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 and the Mambo beats from the new page I have provided: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz
How to practice it most effectively: With the Rhumba, remember that the snare rhythm is the most important. It is 1 (2) + (3) 4. The bass drum should play on 1 and 3 and the hi-hat (or ride cymbals) should play eighth notes. With the Mambo, first focus on getting the foot pattern down and playing it really steady. Then try adding in the right hand (eighth notes on the ride cymbal) and then the left hand (clicks on the snare and eighth notes on the tom).
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice playing the intro, verse, and chorus from “Highway to Hell” as well as the two new fills from the end of Chorus 2: https://drive.google.com/open?id=10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc
How to practice it most effectively: Practice counting in your head while you play. This will ensure that you aren’t adding extra notes/beats and that you hit the transitions at the right time. Also, take a look at the new fills from the end of Chorus 2. It is important to count the four rests before each fill each time you play them.
Aidan
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice playing through the whole snare drum solo: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yJPRmQn7QZuvnmvhe8ji-CCGmJPGLDZi
How to practice it most effectively: Go over each of the sections that have been giving you difficulty: the tricky rhythm section near the beginning (F, MF, P) and the transition into the FF/PP section near the end. Once you have practiced those sections a few times, then try playing through the whole solo from top to bottom. As you get more comfortable playing through the page, then try to gradually increase your tempo.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Review the 12/8 rhythms and fills and also practice the two new shuffle beats: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Great work with the 12/8 drum fills. This week, work on moving them around the drums. Be sure to use the same stickings every time. With the shuffle beats, remember that you’re just removing the middle note from each group of three eighth notes. You can count these beats “1 a 2 a 3 a 4 a 1” … etc.
Nate M.
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the last two ghost note beats (#s 23-24) as well as Beat #1 and #2 from Watermelon Man: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UJYz7hx_AeAM7Std0aj1Y1IyVd-8f86S?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Listen to the song Watermelon Man a few times this week. Pay close attention to how these first two beats fit in with the rest of the music. The more you can hear the beats in the song, the easier it will be to learn. Practice playing the beats in this order: 1a, 1b, 1a, 1c, 2. Remember that the last two lines of beat #2 get repeated.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice all the beats from “Come and Go” by Juice WRLD, including the two new ones: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s
How to practice it most effectively: You’ve made really good progress on the main beat. Review it a few times each day and pay close attention to the bass drum rhythm. With the “clap beat,” remember to play it 4 times without the bass drum and then 4 times with the bass drum. With the “double-time beat,” just focus on figuring out the rhythm and playing it slowly.