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 all of Beat #2 from “Watermelon Man” as well as the new fill and Beat #3 which I have added to your folder: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz
How to practice it most effectively: Work on the transition from Beat 1c into Beat 2 and practice playing all the way through to the end of that beat. Then, practice the new fill that we worked on in your lesson. Once you are comfortable with it, then work on the transition from the end of Beat 2 into the fill. Finally, work on Beat 3 and, if you have time, try to transition from the new fill into Beat 3. Next week we will try to put it all together.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice playing the first two beats and drum fill from “Highway to Hell” by ACDC: https://drive.google.com/open?id=10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc
How to practice it most effectively: First focus on the beats. Remember that the first one is only played twice and then the second one is played 12 times, so spend more time working on the second one. Also, work on making the transition from the first beat to the second. Finally, work on the drum fill. Make sure to always count when you play it so that you know you’re playing the correct number of notes. Then see if you can transition from the second beat into the fill.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the “Guitar Solo 2” section of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: First look at the first four lines of the Guitar Solo 2 section. The beat is very similar to what you have played before, but some of the fills are a bit different, especially the 16th-note fill at the end of the fourth line. Be sure to count whenever you practice that fill. Then move on to the last four lines of this section. This is where the beat changes. Be sure to identify all the sixteenth notes on the bass drum and remember that many of these will be played in between the hi-hat notes rather than at the same time as the hi-hat. If you struggle with this part, then just slow it down and practice it a little bit at a time.
Nate M.
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Combinations of the drum beats from the page I have put in this Google Drive folder for you: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UJYz7hx_AeAM7Std0aj1Y1IyVd-8f86S?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: First, make sure that you can play each of the beats individually. You should practice them at a variety of speeds and focus on maintaining the accents on the hi-hat. Once you feel comfortable with all of the beats, then try combining them in different ways (put #1 and #2 together, then #3 and #4, #5 and #6, etc.). You should also work on playing drum fills together with each of these beats. Try to think of rhythms that work well with each of the different beats and incorporate these rhythms into your fills.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice beats #1-6 from the new sheet that I put in your folder for you: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s
How to practice it most effectively: Take these beats slowly at first and focus on playing the accent pattern on the hi-hat correctly. Remember what we discussed about the arm movement required for this. The accented notes are played from the elbow, and the non-accented notes are played from the wrist. It is a subtle motion that needs to be done quickly, but you should practice it slowly at first. Use your ears to make sure that the accent pattern is consistent. Practice this way with all of the first 6 beats on the page.