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: Review lines 4, 5, and 6 from Syncopation page 29 and listen to the song “Beggin’” by Maneskin: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17pjkCZ1jfMdjwRqFBMaPIG_hKMb3gQGz?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Keep working on the rhythms from Syncopation page 29 and practice them just like we did in your lesson: first one bar at a time, moving them around the drums, and in combination with a drum beat. Then try two bars at a time in the same fashion. Then try a different pair of bars. Finally, put all four bars together and play it with four bars of a beat to make an eight-bar phrase. With the song “Beggin’” try to figure out some of the main beats that repeat throughout the song.
Elliot
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Review beats 9-12 from the page “Basic Rock Beats” and practice page two of “A-Punk” by Vampire Weekend: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10YGpSqgr9Z2SExyhXz7k1evG3C0t2VEc?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on playing the rock beats several times in a row (at least eight times each) without stopping or slowing down. See how fast you can play each beat while still staying loose and avoiding tension in your arm. For the Vampire Weekend song, review page one and add to it the notes from page two. See if you can play parts of the song along with the recording.
Aidan
Recommended minutes to practice: 30 minutes per day
What to practice: Keep working on your open-stroke (buzz) roll and your closed-stroke (double stroke) roll as well as the ghost-note beats: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yJPRmQn7QZuvnmvhe8ji-CCGmJPGLDZi?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Focus on increasing the speed between your hands in the buzz roll as you get louder and then slowing them down as you get softer again. With the double stroke roll, try to keep your fingers engaged throughout the whole process, especially at slow speeds. This will help bridge the gap between slow and fast. For the ghost note beats, try not to lift the stick before playing the ghost notes. Keep the stick down close to the drum and just allow it to drop and touch the drum head to play the ghost notes. Also, keep your right hand relaxed as it plays the hi-hat.
Noah
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the fifth and sixth line of rhythm from Syncopation page 29 and review beats 8 and 9 from the page we have been working on: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Dga1ZBRWaN_Ka4O1G009w-74c4VaZCj7?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Practice each line of rhythm first on the snare drum. Then practice playing each bar individually around the drums. Try to be creative in the ways that you move around the drums and find patterns and combinations of sounds that you like. Play them in combination with a drum beat. Then play two bars in a row around the drums with two bars of a beat. Also, take some time this week to come up with ideas for songs you might like to learn to play. We’ll talk about it next week.
Koel
Recommended minutes to practice: 10-15 minutes per day
What to practice: Review beats 1-7 of the syncopated bass drum beats: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SCS8WVjfR1OZVlYmt8a1r2LTxo2NJOpN?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Practice each of these beats at a slow speed first. Focus on getting the correct rhythm on the bass drum and maintain a steady speed. Then, after it starts to feel comfortable, practice it at a faster speed. Try to play each beat several times in a row (at least eight times) before moving on. This is important for developing consistency and a sense of groove.
Damian
Recommended minutes to practice: 5-10 minutes per day
What to practice: Practice the rhythm exercises on the “Basics of Rhythm” page and practice the beats on the page of “Basic Rock Beats”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jaROP8emrq7yGkV13Mt_Js4NVtEz-sCl?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Read carefully each of the rhythm exercises and count them out loud before you try to play them. It is important to be able to both count and play the rhythms correctly. After that, take a look at some of the basic rock beats from the other sheet. Remember to count all the eighth notes on the cymbal (“1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &…”) and don’t leave out any notes.
Nate O.
Recommended minutes to practice: 15-20 minutes per day
What to practice: Keep working on the rhythms from Syncopation page 29 and take a look at the main beats from “Never Lost” by Cece Winans: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lsS6FvGAobS96Y5mFUDE_7L1HGfAK0_s?usp=sharing
How to practice it most effectively: Practice each line of rhythms on the snare drum first. Then practice playing each bar individually around the drums. Try to be creative in the ways that you move around the drums and find patterns and combinations of sounds that you like. Play them in combination with a drum beat. Then play two bars in a row around the drums with two bars of a beat. Also, practice the main beats from “Never Lost.” Remember that they are in 6/8 time, not 4/4.