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 putting together all of the beats and fills from Watermelon Man: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz
How to practice it most effectively: Practice all of the transitions between the main sections of the song: Beat #1 into Beat #2, Beat #2 into the fill, and the fill into Beat #3. Once you feel confident with all of the transitions, then work on playing through the whole form.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice playing the chorus from “Highway to Hell” by ACDC: https://drive.google.com/open?id=10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on the main 2-bar progression that has a crash on beat 1 of the first bar and beats 3 and 4 of the second bar. Practice it many times over so that you can remember how it sounds and how it feels. Then, look at the bar that has two snares and crashes on beat 4. Remember that this comes immediately after the third time you play the 2-bar progression. So, you should practice the transition from the progression into the new bar.
Aidan
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the first 5 lines of the new snare drum solo we started this week: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yJPRmQn7QZuvnmvhe8ji-CCGmJPGLDZi
How to practice it most effectively: The two things you need to focus on in the first part of this solo are the rhythms and the dynamics. Pay close attention to anywhere that you have a crescendo or diminuendo and make sure you begin and end them in the right places. Remember that your volume is determined by the height of your sticks above the drum and that you need at least 6 distinct volumes (stick heights) to play this piece correctly.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Continue working on the “Guitar Solo 2” section of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” and also practice the new 12/8 beats: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: You’re doing really well with the beats and fills from Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. Focus this week on just keeping a steady speed, particularly on the hi-hat (remember that it’s you’re time keeper). With the new 12/8 beats, remember that you are playing groups of 3 on the hi-hat (rather than 2 or 4) so these beats will feel different. See if you can play each of the new beats 4 times in a row without stopping.
Nate M.
Recommended minutes to practice: 20-30 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the ghost notes beats (#s 13-18) as well as Beat #1 from Watermelon Man: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UJYz7hx_AeAM7Std0aj1Y1IyVd-8f86S?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on keeping the ghost notes soft in beats 13-18. It is important for them to have the right sound and feel that the rhythms are correct as well as the relative volumes of the notes. With the beat from Watermelon Man, listen to the song to get a feel for how it should sound and then try practicing it with a few of the variations that I have written down.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice beats #5-10 from the sheet of 16th notes beats that we worked on in your lesson: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s
How to practice it most effectively: Just like when we did these beats together, you first need to identify the rhythm of the bass drum and snare drum. Practice playing the bass and snare together without the hi-hat first. Then add in the 16th notes on the hi-hat while playing the bass and snare underneath. Remember to count the beats in your head while you play and focus on keeping a steady tempo.