Hi everyone,
Here are your assignments for this week:
Will
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Review the one-bar jazz rhythms that we have been working on and practice the new two-bar phrases.
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on maintaining the accent on the ride cymbal all the time when you’re playing jazz. This accent is what drives the music forward and determines where the time is. Playing the left hand rhythm correctly is secondary to keeping the ride pattern consistent.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the new material from section 2 of Watermelon Man and then review the whole section.
How to practice it most effectively: This song is sounding great! The work that you put in last week practicing it has really paid off. Try to do the same thing this week but with section two. Go slow and be sure to count as you play.
Jared
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the new beat from the new section of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.
How to practice it most effectively: Remember that this new beat is based on a triplet rhythm: “1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a.” The only thing is that you don’t play the “&.” Once you have this rhythm down, then split up the notes between the bass and snare drum. The snare drum only plays on beats 2 and 4, the bass drum plays everything else. Finally, add in the right hand part on the ride cymbal which just plays quarter notes.
Jude
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice playing beats and rhythms that use the bass drum, snare drum, and hi-hat.
How to practice it most effectively: You can come up with your own rhythms and patterns that use the bass, snare, and hi-hat. Just remember that the right hand should play the hi-hat and the left hand should play the snare. You can play each one separately, or you can play two or more at the same time. Try different combinations and see what you like the sound of.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice beats 1-6 on the open hi-hat beats page: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=share_link
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on the motion of each of your feet and how they relate to one another. Sometimes both feet will move up and down at the same time, but other times one will move up while the other moves down. Knowing what is supposed to happen when is half the battle. Practice them slowly until you are confident with the coordination.
Koel
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the intro, verse, and chorus of Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns ’n’ Roses.
How to practice it most effectively: Practice slowly and focus on the fills and transitions. The trickiest part of this song is the speed, but you need to learn to play it slowly before you can play it fast. The transitions from one section of the song to the next are a challenge when playing quickly, but if you play them repetitively at a slow speed, it will be a lot easier to get them up to speed later.