Hi everyone,

For the next two weeks, I will be away on vacation. Pino will be subbing for me during those weeks and I have filled him in on what each of you have been practicing. I will be back the last Thursday in August. Here are your practice assignments for this week:

Koel

Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice the first eight 16th-note open hi-hat beats from the new page as well as the intro and verse to “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SCS8WVjfR1OZVlYmt8a1r2LTxo2NJOpN?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: Great work this week with the 16th-note open hi-hat beats! Keep working through them slowly and pay close attention to the timing of your left foot. It needs to be coordinated very carefully with with what your other three limbs are doing. With Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, review the intro and then take a look at the verse. Most of it is pretty straight forward, but the fill at the end of the verse will take some work.

Elliot

Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice beats #21 and 22 on the Lesson 3 sheet: https://drive.google.com/open?id=10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc

How to practice it most effectively: Good job today working through the beats in the Lesson 3! Keep working at it the same way we did in you lesson. Take it 4 notes at a time and make sure you’re reading the bass and snare rhythm as you play. Be careful not to skip any notes or to add any extras. Once you’ve gotten four notes, then move on to the next four, then play all eight together. Then move on to the next bar. These exercises should be played repeatedly in order to really solidify the rhythm.

Jonathan

Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice playing beats in a 12/8 groove as well as a simple shuffle beat. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GxopIaGPN0UhwG3zk4gQWTnEaDDL7TWP?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: Experiment with different syncopated rhythms in the context of a 12/8 beat. This means that the basic subdivision of the beat on the hi-hat is three (not two or four). You can play around with polyrhythmic syncopation by playing subdivisions of two on the bass and the snare against the three on the hi-hat. Also, practice the basic shuffle beat that I showed you this week.

Samson

Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice the first 6 open hi-hat beats as well as the first three lines of rhythm from “Syncopation page 29” as drum fills: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x_PwofJ3uGhPIMOcJLsgEwb51g3kTCeu?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: With the rhythms from Syncopation page 29, practice them the same way we did in your lesson this week: first identify the rhythm and practice playing it steadily on the snare drum. Then, once you feel confident with the rhythm, then come up with a few different ways to play it around the drums (like a drum fill). Be sure to maintain the steadiness of the rhythm. Finally, play a simple drum beat for a bar or two leading into the drum fill and then go back to the beat. Try to practice this without pausing or hesitating in order to maintain the rhythm.

Will

Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice the 16th-note open hi-hat beats and the first two beats from “Watermelon Man”. https://drive.google.com/open?id=17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz

How to practice it most effectively: Take it slow with the 16th-note open hi-hat beats. These beats are challenging so don’t try to go through them quickly. Focus on the movement of your left foot and how it needs to be coordinated with your other limbs. Same thing with the beats from “Watermelon Man.” Take the 16th notes slowly and make sure that the snare drum and bass drum are lining up with the hi-hat precisely. Also, work on playing the ghost note on the snare drum as softly as possible. 

Jonah

Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice the rhythms from “Syncopation page 28” as drum fills. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xgENtr7–sAhgC9zceezlfeYJwA6JWlY?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: With the rhythms from Syncopation page 28, practice them the same way we did in your lesson this week: first identify the rhythm and practice playing it steadily on the snare drum. Then, once you feel confident with the rhythm, then come up with a few different ways to play it around the drums (like a drum fill). Be sure to maintain the steadiness of the rhythm. Finally, play a simple drum beat for a bar or two leading into the drum fill and then go back to the beat. Try to practice this without pausing or hesitating in order to maintain the rhythm.

Noah

Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day

What to practice: Practice the intro and verse to “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing

How to practice it most effectively: Review the intro and then take a look at the verse. Most of it is pretty straight forward, but the fill at the end of the verse will take some work. Break down the rhythm into sections and practice each one slowly. Once you feel comfortable with it, then put the whole fill together, but still take it slowly. Finally, try playing a full bar of the beat before the fill and work on playing the transition into the fill as smoothly as possible. Remember that you don’t need to go fast!