Sight Reading Exercises

Lesson 5/57 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Drum Method

Sight Reading Exercises

Being able to sight read music gives you the following advantages:

It quickens the learning process.
It gives you a greater understanding of what you play.
It allows you to transcribe rhythms and songs and learn them quickly and thoroughly.
It broadens your playing prospects by allowing you to play in bands which use charts.
It gives you greater independence, allowing you access to vast amounts of written information.

Each of the following sight reading exercises are 16 bars in length. The preferred counting is written below the notes, with rests indicated by a smaller type size. Remember to still count rests and extended note values, even though nothing is being played.

The following applies for these and all subsequent sight reading exercises:

Use a metronome (details on metronome usage are covered in the introduction).
A continuous quarter note pulse should be either, tapped with a foot, or played as written on the bass drum.
Count through each exercise as written.
Start with the Right Hand and then alternate, e.g., (R L R L etc...)

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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

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Sight Reading Exercises