Hi everyone,
Now that we have transitioned 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:
Aidan
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Improvising drum fills using the rhythms from page 29 of “Syncopation” and the main beat from “Express Yourself” by Charles Wright. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yJPRmQn7QZuvnmvhe8ji-CCGmJPGLDZi
How to practice it most effectively: The ideas that you’re coming up with for drum fills are really great! Keep practicing different ways of moving rhythms around the drums so that when you’re in a situation where you have to improvise your own drums fills, you are comfortable doing so. Also, with the beat from “Express Yourself,” work on nailing down the bass and snare rhythm first, then add in the drags and the open hi-hat.
Will
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Exercises 21-24 from Lesson 6 as well as improvising drum fills using the rhythms from page 29 of “Syncopation.” https://drive.google.com/open?id=17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz
How to practice it most effectively: Great work on the beats from Lesson 6! We’re almost done with that sheet now. Work this week on solidifying the two-measure beats from that sheet. Aim for consistency of rhythm and also try to push the tempo. With the drum fills, work on coming up with creative ways to move rhythms around the drums. For each rhythm, try to play it at least three different ways and incorporate as much of the drum set as possible.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the fifth and sixth lines of rhythm from page 29 of “Syncopation” as well as the intro and verse beat from “Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. https://drive.google.com/open?id=10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc
How to practice it most effectively: Practice playing the rhythms from page 29 around the drums in different ways. With each bar try to come up with at least two or three different drum fills and practice playing them in combination with a simple drum beat, just like we practiced in your lesson. With the verse beat from “Can’t Stop,” remember to make the syncopated snare drum notes softer than the ones that land on the beat. Also, practice playing the intro along with the recording. Focus on keeping in time with the guitar rhythm.
Alexy
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: The rhythm exercises from page 29 of “Syncopation” and the new beats from “I Feel Good” by James Brown. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MOQ0wuxOjWJ3H46kSSuJleBV6eZMuaZi
How to practice it most effectively: The rhythms from page 29 are really good. Keep working on coming up with new and creative ways to move them around the drums and practice them as drum fills in combination with a drum beat. With the James Brown song, practice playing the main beat without playing too heavy. Try to move the sticks up and down mostly with your wrist, not your elbow. This will help you to increase the speed. Also work on the two new beats that we went over in your lesson.
Oscar
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: The “B” section and the beginning of the “C” section of “Sonata” by J. S. Bach. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VYJX4ERbTiJ1d8ePZ2h7ldbheEz5yKpq
How to practice it most effectively: Keeping reading the music carefully, especially as you begin working on section “C,” as it has many more skips and leaps in the melody. Look for patterns and relationships between different sections of the music. These will help you in remembering longer passages of notes.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: The two new fills at the end of the bridge in “Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s
How to practice it most effectively: The first of these two fills is pretty straightforward, but practice leading into it from the bridge beat. This fill effectively ends the bridge section of the song. After that, there is a pause in the drums for a few measures before they come back in with the second fill. This fill is longer and it crosses the bar line. Read the music that I have provided very carefully and be sure to count the rhythms before trying to play them in the context of the song.