Hi everyone, Next week I will be away and you will have a substitute teacher. His name is Branden and he is a colleague of mine from U of T. He is a great drummer and an excellent teacher, so you will be in good hands! Also, I made a mistake this week when I told each of you that [...]
Hi everyone, Here are your homework assignments for this week: Michelle Keep practicing your drum roll. Take a look at the five different types of roles that we’ve worked on, and also practice the 4-bar roll exercise. Work on your flam as well this week. Focus on getting the two notes as close together as possible without playing them both [...]
Hi everyone, Here are your homework assignments for this week: Michelle Practice the beats from “Tighten Up” by the Black Keys. Listen to the song at home and try to hear how the drums fit in with the rest of the song. Practice slowly at first, but then try playing at the speed of the song. Also, work on the [...]
Hi everyone, Here are your homework assignments for this week: Nathaniel You’re all ready for the recital! Just remember not to speed up during the song. It’s important to keep a steady beat. Also, listen for when the song slows down at the end - that’s when we stop. Aidan Run through “Back in Black” once or twice before coming [...]
Hi everyone, Here are your homework assignments for this week: Michelle Please practice both main beats from “Tighten Up” by the Black Keys. For the first one, focus on accenting beats 2 and 4 and try to play the sixteenth notes evenly each time. For the second beat, work on playing the fill every fourth measure. Oscar Great work on [...]
Hi everyone, Here are your homework assignments for this week: Aidan Keep reviewing “Back in Black” this week. It sounds really good and you know the song very well. Just focus on the transitions between sections, especially at the end of the song. Also, be careful not to rush at all. It’s a fairly slow and laid back song, so [...]
Hi everyone, Here are your homework assignments for this week: Michelle Practice the new beat we worked on from the song “Tighten Up” by the Black Keys. Focus on making the 16th notes even and steady. Also try playing the variation of the beat at the end of each 4-bar phrase. Listen to the song a few times this week [...]
Hi everyone, Here are your homework assignments for this week: Michelle Review the interlocking rhythm exercises that we worked on this week. Practice counting the rhythms in your head while you play. This will help with consistency and accuracy. Play each rhythm multiple times in a row before moving on. Oscar Practice playing “Black Dog” all the way through from [...]
Hi everyone, Here are your homework assignments for this week: Nathaniel Try to spend some time over the next couple weeks listening to “Let It Be” in preparation for the recital. Practice keeping a steady beat with the song and making sure that the bass drum always plays on beat 1. You’re sounding really good on this song! Aidan Focus [...]
Hi everyone, Here are your homework assignments for this week: Aidan Review the song “Back in Black” this week so that we can practice it next week with the recording. Focus especially on the guitar solo section, and the bridge section near the end. Be sure to count while you play. This will help you keep a steady beat and [...]