The 15 Minute Snare Drum Warm Up Routine
- Nathan Coles
- Jun 12
- 4 min read
How a Pro Percussionist Builds Muscle Memory, Mindfulness, and Momentum in 15 Minutes
Warming up isn’t just the first thing you do at the drum—it’s how you prepare your body and brain to play your best. Too often, student percussionists confuse warming up with jumping straight into practice, burning energy before building focus. In this post, we’re breaking down the warm up mindset with professional insights, examples, and a repeatable approach that sets you up for musical success.
Let’s look at how to stop playing mindless exercises and start using your snare drum warm up as a daily opportunity to connect technique with intention. 👇
Table of Contents
Meet Your Instructor
What a Warm Up Really Is (and Isn’t)
Structuring a Thoughtful Snare Drum Warm Up
Technique in Layers: Stroke Types, Rebound, and Reaction
Student Action Plan: Build Your Own Routine
Final Thoughts: Feel First, Play Second
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Meet Your Instructor
Black Swamp Artist, Josh Jones is the Principal Percussionist of the Grant Park Orchestra and a passionate educator known for his thoughtful, structured approach to percussion. He began his formal training with the Percussion Scholarship Group under Patricia Dash and Douglas Waddell, leading to national recognition on From the Top, The TODAY Show, and Chicago Tonight, as well as the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. After studying at DePaul University, Josh quickly advanced through elite programs and fellowships, eventually earning tenure with the Calgary Philharmonic. Today, he combines professional performance with writing a series of percussion technique books and mentoring the next generation of players—always with the goal of helping others grow through intention, consistency, and musical connection.
What a Warm Up Really Is (and Isn’t)
Let’s start with a mental shift:
Your snare drum warm up is not your practice session.
When students blur the lines between warming up and working on material, the body tenses up, the mind skips ahead, and the hands jump into complex motions before they’re ready. A proper warm up is about preparing—not pushing.
Think of it as a temperature check:
How do your hands feel today?
Is your body relaxed and aligned?
Do the sticks feel different? Is the drum speaking clearly?
This self-awareness builds confidence and consistency over time. You’re not trying to fix anything in the warm up—you’re just taking inventory.
Structuring a Thoughtful Snare Drum Warm Up
To keep things simple and effective, Josh uses a flexible 15-exercise framework. Each section focuses on a specific technique, allowing the player to adapt based on the demands of that day’s practice or performance. Download the PDF here.
Here’s how the structure breaks down:
Section | Focus | Examples |
1–4 | Stroke Types | Full, down, tap, up strokes |
5–10 | Reaction & Motion | Quick changes, pseudo motions, rebound readiness |
11 | Hand Coordination | Alternating 16th-note patterns |
12–14 | Rebound Strokes | Doubles, triples, buzzes—played open and relaxed |
15 | Custom Exercise | Tailored to your musical needs (flams, molar, rep excerpts) |
This structure isn’t rigid—it’s modular. Swap in different exercises depending on your goals. The point is to hit each key area, not check every box.
Technique in Layers: Stroke Types, Rebound, and Reaction
A nuanced warm up doesn’t just build muscles—it builds awareness. Here’s how each type of exercise contributes:
Stroke Types First
You can’t play with clarity if your strokes aren’t defined. Use simple patterns to feel the difference between full, down, tap, and up strokes.
Reaction-Based Transitions
Exercises with rapid stroke-type changes sharpen your reflexes. They prep your hands to shift cleanly between dynamics and articulations in real time.
Rebound & Flow
Rebound strokes (like open doubles and triples) build fluidity. Practicing these slowly and relaxed helps you unlock natural stick motion rather than forcing the sound.
Stroke | Goal | Suggested Exercise |
Double | Fluid, open motion | Inverted doubles or Swiss triplets |
Triple | Smooth triplet feel | Open triple bounce |
Buzz | Controlled press | Soft accent buzz pattern at piano dynamic |
Student Action Plan: Build Your Own Routine
Ready to apply this to your own playing? Here’s a step-by-step warm up plan to use today:
Set a timer for 15–20 minutes
Start with stroke types (4–5 min)
Add reaction/motion patterns (5 min)
Use rebound-focused exercises (5 min)
End with one personalized or musical warm up (5 min)
Stay relaxed, listen deeply, and adjust as needed
Optional Tip: Create your own PDF with personal go-to warm ups so you’re not guessing what to do every day.
If your setup isn’t giving you feedback, it’s harder to develop control.
Final Thoughts: Feel First, Play Second
A mindful snare drum warm up builds trust between you and your instrument. It teaches your hands to feel rather than force, and helps you arrive at the music fully present and prepared.
Whether you’re prepping for a recital, rehearsal, or a quiet solo session, this kind of warm up gives you a foundation for better practice—and better performance.
So tomorrow, when you pick up the sticks, pause. Breathe. Play a few strokes just to feel. That’s where real music begins.
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