Hi everyone,
Here are your assignments for this week:
Will
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice up to the end of the second verse of “Tom Sawyer” by Rush.
How to practice it most effectively: Pay close attention to the 32nd-note rhythms in the bridge section. Remember that two 32nd notes fit within the space of one 16th note. This should help you to figure out these rhythms. Also, practice the transition between the section with 8th notes on the hi-hat and the sections with 16th notes on the hi-hat.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the triplet accent patterns from the new pages that I have provided: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Practice each pattern slowly so that you can play them with accuracy and consistency. Start just on the snare drum. Then, once the patterns start to feel comfortable, practice moving the accents onto the toms. Finally, practice playing these accent patterns in combination with the shuffle beats that we have worked on.
Damian
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10 minutes per day
What to practice: Keep working on the beats from “Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue and see if you can gradually increase the speed: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jaROP8emrq7yGkV13Mt_Js4NVtEz-sCl?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Remember that, every time you learn a new song, it is important first to learn all of the drum beats and fills individually so you can play them comfortably. Then, you have to work on learning the form of the song that you know the order of the beats and fills and how many times you play each one. It is important to practice playing them in order and to not have breaks or pauses in between the different sections of the song.
Nate
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice pages 3 and 4 of “Welcome To The Jungle”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: See if you can get all the way from the beginning of page 3 to the end of page 4 without stopping. Be careful not to mix up the rhythms on the bass drum in each drum beat. Read the notation carefully and practice slowly. Also, listen to the recording of the song a few times to help you remember how each beat and rhythm is supposed to sound.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the new “Bossa Nova” beat that I wrote down for you this week and keep working on the Lesson 4 rhythms: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: With the Bossa Nova rhythm, focus on getting the proper rhythm in the left hand by counting the eighth notes as you play: “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &….” It is important that this rhythm feels really “locked in” with the right hand as well as with the feet. Practice it slowly until you feel like all the parts are comfortably locked in. With the Lesson 4 rhythms, keep working on removing the first eighth note from each pair.
Koel
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice playing all the way through “Eye of the Tiger” together with the recording of the song: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SCS8WVjfR1OZVlYmt8a1r2LTxo2NJOpN?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: You’re almost done with this song now. It’s sounding really good! Just be sure to always use the same sticking for the fill at the end of the chorus every time you play it. This will help your brain to develop muscle memory of how to play it and it will become like second nature. Practice playing together with the recording and focus on listening carefully to the song so you are always in sync.
Sylvie
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Review all the beats and fills from “Fool In The Rain” by Led Zeppelin and practice your double stroke roll and paradiddles: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KGeo9VGh3JOWzwpGhEe1DbXMRuQiG7lL?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Work on gradually increasing the speed of each of the beats and fills in “Fool In The Rain.” Listen to a recording of the song as a reference for what speed you should be aiming for. Don’t try to speed it up all in one day. Increasing the speed should happen gradually over several days. Also, practice the two rudiments that we worked on in your lesson: the double stroke roll (#6) and the paradiddle (#16). With each one, start out very slowly and then increase the speed until you hit your maximum, hold it there for a minute, and then gradually slow down until you reach the speed you started at.