Thomas Li

Lukas

“Hotel California”

Congratulations on a beautiful and controlled play-through of “Hotel California.” The next step is to play everything with a lighter touch so that the drums support rather than overshadow the other instruments.

You did an excellent job coming to the surface during your solo moments in the guitar-solo section. With that, we are ready to begin our next song.

“More Than a Feeling” by Boston

You already have a solid foundation with this song. Our main technical focus will be the sixteenth-note bass-drum doubles and the doubles on the snare.

Whenever you play a double—with either the stick or bass-drum pedal—think toward the note that follows it. This will help:

• Even out the two notes of the double
• Generate the second rebound
• Keep the phrase moving forward

Practise the following exercise:

1. Play L L R, with the left-hand notes on the snare and the right-hand note on another surface.
2. Play a bass-drum double together with the two left-hand strokes.
3. Place a slight emphasis on the first note of each double.
4. Imagine the bounce moving toward the following right-hand note, almost like a small crescendo.
5. Listen to the left-hand double and try to match that sound and spacing with the bass drum.

You can remove either the foot or the left hand whenever you need to practise one part separately.

Goal for this week: Learn through bar 39. Listen carefully to how the two-bar phrase beginning at bar 36 is shaped. Next class, we will work on recognizing musical cues and using them to guide your playing.

Finn

“Imposter”

The “band practice” with Dad clearly helped Finn maintain focus and keep time over multiple repetitions. Please continue this exercise, aiming to repeat the four-bar phrase more than four times without becoming lost.

Bass-Line Exercise

I have notated the bass line for Finn to learn on xylophone. It can also be practised at home using a keyboard or piano.

The notes are written:

• On the staff in treble clef
• As numbers from 1 to 6

The number system is:

• 1 = C
• 2 = D
• 3 = E
• 4 = F
• 5 = G
• 6 = A

Use the numbers to become familiar with the notes and their locations on the keyboard.

Dad can also call out four random numbers between 1 and 6 for Finn to find and play. This will help develop quicker note recognition without relying only on the memorized bass line.

From there, we may also learn the melody and eventually build a recording from scratch in which Finn performs all the musical layers.

Aleksander

“Smooth Criminal”

Continue working on the same material as last week, through bar 41.

Our main goal is to bring the pre-chorus pattern up to speed. Begin by isolating only the foot pattern:

• Keep the pulse steady.
• Open and close the hi-hat evenly with the eighth-note subdivision.
• Make sure each opening and closing happens at the correct rhythmic point.
• Add the hands only after the feet feel consistent.

I have also written a sticking for bar 33. Follow the sticking carefully and learn the rhythm accurately before increasing the tempo.

Notated Practice Page

Koel

“YYZ”

You did a good job playing from the sixth repeat through to the end of the bridge. Your understanding of the bridge pattern has improved, but there are still a few details that require careful practice.

Bridge

In the dotted rhythm on the second line of the bridge:

• Play five floor-tom strokes leading into the crash.
• The crash should land on the “e” of beat 3.
• If helpful, use your left hand for the first crash stroke. The sticking can serve as a reminder of where the crash belongs within the subdivision.

A Section

Make sure you play the correct pattern every time. Some details tend to disappear when the tempo becomes faster, so practise slowly enough to confirm each bar before bringing it back up to speed.

Outro

Pay attention to the following areas:

• In the bar before the outro, begin the triplet with the left hand.
• Practise the second repeat of the outro carefully.
• Review the second-last line.
• Count the quarter-note rest for its full value.
• If helpful, play each beat with the bass drum while practising the lick so that the pulse remains clear.

Goal for next class: Prepare a complete play-through of the song.

Renaud

“Back in Black”

Welcome back, Renaud! Thank you for practising the rhythm of the AC/DC fill. We will now assign the different parts of that rhythm to the instruments of the drum set.

The fill appears every four bars.

Beginning of the Fill

For the first two eighth notes:

• Continue playing the hi-hat.
• Add the bass drum to the first eighth note.

“1–2–3” Groups

For the next three groups:

• 1: Snare drum
• 2: Hi-hat and bass drum together
• 3: Rest

Repeat this pattern three times.

For the final “1–2–3” group:

• 1: Snare drum
• 2: Snare drum
• 3: Rest

The three bars before the fill use the basic rock beat we have already studied. Practise combining three bars of the basic beat with the fill in the fourth bar.

Stick Control, Page 5

Continue working on the first column of page 5. Focus on even strokes, matching stick heights, relaxed movement and a steady pulse. We will study these exercises together during the next lesson.

Lukas

“Hotel California”

Our main focus was the guitar-solo section, where the drums have a call-and-response relationship with the guitar.

When the guitar is playing its riff:

• Bring down your dynamics.
• Support the guitar rather than competing with it.
• Listen carefully so you know when it is your turn to respond.

When the drums respond, play with “main-character energy”:

• Play confidently.
• Allow the phrase to breathe.
• Build gradually from beat 3 into beat 4.
• Aim for a strong landing on beat 1 of the following bar.

We also discussed choreographing your body movement for fills that travel across the drum set. Practise the waist movement by itself. Allow the movement of your waist to lead your arms naturally from one surface to another, rather than reaching with the arms alone.

At our next lesson, we will begin with a complete play-through of the song and then move on to a new song.

Practice Material

Finn

“Imposter”

The four-bar phrase is now quite solid. Our next goal is to maintain focus while repeating it continuously.

The first time through is usually secure, but during the second repetition, the bass drum sometimes lands on the wrong beat and disrupts the phrase. Try to keep track of where you are within each bar, even if you make a mistake. Rather than stopping, continue counting and find your place again.

For the final bar:

• Practise with a metronome.
• Pay close attention to beat 3.
• Make sure beat 3 is played as sixteenth notes rather than eighth notes.
• Loop the bar until the subdivision feels natural.

I also encourage Finn to practise the phrase repeatedly with his father this week, treating it like a band rehearsal. This will help Finn become familiar with what is happening around him while also receiving immediate feedback whenever an issue appears.

I look forward to hearing how the “band rehearsal” goes!

Aleksander

“Smooth Criminal”

Learn the music through bar 41.

Focus on making the pre-chorus feel fluid and connected. A useful two-bar phrase to loop is:

• Bar 20
• Bar 21

As you move into the chorus, aim for a lighter sound on the ride cymbal. Let the cymbal support the groove without becoming too heavy.

Pay particular attention to:

• Bar 27: Play the dotted rhythm accurately.
• Bar 33: Learn and understand the rhythm first before trying to play it at speed.

Keep the tempo slow enough that every rhythm and transition remains clear.

Zico

“Drum Corps on Parade”

Learn the piece through the end of the first page, with particular focus on the final three lines.

Follow the phrasing marked on the screenshot:

• An upward-pointing arrow indicates a pickup leading into the next phrase or grouping.
• Treat the pickup as movement toward the beginning of the phrase.
• Try to play each grouping in one breath.
• Use the accents to create a clear underlying melody.

Continue practising the previously assigned rudiments.

Also work on:

• Five-stroke rolls
• Nine-stroke rolls

Practise these rolls at a variety of tempos, with special attention given to slower tempos. Playing slowly will make it easier to hear whether the spacing and rhythm of each roll are accurate.

Koel

“YYZ”

This week, practise everything at a slower tempo and allow more space between the quarter-note beats.

Using the sixth repeat leading into the guitar solo as an example:

1. Establish beats 1 and 2 clearly.
2. Make sure the pulse is secure.
3. Then move into the paradiddle pattern.
4. Even when “going rogue,” the pattern should remain controlled and grounded in the beat.

I also challenged Koel to play the bridge without making a mistake. Although the material appears simple, a mistake immediately occurred in the second bar. This is a reminder to study and understand every pattern—even the simplest ones.

When playing through the song, the goal is not to sight-read each bar as it arrives. You should already understand how each pattern works so that you can play it confidently and recover if anything goes wrong.

Goal for this week: Try to learn through to the end of the song.