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: The second page of “Beggin’”
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on the last line from this page as this is where the new material begins. Pay close attention to the rhythms on the hi-hat in these measures as they are different from what came before. Once you feel comfortable with this beat, then add it to what comes before it. Play from the top of the page to the bottom then practice the transition from page 1 to page 2.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice beats 8-9 from the page “Syncopated Bass Drum Beats” and page one of “Can’t Stop”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: With each of the beats, focus first on learning the rhythm by looking at the stems of the notes and identifying the type of each note (quarter note, eighth note, sixteenth note, etc.). Once you know the rhythm and can count it out loud, then practice playing it on the drums. Remember that all three notes of the “triplet” in beat #9 are the same duration. Print the new pages for “Can’t Stop” and work on playing the main beats as well as the fill at the end of Verse 1.
Damian
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10 minutes per day
What to practice: Review the rhythm exercises from the “sixteenth notes” page and try splitting them up between your two drums: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jaROP8emrq7yGkV13Mt_Js4NVtEz-sCl?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: One important part of playing drum fills is being able to move rhythms around the drums. This means playing not just on one drum but on multiple drums. Start by practicing the rhythm on each drum individually, then split the rhythm in two and play each half on one drum. Moving from one drum to the next without interrupting the rhythm is very important.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: The bridge section of “Never Lost” by Cece Wiinans: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Start by figuring out how the rhythms on the floor tom and snare fit together with the pulse played on the bass drum. Then look at the triplets that are played at the end of each line. Be sure that you know on which drum each of the triplets is played. Practice these triplets slowly to make sure you can move from drum to drum with out interrupting the pulse.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the “half-measure” beats from the top of Lesson 5: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: First figure out the rhythm between the bass and snare drum for each exercise and practice it a few times without the hi-hat. Then add in the eighth note pulse on the hi-hat and practice looping each exercise several times in a row. It’s important when you’re looping these exercises that you don’t add in a pause between the end of one repetition and the beginning of the next.
Koel
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice playing “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin together with the recording of the song: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SCS8WVjfR1OZVlYmt8a1r2LTxo2NJOpN?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Start by reviewing each of the beats and variations from the song. Then have a listen to this opening section of the song so you can hear how fast you need to play it. After practicing it at this speed on your own a few times, then play the recording and see if you can play along. If you need to, go back and review any of the sections that are still giving you trouble, then try with the recording again.
Sylvie
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Review verse 3, the chorus, and the pre-bridge sections of “So Much To Say” and then practice the bridge section on page 2: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KGeo9VGh3JOWzwpGhEe1DbXMRuQiG7lL?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Focus this week on the transitions between each of these sections of the song. You can already play each section really well, but it’s important that you can connect them without slowing down or stopping. Take it slowly at first to make sure that you can make each transition without losing time, then gradually speed up each transition. With the bridge on page 2, focus on the last measure of the second line—this is the only tricky part!