Gergely Szabo

Dearest Saturday drum students,

I mentioned this to as many of you as I could this past weekend, but I just wanted to make sure you are all aware that I’ll be away this coming Saturday, Nov. 16th, at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis. My colleague Thomas Li will be filling in for me, and lessons will proceed as usual.

Thanks! All the best,

Chris

Jack

Benny Greb Rhythmic Alphabet
–Learn each letter in the “binary” part of the alphabet (counting 1-2-3-4)
–try building small words!
Using these words, play along to Sum 41: In too Deep
Tragically Hip: 50 Mission Cap
–Learning the beat (Bass-Snare-Bass-Snare) and playing along with the song while I play piano
Xylophone
–Learning the musical alphabet (ABCDEFG)
–Visually identifying C on the keyboard
–Spelling “Dad” and “Egg” on the keyboard

Aleksander

Warmups (30 sec each) goal tempo 160bpm:
–Single strokes (R L R L…)
–Double Strokes (R R L L….)
–Paradiddles (RLRR LRLL…)
Drumset Musician p12 ex. 8-15 a)
ACDC: Back in Black–everything up until 2:49
–Bridge section: use the worksheet to practice this beat
–Once comfortable, listen to this recording and try playing along to this section

Jared

Warmups:
–Stick Control ex 14-23** (70bpm)
—-Play each exercise 4 times
Bruno Mars: Locked Out of Heaven
–Use the Half-Time Groove Primer worksheet (handout) to help build up to the new beat on the last page. Sorry I left ex. 5-1/2 out. It’s at the bottom
–Drill all the small transitions (eg. end of chorus back into verse)

Jonah

Warmups (1min/ea)
–Triplet Exercise (Goal tempo=115)
–Sixteenth-note exercise (goal tempo=100)
New Song! Bruno Mars: Locked Out of Heaven
–Good work. Remember to read along!
–Tom-tom groove in the chorus: make sure to nail the transition back to the verse
–Use the handout to practice the halftime groove from the end of the song

Mario

Warmups (1min/ea; slow, med, fast speeds)
–8 on a hand
–Single Stroke Roll (R L R L…)
–Double Stroke Roll (R R L L…)
White Stripes: Seven Nation Army COMPLETE
–Follow the “roadmap” of the song. You know it all now, so it’s just a question of playing the correct parts at the correct times in the song
–LISTENING is the key skill to playing in time with the recording
–Use listening to help you adjust when accidentally playing too fast/slow
Drumset Musician p11, ex. 1-4*
–Good work
–Also practice 1 b) to help with the White Stripes song

Mateo–WOOHOO great first lesson!

Required materials: notebook/binder/duotang, sticks, metronome
Recommended materials: hearing protection (ear plugs or otherwise), practice pad, method books (I’ll let you know when/what to buy)

Also, please visit this link and bookmark it. Mateo will use resources posted in the “Frequently Used Resources Folder” as well as his personal folder (Hull, Chris>Student-Specific Resources>Mateo Zalamea) throughout his drum lessons.
Holding the sticks (“The Grip”):
–With the backs of your hands facing the sky, hold the stick between your thumb and index finger. It should be kind of like how you’d grip a key to open your front door
–Let the rest of your fingers wrap comfortably around the stick
–When playing, use the flexion and extension (or up and down motion) of your wrist to make a stroke, kind of like bouncing a basketball
–Allow the stick to bounce freely from the drum
–Remember: flying V, key grip, basketball
Warmups (30 sec each):
–8 on a Hand
–Single Stroke Roll (RLRL…)
–Double Stroke Roll (RRLL…)
FIRST DRUM BEAT (Basic Beat exercise, Level 1)
Step 1) Count “1 2 3 4”
Step 2) With your Right Hand (RH), play the hihat cymbals on all counts
Step 3) With your Right Foot (RF), play the bass drum on “1” and “3”
Step 4) With your LH, play the Snare Drum on “2” and “4”
–if it gets tricky, slow things down! Give your brain more time to think
–Be careful not to crush the strokes: sticks should bounce freely from the drum

You can find sheet music for these beats in the Frequently Used Resources folder. They are from Drumset Musician, p11 (ex. 1 a and b). Please download and print. :)