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: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the Rhumba, Mambo, Bossa Nova, and Nanigo beats: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz
How to practice it most effectively: Practice the right hand rhythm in the Nanigo beat on the bell of the ride cymbal. Remember that it is supposed to have a “3 feel” not a “2 feel.” If you’re having trouble with it, practice clapping the rhythm while counting “1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3…” just like we did in your lesson. They go back to playing it on the ride cymbal while still counting out loud. Finally, put it together with the bass, snare, and hi-hat.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the first 6 beats from the new page with 16th-note beats: https://drive.google.com/open?id=10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc
How to practice it most effectively: Practice playing each of these beats in two different ways: 1) with the right hand playing all of the 16th notes on the hi-at and the left hand playing the snare notes, and 2) with both hands alternating on the hi-hat and the right hand moving to play the snare notes. Pay close attention to the rhythms on the bass drum in order to play the beats accurately and consistently.
Aidan
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the first 18 flam exercises: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yJPRmQn7QZuvnmvhe8ji-CCGmJPGLDZi
How to practice it most effectively: Pay close attention to the movement of your sticks when practicing these exercises. Whenever one stick plays two or three notes in a row, the other stick should be lifted higher in order to prepare for a flam. Otherwise, keep the sticks low and close to the drum. Try to engage the fingers on the stick as much as you can to control the bounce of the sticks.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the fills from Verse 2 and Verse 3 of “Misunderstanding” by Genesis: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: The fills from Verse 2 and Verse 3 are what we worked on in your lesson this week. Review the rhythms and practice playing them around the drums. Remember that the two higher toms are written above the snare drum notes and the lowest tom is written below the snare notes. We haven’t looked at the beat and fills from the Chorus yet, but if you want to look at this section too, go for it!
Nate M.
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice all of the fills and transitions in Watermelon Man: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UJYz7hx_AeAM7Std0aj1Y1IyVd-8f86S?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Listen to the song at least a few times this week. Pay close attention to the transitions between beats and the fills. Make sure you can hear the rhythms in these sections. With the fill that comes after Beat #2 and before Beat #3, remember that it starts with a short, sixteenth-note rest on beat one. With the last fill that comes after Beat #3, work on the timing of the crashes and the tom notes.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Keep working on the ghost note beats (#s 13-18): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s
How to practice it most effectively: Work on playing the ghost notes as softly as you can. This is achieved by keeping the stick close to the drum and not lifting it more than an inch or two above the drum before you hit the note. Also, pay close attention to the rhythm of the bass drum and snare drum parts in #17 and #18. Practice playing them accurately and consistently.