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: Practice playing the intro and the first fill from “Blue Train” by John Coltrane: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Have a listen to the song on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT_Zs5FKDZE Practice playing along with the tom notes in the intro and then the fill that leads into the first solo section. Use the page that I provided as a reference. After that, you can practice playing a basic jazz pattern along with the rest of the song. Try to listen for rhythms that the drummer in the recording is playing.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the first four accent patterns from the new page that I have provided: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Practice playing each accent pattern slowly, ensuring that the proper hand is playing the accents and that the bass drum rhythm is staying consistent. Remember that, aside from the first pattern, the accent is usually not played together with the bass drum. Once you feel comfortable playing these patterns at a slow speed, then gradually try to play them faster while maintaining accuracy and consistency.
Aidan
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Keep practicing the beats from “Fool in the Rain” by Led Zeppelin and the “Funky Drummer” as well as the new page of jazz patterns: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yJPRmQn7QZuvnmvhe8ji-CCGmJPGLDZi?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Practice the beats from Fool in the Rain and Funky Drummer slowly. The only way that all your limbs will learn the coordination that they need to play these beats is by going over it very slowly so that your brain can think about what each limb is doing. With the jazz stuff, practice the basic foot patterns that are listed on the page together with the ride cymbal pattern. Next week we will work on adding in rhythms on the snare drum.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the first four drum beats from the “bass drum syncopation beats” page that I have provided: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: First identify which bass drum notes are to be played together with the hi-hat and which ones are to be played in between the hi-hat notes. Then play the beat slowly while keeping a steady eighth-note pulse on the hi-hat. Make sure that each bass drum note is played in the right place relative to the hi-hat. Once you’ve got the hang of each beat, then practice them at a variety of different speeds (both fast and slow).
Nate M.
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the ending of “Red Barchetta” and have a listen to “Show Don’t Tell” by Rush: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UJYz7hx_AeAM7Std0aj1Y1IyVd-8f86S?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on the fills at the end of the song. Remember that the crashes at the beginning of each of these bars need to line up with the rhythm of the guitar chords. Once you can play the fills comfortably, then focus on fitting them in with the beat. Finally, practice playing the whole song together with the recording. When you’re done with that, listen to Show Don’t Tell and see if you can figure out the rhythms at the beginning.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the first four drum beats from the “bass drum syncopation beats” page that I have provided: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: First identify which bass drum notes are to be played together with the hi-hat and which ones are to be played in between the hi-hat notes. Then play the beat slowly while keeping a steady eighth-note pulse on the hi-hat. Make sure that each bass drum note is played in the right place relative to the hi-hat. Once you’ve got the hang of each beat, then practice them at a variety of different speeds (both fast and slow).