Monday 29/01/18 8pm

Use the Swiss triplet ex from last lesson to continue developing your left foot coordination playing time underneath polyrhythms. It is clear from the grooves in "meet dart ear" and "dark matter" that it is starting to benefit your playing. 

Dark matter: Take some time with the last line of page 1- the top of page 2. Work to a click focussing on the internal dynamics and especially the bass drum placement. In order to sound stylisticly correct it the phrasing needs to be "effortless" and fluid. 

Monday 28/01/18 7.30

Good work on the Anderson pak feel this week. Below are two videos explaining more about the "Dila" feel. Have a go and bring in anything your not sure about next lesson. 

https://youtu.be/-DkM0Zlsmmg

https://youtu.be/Zov5R0kLNpQ

Monday 29/01/18 6pm

Lewis: refine the fills and transitions for rollin. Especially into section B from section A. Also the first page of Geek is taking shape. Go over each section to a metronome at 90-110bpm first to make sure you are secure in the swung triplet feel. Good progress this week! 

Toby: your mission this week is to get the first four bars of rollin secure to the track! Start slow making sure your double bass drums are secure and the coordination between your right hand a right foot is good! You can play much of this piece OK but you now need to work out some of the technical details to get it up to scratch! 

Seb: great reading and playing today from the quick study pieces. Next lesson we will start on the trinity grade 6 technical studies as requested so brush up your rudiments. Focus on control and articulation especially with regards to flam rudiments. 

Monday 29/01/18 5pm

This week keep working on the 40 bar ex. Make sure you count carefully. Don't rush! 

If you feel confident then start working on the second line as well. 

Here is an exercise to help you with the bass drums in "give it away". I have also included the groove again. Try and gave this perfect by next week. 

Start working on the first two bars of fallout for next week. 

 

Monday 29/01/18 4.15pm

This week's practice is to look at ex 2,4,6 and 8 from the lesson 11 sheet. 

Make sure you count the rhythms correctly! (1 +a) 

You also need to practice the two groove variations for "for you" pictured below. Again check some YouTube examples if you need reminding how they look/ sound. 

Thurs 6pm

Use the samba bass drum exercise below to secure your 16th note doubles on the bass drum and improve your coordination. 

Good work on the quick study pieces. Below is a funk one for you to have a look at for next week. 

Thurs 5.30pm

This week you need to practice the first groove for Matt McGuire's cover on new rules. 

Take you people time with the pattern. Work on staying relaxed especially your right hand and getting a smooth flow for the groove. 

Also practice the first fill. Remember to get the correct sticking fir the last two hi-hats if the fill! 

Thursday 5pm

Practice ex 25 and 26 from lesson 11. Start in the share and bass drum. Push the tempo! When this is comfortable slow it down and start experimenting with the voicing (play around the kit). 

Chop Suey: better, take care with intro groove. Start slow and make sure your rhythm is accurate! 

Start working on the groove at B 

Thurs 4pm

Accented paradiddle sounding much better this week. Start working on the species example (pic below) 

Chorus groove to nay sayer was secure up to 16bm. Remember to keep your right hand relaxed to help your coordination. Work up to tempo. 

Monday 5pm 22/01/18

This week practice the first bar of the 48 bar exercise. Take care with your sticking and counting. The last figure should be played R-RL. Once this is comfortable play it around the kit as a fill. Also line 8 bar 2 has the same figure. Have a go at this as well! 

Well done with the groove to "give it away". All of you mastered the first 16th note bass drum now see if you can add the double in for next week! 

Monday 4.15pm 22/91/18

Well done this week! This week I want you to practice applying the single and double paradiddle. Below are two examples using the rudiment as a fill. You can either do this around the drums or with the right hand on the hi-hat and the left on the snare as a more groove based idea. 

Also apply ex 1,5,7 and 9 from last week as some fills around the drums. Use a metronome and try to push the tempo up to 100bpm or faster! 

Lastly listen to "for you" from the rock school grade 2 book. You can find videos if people playing along to it on you tube. 

Thurs 8.30pm

Nicely played today. Below is some if he exercises we looked at to start playing some 1:4 and 8th note fills. Start slowly with the just the sticking pattern. Count and clap the rhythm first to get a feel for it. Then try playing with stops ms adding in the right foot to help you keep time and develop your coordination. 

Thurs 8pm 18/01/18

Good work this week. You have almost established the paradiddle groove for pop it in the top. Refine his further over the coming week using the up stroke and accented paradiddle exercise. 

Practice the first page of the piece as well. Taking care with the groove changes and fills. Try going through one line at a time to start until it starts to feel comfortable then play through to the track. 

Thurs 6.30pm 18/01/18

Really good progress this week. You have made strong progress on maintaining a good swing feel while developing the independence to play the left hand comping figures in the left hand. Try applying some of these ideas to the develop section on the third page (watch out for the feel change half way through).

Play through the 6/4 solo section for next week. Start out just playing time, get a feel for the structure listening for the melodic and rhythmic changes through the solo. We will look I at some phrases and ideas for this section next lesson. 

Thurs 5.30pm 18/01/18

A really good lesson polishing your performance for this Sunday. The fills are starting to sound much more musical and in time than last week. Remember to not over hit and keep your hands relaxed as you play the Herta fill around the kit. 

Use the exercise from last lesson in your practice book at practice the flow and feel of the Herta sticking 

Thurs 5pm 18/01/18

Use ex 25,26 and 27 as your warm-ups thus week. Focus on clean sticking, relaxed technique (don't hit too hard) and an even sound. Really work on pushing the tempo up to 120 Bpm +. 

Great start on the intro to Chop Suey. Practice th ps intro groove on the toms for next week. 

Below is a copy of the chart to start having a look through. 

Thurs 4.30pm 18/01/18

Use the single, double and triple paradiddle ex as your warm up thus week. Use a metronome and focus on an even sound and feel as you play. 

Bo Rap was sounding really excellent thus week. All the transitions and fills were present and secure. Really good work! 

The intro to 25 miles us almost up to tempo however it still needs some work to get the syncopated bass drums in the 4th bar feeling confident. We will continue this next lesson. 

Thursday 4pm 18/01/18

This week we worked on refining the accented paradiddle exercise from last lesson. Think about your mechanics when playing these accents using up stroke pull outs to enable the transition from the ghost note to the accent! 

Try using as short fills and groove variations played over the hi-hat and snare with different bass drum patterns underneath, or take the right hand for a walk around the drums. 

Monday 8.30 Ben and Neil

Ben: brush up on your grade 3 pieces for next lesson. Need I remind you, Party people and muddy boots. Make sure the middle 8 section of need I remind you is secure. Count the 1/4 note bass drums carefully! 

Party people was good but re-cap the fill for the ending and the whole last line so we can finish it girl next week! 

Neil: this week we looked at the groove for "give it away" by the red hot chilli peppers to develop our 16th note bass drum syncopation. Start slow and don't loop the bar until it feels totally relaxed to play the extra bass drum against the hi-hat. 

See if you can apply the technique to the relevant groove variation in "eye of the tiger" 

Monday 8pm Tom 15/01/18

Excellent progress again this week. Meet darth ear is taking a really nice shape. When approaching the 7/8 section just play through without accenting the ride pattern. You will start to feel when the guitar implies the 3:7. It is then just a case of making your ride bell sync with your bass drum in the fourth bar to follow this phrase. 

Check out some of IIan Rubin's clinic videos for contemporary rock solo ideas on you tube in preparation for developing the solo. 

Monday 7.30pm Aaron

Re-cap of Buena Havanah: nicely played today feel and style were really present. Solo section was much cleaner. Using longer more open phrasing really adds shape and depth. Focus on keeping the intensity in the sections at lower volumes. Keep the attack and crispness to avoid it sounding too loose Razor head: again good work done on this piece. Watch your internal dynamics over the section on the toms. Don't over hit but make sure you bass drum has a strong presence in the mix. 

Focus on the transition in to 5/4 and coming out in to the last fill cleanly. Try and internalise the phrase by listening to the track. Get used to singing or counting the 1/4 note over the top while you do this! 

Monday 5pm 15/01/18

Use the two 1/4 note hi-hat grooves below to build your right hand independence. Take your time and count the 1/4 note. 

Also we started working on 16th nots bass scrum syncopation. Use the three steps below to make sure you can really read and understand the figure. Don't stretch the gap between the hi-hat on the the '+' if one and 2 to fit the extra bass drum. Your hi hats should be smooth and even in tempo! 

Monday 4pm 15/01/18

Paradiddle combo warm ups: practice each exercise carefully Single Double and then Tripple. 

Today we took exercise 1,3,5,7 and 9 from lesson 11 in syncopation (you should all have the sheet) and worked out how count and play each bar. Start on the snare drum or practice pad and count each phrase out loud. When it feel comfortable try pushing the tempo a little.

These all make great drum fills so if you have a kit try some different vocings around the drums! 

Lastly practice the verse groove for "steady as she goes" by the Raconteurs. Watch out for the displaced snare drum on the + of 3 and the long open hi-hat on beat. 

Rebecca 11/01/18

Use the first three ex's to practice your hand feet coordination. Take you time and count aloud! 

Also start working on adding the extra bass drum on 3+ we looked at this week! 

Dylan 11/01/18

Well done with the paradiddle ex from last week. Now work on accenting the 1:4 nite when you play both the standard and the inverted paradiddle! 

Here is a pic of the groove I want you practice using those stickings 

Mohair mountain: Add the fills into the first page. Make sure you stay relaxed and don't rush! Good progress this week! 

Harry 11/01/18

Good work this week Harry. 

Use ex ten of p116 from the break beat bible as your warm up ex this week. Count the 1:4 aloud while you play the three bar loop. Play 1:4 notes or up beat 8ths on the hi-hat to work in your coordination Practice picking a beat in the three bar pattern and stopping in that beat. 

Taste of freedom is sounding strong. Watch you don't over hit the hi-hat in the verse section and be careful with where you add lib with the bass drum pattern 

Below if the fill you worked on for the transition into the first verse. 

Try to phrase your fills. Think of an over arching rhythm and how you want to phrase it. Then experiment filling in the gaps within the phrase. 

Toby 11/01/18

Good work this week Toby! 

Comping was much better. Keep working on section B, it needs to feel articulate and secure. 

Section C transition was secure. Keep the left foot crisp and unison with the RH. 

Start working on the top of P4. 

Seb 11/01/18

Practice playing slow-medium swing time. Start focusing on the feel by playing only the ride pattern and the step the hi-hat on beat 2 and 4. Try this to a couple of swing tracks to get the feel. Stay relaxed focus on a slight snap with fingers on beat 1 and 3 as the hand lifts up. 

Then work on the exercise in your practice book. 1 bar of swing time then add in the snare on the down beat then one bar of swing time and then add in the snare on the up beat! 

Bo 11/01/18

Practice the broken 16th note hi-hat groove in your practice book. Focus on a relaxed even hi-hat. 

Chain smokers was much better. Now just the last Herta fill to get in to the track! 

Reference the videos on your phone if you need to! 

Silvestro 11/91/18

Well done on your exam result! 

This week I want you to look at these three improvisation excercises. Learn the different grooves. 

Also practice creating two bar fills/ solo ideas. 

Richard 11/01/18

Warm this week with double stroke ex. Watch the tempo and aim for a controlled stroke. 

Also look at the fills and develop the fiils on the first page of stand up by the PB underground.