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: Practice the beat at the top of the “Jazz Samba” page as well as the first two pages of “Beggin’”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: For the Jazz Samba beat, the most important thing is to be able to play the foot pattern and the ride cymbal pattern together confidently. Practice by starting with the bass drum and hi-hat (the foot pattern) then add the accented notes on the bell of the ride cymbal. Once you feel confident with this, then add in the non-accented notes on the hi-hat. Play this together with the feet many times until it feels very comfortable, then practice playing it at faster speeds.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice beats 5-7 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: Review the bass and snare rhythms of beats 5-7 before trying to play them with the hi-hat. Count the rhythms as you play to ensure you are playing them correctly. Once you feel confident with these rhythms, then try playing them together with the eighth notes on the hi-hat. For “Can’t Stop,” focus on the chorus beat as well as the fills at the end of the verse and the end of the chorus.
Damian
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10 minutes per day
What to practice: Review the accent patterns as well as your basic rock beat: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jaROP8emrq7yGkV13Mt_Js4NVtEz-sCl?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Remember when you are practicing the accent patterns that you should always alternate your hands (right, left, right, left…). In patterns 5-8, this means that each hand will play at least one accent within the pattern. Also spend some time reviewing the beats from the “Basic Rock Beats” page. Next week we will work on putting these beats together with the accent patterns.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Page 2 of “Never Lost” by Cece Wiinans: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on the repeat of the chorus at the top of this page. The only measures that are different from the first chorus are measures 2, 4, and 6. Practice counting and playing the rhythms in each of these measures. Then work on playing the whole chorus through. If you have time, also take a look at the bridge section. We will work on this more next week.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice playing “Can’t Stop” together with the recording of the song: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Start at the beginning of the song and work on getting the sixteenth notes in the intro to line up with the guitar part in the song. Then practice playing through each section of the song with the recording. Don’t feel like you need to start at the beginning each time. Break the song down into parts and practice each part a few times. When you get to the end of the bridge section, listen closely for where the fill comes in that leads into Verse 3. We will work more on this together next week.
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 the bridge section of “So Much To Say” and, if you have time, start looking at verse 3: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KGeo9VGh3JOWzwpGhEe1DbXMRuQiG7lL?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Practice playing the bridge at a very slow speed to start. Make sure that the first note of the first beat is played as a long note. This will help you to get the correct rhythm right from the beginning. Try to connect each new bar to the previous one without stopping or pausing. It is important to be able to feel the groove of this section. Once you start to feel confident with it, then work on playing it faster.