Hi everyone,
Next week I will be out of town so you will have Gordon as a substitute teacher. I will fill him in on what you’ve been working on and what your homework is for the week. Here are your practice assignments for this week:
Will
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: The two drum rudiments that we worked on—the drum roll and the paradiddle—and the verse and pre-chorus from “Arabella” by the Arctic Monkeys.
How to practice it most effectively: Instructions for practicing the rudiments are written down in your folder. For Arabella, start by reviewing the verse beat. Focus on keeping really steady time and feeling the pulse of what you’re playing together with the song. With the pre-chorus, read the rhythms that you have to play on the toms and practice them each a few times. Then try to put them together with the hi-hat foot.
Alexy
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: The beats and fills from “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple.
How to practice it most effectively: Start by reviewing the beats from the intro of the song and practice them together with the recording. Then carefully read the fills from the next section of the song and practice them slowly. Once they start to feel comfortable, then put them together with the beat. Try to play each 8-bar phrase separately, then put them together. Remember the crashes!
Oscar
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: The beat from “Chameleon” by Herbie Hancock.
How to practice it most effectively: Listen to the song a bunch in order to get the sound of the beat secure in your head. Then practice playing the beat by yourself. Remember to play the accents on the hi-hat; these can be tricky in combination with the off-beat snare hit. Finally, try practicing the beat together with the recording of the song.
Nate M.
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: The first 17 bars of “Tom Sawyer” by Rush.
How to practice it most effectively: It is essential with this song that you read the notes that I wrote down in your book. There are so many slight changes and variations throughout this song that if you try to rely only on your memory, you won’t get it all. Focus especially on the four bar phrase that we learned this week and practice it slowly, reading every note. Only speed it up once you’re sure that you’re getting all the rhythms consistently.