Ezra

Best Song Ever pattern #9

  • Count 8th notes out loud.
  • Practice with a metronome. The clicks are quarter notes. Start at 45 bpm. Once you have played through all the patterns, do it again but with the metronome at 50 bpm. Then at 55, etc., until you get to 80. Don’t go faster than that.
  • Count one bar of 8th notes before you start playing the pattern.

Basic Beats + fills

  • Using the “Basic Beats” patterns, play 2 bars of the pattern followed by 2 bars of filling. I want you to improvise the fills (make them up on the spot). We did something similar in our lesson a few weeks ago. To keep your fills simple, you can start by playing quarter notes around the drums set. Then, try using a combination of quarter notes and rests. Then, try adding in 8th notes. Experiment.
  • Play along to What I Like by Bruno Mars.

Elora

Basic Beats

  • Count 8th notes out loud as you play (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and).
  • Play along to a metronome at 90 bpm. Each click equals an 8th note.
  • Once you have played through all the patterns, play them again but with the metronome at 100 bpm. Then at 110, etc., until you get to 140. You can try going even faster but it’s up to you.
  • Count one bar of 8th notes before you start playing the patterns.