This exercise focuses on the “check 4” rhythm and is designed to strengthen the players’ ability to play groups of three notes on one hand. Additionally, this exercise forces musicians to accurately place a single note on the fourth partial of a 16th-note grouping, which can be challenging for many players.

To make things more fun, there is a soli section (the “B1/B2/B3” sections) written out for each respective instrument. When I play this exercise with my drumlines, I instruct the students to play a different soli on each rep of the piece.