on problem-solving rather than self-criticism.
Emotional Control: Staying Level and Consistent
Our thoughts shape our feelings, which then influence our playing. If you label something as “bad,” you may dread practicing it. If you think “I’ve nailed it,” you may neglect maintaining it.
Josh recommends staying level-headed in both cases:
If something was appropriate, aim to keep it that way.
If it wasn’t, work on improving without attaching frustration or ego.
This balanced approach keeps you motivated and consistent—two qualities that define a professional musician.
Student Action Plan: Putting It All Together
Practice Dimension | What to Do | Questions to Ask |
Physical | Play rolls with minimal extra motion | “Is this movement necessary?” |
Mental | Remove “good/bad” labels | “Was it appropriate for the context?” |
Emotional | Avoid overconfidence or discouragement | “How can I keep this level consistent?” |
Integrate all three each day, even in short practice sessions, and you’ll build technique and musicianship in equal measure.
Reflect and Apply Practice Tips
Josh’s snare drum practice tips go beyond drills and metronome work—they’re about cultivating physical efficiency, mental objectivity, and emotional steadiness. The next time you sit down to practice, don’t just ask, “Can I play this cleanly?” Ask, “Am I physically relaxed, mentally focused, and emotionally balanced?”
That’s the mindset that turns a good percussionist into a great one.
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