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:
Damian
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice beats #1-3 from the “Basic Rock Beats” page included here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jaROP8emrq7yGkV13Mt_Js4NVtEz-sCl?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Remember that the eighth notes played on the cymbal (written as an “x”) are counted “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.” These are played with the stick in your right hand on the cymbal. Whenever you have another note on the bottom line, it is played at the same time with your foot on the bass drum. Whenever you have another note on the middle line, it is played with the stick in your left hand on the drum. Take these beats slowly and try to keep a steady speed.
Koel
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Try to finish up “Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers this week: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SCS8WVjfR1OZVlYmt8a1r2LTxo2NJOpN?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on each of the transitions that are still giving you trouble, particularly the ones at the end of each verse and the one at the end of the bridge/beginning of the final verse. Once you have played each of these transitions a few times in a row, then try to play the song together with the recording. Take note of the places where you had trouble staying together with the recording and then practice those sections again on your own. Finally, run through the whole piece again with the recording.
Jonathan
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the triplet-based accent patterns and the left hand rhythm patterns together with the jazz swing ride pattern, as we did in your lesson. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GxopIaGPN0UhwG3zk4gQWTnEaDDL7TWP?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: The point of the triplet-based accent patterns is to get you used to subdividing triplets between your hands and accenting different parts of the beat while keeping time with your feet. If you can do this comfortably, then improvising in this style will become a lot easier. The left hand rhythm patterns are meant to develop rhythmic independence in that hand while maintaining a steady pattern with your other three limbs. This is called “comping” in jazz. Try experimenting with different patterns and switching back and forth between them.