Hi everyone,

With the transition to ZOOM video lessons, I am no longer able to write down notes and musical material in the students’ books/binders. Instead, I have created PDF documents for each of you and dropped them into a Google Drive folder. The link to your documents is listed in the What to practice heading under your name below. You should be able to access the documents simply by clicking on the link. Here are your practice assignments for this week:

Will

Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day

What to practice: Keep working on the accent patterns, particularly #45-52: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz

How to practice it most effectively: Practice each accent pattern in a variety of different ways: first with the accents just on the snare drum, next with the accents on the toms, and then try using different combinations of snare and toms within the pattern. Always practice the accent patterns in alternation with the ride cymbal beat. Also, try to think about these accent patterns in terms of musical phrases. We will develop this idea a bit more next week, but just remember that these patterns aren’t random.

Elliot

Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice playing all of page 1 and 2 of “Smoke On The Water” as well as the new fills from verse 2 on page 3: https://drive.google.com/open?id=10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc

How to practice it most effectively: Work on playing through the first two pages together with the recording of the song. This will take some practice in order to stay together with the speed of the song, but if you practice it a little bit each day, you’ll get it. Also, work on learning the new fills from verse 2. Identify the rhythms, practice counting them out loud, and then practice playing them while counting in your head.

Aidan

Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day

What to practice: Focus on the last 3 lines of the first page and the first 2 lines of the second page of “Drum Corps on Parade”: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yJPRmQn7QZuvnmvhe8ji-CCGmJPGLDZi

How to practice it most effectively: Practice beginning at the start of the third-last line of the first page and playing to the end of the page. Pay close attention to the triplets on the last line. Make sure that you are playing them in time; use a metronome if you can. Once these three lines feel secure, then add the first two lines of the second page. If you feel like it, try adding more.

Noah

Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice the first three beats (#13-15) from the new page of beats: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: Be sure to practice these beats slowly. Focus primarily on playing the rhythm of the bass drum and snare drum consistently. Count each note as you play it (“1 e & a 2 e & a” etc.) to ensure that you’re not leaving out any hi-hat notes. Try to play each beat at least four times in a row before increasing the speed. Once the beats start to feel comfortable, then try to lower the volume of the ghost notes on the snare drum.

Nate M.

Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day

What to practice: Keep working on the beats and fills from “Red Barchetta” by Rush: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UJYz7hx_AeAM7Std0aj1Y1IyVd-8f86S?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: Focus this week on playing the section of the song that goes from 3:24 to 3:47. This section has a lot of “turn-arounds” between the bass drum and snare drum. This means that the snare begins to play where you expect the bass drum and vice versa. Listen to the song a lot to hear when these turn-arounds happen and what they sound like. See how much of it you can learn this week and we’ll work on it some more next Thursday.

Nate O.

Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice the two new fills and the beginning of “Guitar Solo 2” from page 3 of “Knockin on Heaven’s Door”: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s

How to practice it most effectively: Pay close attention to the rhythms in the new drum fills. The one at the end of the verse is very similar to the fill at the very beginning of the song. The fill at the end of the chorus has a dotted rhythm between the bass drum and the snare drum on beat 3. Be sure to listen to the song so that you can hear how these rhythms are supposed to sound. Finally, work on the first three lines of guitar solo 2 at the bottom of the page. Careful of the quarter note on beat 3 in the fourth measure.