Hi everyone,
Here are your practice assignments for this week:
Nate M.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Verse, Pre-Chorus, and Chorus of “Arabella” by the Arctic Monkeys
How to practice it most effectively: With the verse beat, be careful not to over-complicate the bass drum part by adding extra notes. The rhythm here is pretty straightforward but it gets more complicated later in the song. With the Pre-chorus, it is very important to read and count the rhythms on the toms. Don’t try to just play them from memory or by guessing. Each rhythm is slightly different, so it is necessary to identify and maintain the differences. With the chorus beat, work mainly on the fills. Again, there are slight differences between the two, so you’ll have to read and count them and identify which hand plays each of the tom notes.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: The 16th-note beats that I wrote down in your book.
How to practice it most effectively: Remember to use both hands on the hi-hat whenever you play a 16th-note beat. Then identify which hand plays together with the bass drum on each note of the rhythm. Then count out loud while you play through the beat, making sure that each bass drum and snare drum note is played in the right spot.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Aidan
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Verse and Pre-chorus of “Arabella” by the Arctic Monkeys.
How to practice it most effectively: With the verse beat, make sure you count the rhythm of the bass drum and snare drum part while you play it. This will help you to avoid misplacing any of the notes. Keep a steady quarter-note pulse on the hi-hat. With the Pre-chorus, keep steady eighth-notes on the hi-hat with your left foot and then read and count the rhythms on the toms. Listening to the recording will help a lot with this part.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Harrison
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: The 6/8 beats that I wrote down for you.
How to practice it most effectively: Remember to count while you play these beats, either in your head or out loud. They have a different kind of feel from the 4/4 beats that we have done previously, so it’s very important that you count until you start to get the hang of them. Also, don’t lift your whole leg when you play the bass drum. You should keep your heel on the bass of pedal and lift the front of your foot from the ankle. This will prevent you from getting so tired when you play.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.