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: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Keep working on the accent patterns and also check out the new hand-to-hand coordination exercise that I have provided: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz
How to practice it most effectively: Keep challenging yourself with the accent pattern: work on playing them around the drums in different ways; practice them in combinations to create two-bar phrases; come up with some of your own patterns. I’d like to hear at least 2 two-bar phrases that you have come up with next week. Also, with the hand-to-hand coordination exercise, focus on the motion of each hand individually while playing both hands together. This will help you to develop conscious independence between the hands.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the guitar solo section at the end of page 3 and the beginning of page 4 of “Smoke on the Water”: https://drive.google.com/open?id=10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc
How to practice it most effectively: In the first section of the guitar solo, focus on the second fill bar. Remember that the third accented note is played with the left hand and that note is also played on the high tom. Practice this bar slowly a few times and then try to speed it up. After that, try adding it to the bars that come before. With the second section of the guitar solo, focus on keeping a steady quarter note pulse with your right hand on the ride cymbal while you play the bass and snare parts underneath.
Aidan
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Focus on the second page of “Drum Corps on Parade” all except for the last three lines: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yJPRmQn7QZuvnmvhe8ji-CCGmJPGLDZi
How to practice it most effectively: Play the newest sections of the solo slowly. Focus on keeping a consistent sticking and playing all of the accents in the right spots. Once you feel confident playing two or three lines together at a slow speed, then try to gradually increase the speed. Also, practice your flam paradiddles and flam accents. This will help you with the last section of this solo.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice all of the 16th-note accent patterns: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Keep working on playing these accent patterns on the snare drum at a variety of speeds. It is important to be able to play them not just fast, but also slowly. Listen closely to the rhythms you are playing and try to keep the 16th notes as evenly spaced as possible. You can also try playing the accent patterns with the accent notes on the toms. Keep the non-accented notes soft and on the snare drum.
Nate M.
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Focus on the 7/4 section “Red Barchetta” by Rush: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UJYz7hx_AeAM7Std0aj1Y1IyVd-8f86S?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Print off the sheet music that I have provided in the link above. You can spend some time reviewing the sections of the song that we have worked on previously, but I want you to focus on the 7/4 section that begins at letter E near the bottom of page 3. Remember to count this section in seven and to closely observe the rhythm between the bass drum and snare drum. Also, watch out for where the crash cymbal is played; sometimes it is at the beginning of the bar, but sometimes it is played ini other places.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Work on playing all the way through page 3 and page 4 of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s
How to practice it most effectively: Pay close attention to the bass drum rhythms throughout the guitar solo section of this song. Sometimes you play the last 16th note before the beat on the bass drum and sometimes you play the first 16th note after the beat on the bass drum. Don’t get these two different rhythms confused. Listen to the recording of the song to make sure you are playing the correct rhythms in the right places. Next week we will try to play all the way through pages 3 and 4.