Rhythm Practice Library
The Approach
These practices work with three simple elements:
Movement → Rhythm → Pause
Movement brings attention into the body.
Rhythm gives the mind something steady to return to.
Pause creates space to notice what is happening before continuing.
You don’t need to perform anything or get it right.
The aim is simply to:
- follow the pulse
- notice your response
- and return again with a little more awareness
You can work with the practices through movement, drumming, tapping, breathing, or simply listening.
Ways to Move
There’s no fixed choreography. Start simply and notice what feels natural.
Reaching
Expand, stretch, open the body.
Let movement travel outward.
Pulling
Contract, draw in, gather.
Bring movement back toward the centre.
Cycles
Tap, step, or breathe with the pulse.
Let repetition settle attention.
Flow
Link movements together.
Allow things to shift gradually — speed, shape, direction, intensity.
Stillness
At any point, stop.
Notice what’s present — breath, balance, tension, attention.
Ways to Follow Rhythm
The rhythms themselves can be simple. The focus is on present moment awareness and not judgment about whether you are sounding good or not.
You might:
- stay with a single pulse
- follow a repeating cycle like the ones below
- move between layers of rhythm
- lose the pattern and return again
Use these patterns or find your own by following your body:
Alternate hands
R L R L …
tap chest, belly, thighs – click fingers
Alternate feet
R L R L …
Hands in 3
RLL RLL RLL …
Feet in 3
R L R L R L R L R …
A Different Way to Practise
These tracks are not really about drumming technique or musical performance.
They are ways of exploring:
- attention
- timing
- coordination
- tension and release
- movement and stillness
- and how awareness changes through rhythm
Some days, the practice may feel grounding.
Other days, it may feel challenging or unsettled.
Both are useful.
The important thing is not to control the experience, but to stay connected to it.
The Practices
Simple Pulse
A steady pulse for grounding and attention. Start here to settle and reconnect
Pulse and Shaker
A steady pulse with a second layer of rhythm. Explore attention between pulses
Two Pulses
Two steady pulses moving together. Shift your attention between them
Three Over Two
Two pulses moving across three. Stay present as the rhythms shift
Four Over Three
Four pulses moving across three. Stay present as the rhythms shift