Hi everyone,
Now that we have transitioned 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:
Aidan
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: The transition fills between the three main beats in “Watermelon Man” by Herbie Hancock and exercises 13-16 from Lesson 6. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yJPRmQn7QZuvnmvhe8ji-CCGmJPGLDZi
How to practice it most effectively: Practice slowly the fills that we went over in your lesson. I wrote them down for you and put a pdf in the Google Drive. Make sure that you can count the rhythms of the fills accurately to ensure that you are starting and ending them in the right places. Also, it’s good to practice the beats slowly while counting out loud the 16th-note subdivision.
Will
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Exercises 7-12 from Lesson 6 and the first 2 or 3 lines of rhythm from “Syncopation page 29”. https://drive.google.com/open?id=17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz
How to practice it most effectively: Just as we did in your lesson, practice the beats slowly at first, working out the bass drum and snare drum rhythms, then adding in the hi-hat. Be sure to keep a steady pulse on the hi-hat. Also, practice playing each bar individually from the first 2 or 3 lines on Syncopation page 29. Practice them first just on the snare drum, then practice moving them around the drums.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the rhythms from pages 26 and 27 from “Syncopation.” https://drive.google.com/open?id=10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc
How to practice it most effectively: Each line on these two pages is numbered (beginning with #19). Each line contains one measure of rhythm that is repeated four times. Begin by playing the rhythm four times on the snare drum while playing quarter notes on the bass drum. Then come up with different ways to play the same rhythm around the drums while still maintaining the quarter note pulse on the bass drum. If you are unsure about how to play any of the rhythms, refer to the page we worked on last week.
Alexy
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Exercises 17-20 from “Lesson 5” as well as the syncopation exercises from Syncopation page 29. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MOQ0wuxOjWJ3H46kSSuJleBV6eZMuaZi
How to practice it most effectively: Keep doing what we have been doing with the beats from Lesson 5. With the rhythms on Syncopation page 29, practice playing them first on the snare drum while keeping the quarter note pulse steady on the bass drum. Then practice playing the rhythms around the drums while still playing quarters on the bass drum. These rhythms can be used as drum fills in combination with the beats we’ve been working on.
Oscar
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: The remainder of the “A” section of “Sonata” by J. S. Bach. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VYJX4ERbTiJ1d8ePZ2h7ldbheEz5yKpq
How to practice it most effectively: Keep working on identifying patterns in the melody and the different types of motion. Remember the places where we have discussed doing special stickings. It would be a good idea to write these into your sheet music. Also, think about how you can shape each of the phrases we have worked on so far by varying the dynamics.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Exercises 1-6 from Lesson 5. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s
How to practice it most effectively: Begin by counting out loud the rhythm in the bass drum and snare drum. Then play it while leaving out the hi-hat. Once you feel comfortable playing these rhythms, then try adding in the hi-hat. You need to make sure that the rhythm on the hi-hat is even and steady. These eighth notes should be your anchor for the rest of the rhythm.