Hi everyone,
Here are your practice assignments for this week:
Will
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: The new 6/8 rhythms that I wrote down in your book.
How to practice it most effectively: Take each of these rhythms slowly at first. Remember that the 8th notes are grouped in 3s when you’re playing in 6/8 (rather than in 2s). It will be very helpful to count each rhythm before you try to play it. Once the rhythms start to feel comfortable, then try moving them around on the toms like you would with a drum fill.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Oscar
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Both of the new beats from “Cissy Strut”
How to practice it most effectively: Try to really give these beats the right “feel” when you play them. Listen to how the drummer on the recording makes certain notes louder than others and some notes he plays very softly. This type of nuance is what makes playing drums really interesting. The more you can do to bring out these aspects of the beat, the better!
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
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: The chorus fills from Arabella and the new fill we worked on in verse 2.
How to practice it most effectively: Read the notes that I have written down in your book. This will remind you of how each of the fills is supposed to go. With the chorus fills, make sure that you’re always starting with your left hand on the snare drum and counting the right number of notes on each drum. With the fill in verse 2, be very careful not to start the fill directly on the down beat. It actually starts one 16th note before the down beat. This is the concept of a “pick-up” note that we discussed in your lesson.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.
Alexy
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: The hi-hat and bass drum exercises and each of the syncopation beats.
How to practice it most effectively: Continue to practice these beats with a metronome. Try to really focus on the sound of the metronome when you play and subdivide the beats in your head (this means counting “1 & 2 & 3 &” etc. instead of just “1 2 3”). Be careful not to lose time while you are playing. Often you will start out very well but then after 3 or 4 repetitions you will slow down a bit. Stay right on top of the pulse of the metronome.
How parents can support practice: Encouraging your child to practice regularly and helping them develop a routine is the best way to be supportive.