World-class drummer Hannah Welton was discovered by Prince via her YouTube videos and was selected to join his New Power Generation band. Later she served as the rhythmic foundation of Prince’s backing band, 3rdeyegirl.

When warming up for a performance, my go-to isn’t your typical “rudimental” warm-up. Rather than solely focusing on warming up my hands and wrists, I have found it’s extremely important to warm up my whole body. After all, drumming in and of itself is an intense full-body workout. My warm-up consists of a set of 15–20 push-ups, 20 jumping jacks, and if I’m feeling extra bold, then I may throw in some burpees. After getting the blood flowing, I’ll do a quick cooldown with neck, arm, back, and leg stretches to loosen up while I say my pre-show prayer.

It’s very important to remember to relax during your performance as well. There are many different checkpoints throughout a show where I tell myself to breathe and relax. Most of us may have a tendency to tense up when playing, but remembering to stay relaxed actually enables you to play for a longer duration, with more power, and faster. Because I grew up a dancer, it really helps for me to think of myself as a graceful ballerina dancing on the drum set.

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Hannah Welton, Prince’s Drummer, Shares Her #1 Drumming Tip

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