Practice Suggestions
The following is a list of suggestions to help you start a practice routine and make it efficient.
- Calculate the amount of time you can realistically spend practicing.
- Practicing everyday at the same time(s) is most effective.
- Articulate goals and purposes, both generally and specifically and long term and short term.
- Always set realistic short term goals, as achieving short term goals builds confidence and enthusiasm.
- Be prepared to adjust your goals when necessary.
- Split your practice session into small parts, and try to cover a broad range of topics. Some examples of topics requiring continued practice are: Time, Dynamics, Sound, Technique, Co-ordination, Reading, Listening, Transcribing.
- Work for total concentration and relaxation, taking short breaks at regular intervals.
- Practice all material at varied tempos and dynamic levels.
- Each practice session should include learning of new material and revision of old material.
- Always strive to break the mental "comfort zone". Too much complacency, inhibits development.
- Remember that you are what you practice. If you practice in a sloppy fashion, that’s how you will sound.
- Use a metronome for at least part of your practice session. Metronome usage is covered in detail in the equipment section.
- At the beginning of each practice session, warm up your muscles by playing simple exercises at gradually increased tempos. Single stroke exercises 44-53 and triplet exercises 40-43 are perfect for warm-ups.
- Practicing along with recordings is a good way of familiarizing yourself with a real life situation. You can also practice stickings etc, using the recording as a metronome. This can also stave off boredom.
- Taping yourself and analyzing the playback can reveal idiosyncrasies which might go unnoticed.
- If you’re fatigued or have a negative attitude, don’t practice. (Come back the next day refreshed and more positive.)
Always bring something of yourself into every musical situation. Experiment with your own ideas as much as possible. Remember that teachers and books are only guides. It is your originality and personality that make your playing unique.
Class Sessions
1- The 3 Strokes of Stick Propulsion
2- INTRODUCTION
3- A Basic Rock Beat
4- Rudiments of Music
5- Explanation of Notation
6- Characteristics of the Arm, Wrist and Finger Strokes
7- Fills
8- Note Values
9- Equipment
10- Exercises for Developing the 3 Strokes of Stick Propulsion
11- Understanding Note Values
12- Bass Drum Variations
13- Concept 3 – The Physics of Volume
14- Concept 4 – Co-ordinating "e’s" and "a’s"
15- Sight Reading Exercises
16- Using the Metronome
17- Repeat signs
18- Bass Drum Variations
19- Upstrokes and Downstrokes
20- Holding the Drum Sticks
21- First and Second Time Bars
22- Snare Drum Variations
23- 3 Steps to Stick Control
24- The Traditional Grip
25- Quarter Note Snare Drum Pulse
26- Rudiments
27- The Matched Grip
28- The Dot
29- Combined Snare Drum and Bass Drum Variations
30- Rolls
31- Practice Suggestions
32- The Tie
33- Hi-hat Openings
34- Triplet Stickings
35- Concept 1 – Minimalization
36- Grace Notes and Principle Notes
37- Syncopation
38- Sixteenth Note Hi-hat Patterns with Bass Drum Variations
39- Stickings Around the Kit
40- Sixteenth Note Hi-hat Patterns with Combined Snare Drum and Bass Drum Variations
41- Joining Stickings Together
42- Eighth and Sixteenth Note Combinations
43- Triplets
44- Hi-hat Openings
45- Dynamics
46- Accent Studies
47- Concept 2 – Playing ¼ Note Triplets
48- Offbeat Snare Drum Patterns
49- Additional Hi-hat and Ride Cymbal Variations
50- Shuffle Patterns
51- Swing
52- Go-go/Hip-hop
53- Latin American
54- Reggae
55- Funk Patterns
56- Odd Time
57- Solos