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:
Will
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Keep working on the top line of Syncopation page 38 and also practice the jazz samba beat with the left hand pattern: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Remember to practice all three stages of the progression we worked on with Syncopation page 38: first hi-hat alone with accents, second hi-hat with bass drum filling in the gaps in the rhythm, third hi-hat and bass with beat 3 on the snare drum. With the jazz samba beats, add the first bar of rhythm in the left hand from the line labeled “basic.”
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the half measure patterns from the new page labeled “Lesson 5”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Begin by identifying the rhythm played between the bass drum and snare drum. Count out the rhythm and then play it between your right foot and left hand. Then add in a steady eighth note pulse on the hi-hat (right hand). Remember that the hi-hat is your time keeper, so it is important to keep this pulse steady. Repeat each exercise at least 4 times in a row without stopping.
Damian
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the opening of “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac from the page I provided: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jaROP8emrq7yGkV13Mt_Js4NVtEz-sCl?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on each of the transitions between the sections of the song. Count the beats out loud as you play. It is important to keep a steady pulse when you play and the counting really helps with that. Also, don’t forget to maintain the bass drum pulse when you play the sixteenth notes on the snare drum.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the main beats at the top of each page from the Groove Essentials document: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on playing the rhythms between the bass drum and snare drum slowly. Take it one bar at a time and try to figure out how the bass/snare rhythm fits in with the pulse on the hi-hat. Once you feel confident with the rhythms, then try to put both bars together and gradually speed up the tempo.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the half measure beats from “Lesson 6”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Begin by identifying the rhythm played between the bass drum and snare drum. Count out the rhythm and then play it between your right foot and left hand. Then add in a steady eighth note pulse on the hi-hat (right hand). Remember that the hi-hat is your time keeper, so it is important to keep this pulse steady. Repeat each exercise at least 4 times in a row without stopping.
Koel
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice beats 1-8 from the page of 16th note open hi-hat beats: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SCS8WVjfR1OZVlYmt8a1r2LTxo2NJOpN?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Remember that this page is all about working out the coordination of your left foot with the rest of your limbs. Focus on the timing of when your left foot needs to release the hi-hat pedal and when it needs to come back down on the pedal. Practice each beat slowly so that you can be very precise about this timing. Once it starts to feel more comfortable, then try to play each beat faster.
Sylvie
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Keep working on the rhythms from Syncopation page 28 as well as the syncopated bass drum beats: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KGeo9VGh3JOWzwpGhEe1DbXMRuQiG7lL?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: With the rhythms from Syncopation page 28, keep practicing them the way we worked on in your lesson. Take one bar at a time and practice playing it around the drums. Then play a simple beat 3 times in a row, transition to playing one rhythm around the drums once, then hit the crash a go back into the beat. It is important you can do this without stopping or losing time. The consistency of the pulse is the most important thing. With the syncopated bass drum beats, work on playing each beat slowly until it feels comfortable and then gradually work on playing it faster.