Rock & Roll 101

June 24th, 2013

Madisen and I went over the parts of Zelda's Lullabye which she was having trouble with. I tried to help her with some strategies for practicing sections she struggles with... focusing on those areas only and not moving past them to stuff you already know.

I loved teaching Madisen this year!! I really hope she comes back, because she has talent and I can see her going far with her music someday.

June 17th, 2013

Madisen wanted to learn the more complex left hand for Zelda's Lullabye.
Madisen wanted to learn the more complex left hand for Zelda's Lullabye.

June 10th, 2013

We went over the Mario Bros theme song in some detail, concentrating on getting the rhythms correct especially in the beginning, and then adding the left hand.

She can do this, but I think she may have been avoiding the parts that seem foreboding to her. Encourage her to practice the parts she's not good at.

June 3rd, 2013

Madisen wanted to learn to play piano for the Mario Bros. Theme. I wrote it out for her (the first half) and we worked through it together.

May 27th, 2013

We focused on some snare work tonight, a sixteenth fill in Good Time, and the snare in the bridge of I Hate Everything About You (02:24). Madisen was struggling a bit with being accurate in her snare work, but it got better as we went.

The bridge is very hard, but she can do it-- it's a dotted 16th style snare, with little toms and hats on off beats in between. She should try to work through it over and over and over again until she feels an instinct for it. It will make a big difference in the future as a musician if she can nail this.

May 20th, 2013

May 13th, 2013

OWl City and Carly Rae Jepson - Good Time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7HmzwI67ec

Three Days Grace - I Hate Everything About You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8ekz_CSBVg

Practice with this metronome so you don't lose the beat:
http://bestdrumtrainer.com/tt/

Try a variety of tempos so you can really work on staying in time. This is the most important ability of a drummer.

May 6th, 2013

Madisen decided she wanted to just focus on piano, and learn the chords for a song they wrote at school.

The last 15 minutes we went over Stompa, which she still hasn't got quite, but it's a hard song- we decided to add a new one, by Selena Gomez, called "Who Says:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4kpYZf9QwQ

It's not an easy drum beat either, but I think she can get it if she works on it. :)

April 29th, 2013

We reviewed last week's song, and then added "Stompa" by Serena Ryder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz7jCY1cpHk

It's a hard one, but I think Madisen can do it!

April 22nd, 2013

We spent the first 30 minutes working on the piano song, and worked on the 3/4 timing. We also learned the 2nd part of the song and I wrote it out for her.

We spent the next 30 minutes working on the Blues Song, and on Trouble by Taylor Swift:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0DfyAIkGw0

It has a complex triplet in the kick which goes with the high hat which she'll need to work on.

April 15th, 2013

Madison and I spent some time on phrasing for her piano song, and I showed her how to think of the whole melody as a sentence, made up of phrases, and how to play it more musically that way.

We then went to drums, and added an Eric Clapton/Mark Knopfler song to work a bit on blues.

I want her to work on the off beat hits on this song, which are played on hi hat and cymbal crashes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhrqZP_qVyU

April 8th, 2013

So I asked Madisen to work again on Black Cadilacs, and nail those parts -- she needs to be more accurate in playing what the recording drummer is playing.

Also we reviewed many of the beats from the last few months, and I asked her to practice them at home, and play fills over them, since fills over 3/4 are different than fills over 4/4, 6/8, etc.

April 1st, 2013

Today we worked on a Zelda's theme song for the two thirds of the lesson, and then went back to the rhythms.

She nailed the rhythms the second time we went through them.

We then started looking at syncopation. We covered the basic half-note over a bar line sync, and then some more complex eighth note sync.

It will take some time, but we'll keep coming back to it to help her learn it.

March 25th, 2013

Madisen really mailed Blown Away (and I was blown away), so we added another Carrie Underwood song, called Two Black Cadillacs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiLKkwZdZtg

I wrote out a starting point for a 'road map' in the song, and I've asked her to chart the drum part with cues for her for the week.

We then went over reading rhythms (like I did with Noah last week). We went through some basic non-syncopated parts, and I asked her to work on it, and then to use that to write some basic cues for Two Black Cadillacs using what she's learned.

Next week we'll talk about syncopation, and how to read and play it.

March 18th, 2013

Blown Away by Carrie Underwood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD9YJjL2qQE


This week Madisen and I talked about layout out a roadmap when you learn a new song, and making notes for yourself, so you learn it as quickly as possible.

Having bars marked out, with little notes about where fills are, toms play, high hats, play, what kind of kick, where crashes are, etc. really helps...

March 11th, 2013

March 4th, 2013

Madisen and I added a new song by One Republic, "Apologize:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSM3w1v-A_Y

Then we switched to the piano, and I taught her the note names and basics of chords.

We added a song, by Kiss, "Beth":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJApdYX7QTk

It's pretty easy, that's why we started with this one. She should work on playing the chords in time-- for the chords she doesn't know, she can just skip them for now.

February 25th, 2013

This week we added Good Life by One Republic.

This is a real challenge, so work on individual parts, for example, just the kick, and then later add the snare, then the hat, etc.

February 18th, 2013

February 11th, 2013

Jason Mraz I'm Yours
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl88QEll-Xc

For Challenge:
Sting, She's Too Good For Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKixtJEjP8w

Work on the "and" ending (1, 2, 3, 4 AND!) which comes throughout the song. It will help you get used to weird syncopation.

Don't forget the ride in the slow part.

Work on solos, fills, flams (if there are any), and crashes on up beats (the "ands").

Good job!

February 4th, 2013

We reviewed Fall Out-- it's very close, though not quite complete yet, so I recommend she continue to review it and other songs in her repertoire.

We added Kelly Clarkson's Stronger,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANKWwI0ONGc

(Both the acoustic version and the studio version).

She should work through this one and pick out the drum parts with headphones, trying to play the way the original drummer did.

Madisen decided she wanted to skip the Blue Rodeo song..., not really her thing.

She might want to try some Adele, for example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3bzXdW-7AQ

January 28th, 2013

Great job on the songs last week.

Fall Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvnP6BmQvEk

Blue Rodeo, Lost Together:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8JGk6Y6N3Y

Work on getting the fills the same way Blue Rodeo does them.

January 21st, 2013

Tonight we added two new songs, the first one was I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBR2G-iI3-I&NR=1

and the second was Beat It by Michael Jackson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRdxUFDoQe0

January 14th, 2013

Tonight we set up the drums together, and I showed Madisen some of the specifics on how to set up a disassemble a drum kit.

We then reviewed Michael Jackson's Billy Jean.

We added Play That Funky Music White Boy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe1ScoePqVA

January 7th, 2013

We reviewed the beats Madisen knows and also I showed her a new eighth note beat that opens the high hat every other time before the snare. She should keep working on that.

We also went over Michael Jackson's Billy Jean -- there's a few fills in there that I'd like her to learn, so spend some time listening to that song.

We also learned Luke Bryan's song "I Know You're Gonna Be There."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqogATB1FHc

I'd like her to learn those fills.

December 31st, 2012

December 17th, 2012

Madisen and I recorded a bunch of beats for grandma to hear in Newfoundland.

We also talked a bit about a different kick approach, where the emphasis is on beat one, and there's a lighter beat right before beat 1.

We'll work on that and the hi-hat opening before beat 4 when she gets back.

December 10th, 2012

Madisen and I went over the songs she's playing with the band on Saturday night, and I wrote out the beats for her.

She's fantastic, by the way!

December 3rd, 2012

Madisen is doing so well!

Today we added Reggae to her list of drum beats.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sonYFxHHvaM

The beat is written in her book.

November 26th, 2012

Tonight we added a new beat style: hip hop. It's a challenge, because it has a sixteenth note on the snare, right before beat 3.

The kick is on "1 and" and "3 and" in the bar, with the snare on 2 (and) A, and 4 (and) A.

November 19th, 2012

Madisen is amazing. She has an extreme level of natural talent, and she obviously works hard and pushes herself!!

We added two new styles: Disco, which is in her book, and she will practice with Beegees "Stayin Alive"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vj092UgKwQ

The second is jazz, and she will practice with Pink Panther:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OPc7MRm4Y8

November 12th, 2012

Tonight Madisen and I worked more on her fills, and she has really got it!

She should continue to work on drum fills starting on beat 2, 3, and beat four.

We added "triplets" tonight, especially focusing on three beats filling up one beat... she should add that to her fills.

Also we added flams and I'd like her to continue to add those to her fills.

We added a new song, "Shouldve Said No" by Taylor Swift.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao138HwSqow

I'd like her to write out the pattern of the kick drum in her book and learn to play it the way the drummer does.

November 5th, 2012

Madisen and I recorded Luke Bryan's Country Girl Shake It today, and then started learning Luke Bryan's other song, I Knew You That Way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXdJkxHlCuk

It makes use of something kind of like a half-time beat at the beginning, where the side shot is used to make a click sound. I think it's on beat 4.

Push yourself to learn the fills just like the song, making note of where the snare is playing in the fill, crashes, which tom the drummer is using, etc.

Also listen to the kick drum, and try to emulate it too.

Good job!!! You're doing very well.

October 29th, 2012

Great fantastic amazing terrific stupendous crazy job!

You are good. Keep up the great work!

Country Girl Shake It:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKIQy6FzErQ&NR=1&feature=endscreen

Amazing job, learn all the fills and chorus crashes.

Right before the bridge when the kick is by itself, there's a guitar solo with a drum part. Learn that too.

October 22nd, 2012

We Did Drum Fills Today

We picked the song You Don't Know Jack;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH5NOqm1-Fw

The crash is almost always on beat one.

Sometimes Madisen was getting lost after a fill... so count out loud to help... 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 while you play,.

If you get lost a lot, do drum fills on beat 4 in every bar... then cut back as you get comfortable with it.

Don't forget the side shot.

Great job!

October 15th, 2012

We continued work on open hi-hat and extra kick beat, and she really has nailed it. She didn't maybe practice quite as much as I would have liked, and forgot about some of the things we wanted to do... like the making up your own kick beat, and practicing drum fills...

Keep working on everything you know already, and PLAY ALONG WITH MUSIC... it makes it more fun, and helps learn too.

Good job Madisen!

October 11th, 2012

There were two new things added to the lesson today.

1. Adding an extra kick beat (an upbeat) in the groove.
2. Adding the open hi hat

Before we covered those things, we reviewed the drum fills. Madisen had practiced adding in three beat drum fills but they weren't in the right place so her measure was too short.

We practiced doing just a single fill after beat four, then adding two starting on beat four, then three starting after beat three, and finally four starting on beat three.

We did it along with Coldplay's song, and that definitely helped her get how to do it.

She should continue to work on those fills, as well as the two new things.

Also, I'd like her to make up some more complicated kick drum beats as an experiment.

October 1st, 2012

This program clicks louder and softer, so helps keep the beat on yoru own.

http://bestdrumtrainer.com/tt/

We added fills and crashes to the beat, starting with having Madison play a crash at the beginning of EVERY measure, like this:

CRASH 2 3 4 | CRASH 2 3 4 | CRASH 2 3 4 | etc.

Then I asked her to play crashes on every OTHER bar, like this:

CRASH 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | CRASH 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 etc.

Then we did it at the beginning of every 4 bars like this:

CRASH 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | CRASH 2 3 4 etc.

The kick is always played with the crash to give it some depth.

Then we started adding tom tom fills before the crash. The easiest way for her to do this is to add a SINGLE tom before the crash. As she improves on this, she should start adding another tom in the beat right before the crash, like this:

CRASH 2 3 | 1 2 3 (tom tom) | CRASH 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 (Tom-tom) etc

Great job!

September 24th, 2012

Madison and I started out with reviewing the beats she practiced this week. She did the Boom Chuck for me, then then the boom chuck-chuck.

She had been playing 16th notes on the hat, so we slowed her down a bit to eighths for now, until she has got better timing.

She really has a good handle on playing the groove, but is challenged by tempo speeding up or slowing down. The focus of our lesson became working with the metronome, to help her focus on playing on the beat.

We went to http://metronomeonline.com and played around with a couple of different beats, around 80 and 100 beats per minute. She did well but felt frustrated with the eighth notes on the high hat.

She should continue to practice with a metronome of some sort (the online one is fine)... use headphones so you can hear, because once you start to play, you can't hear anything.

Then we played the Cold Play song, Paradise, and she played along. She's got great instinct in this situation, and plays really well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6ZWlDks0nQ

Again, headphones will help her to play with them on the beat.

GREAT JOB, MADISON!

September 17th, 2012

Madison and I worked with shaker first, and the boom chuck slapping the thigh, and stomping the floor.

After a few minutes of that, we moved Madison to the kit, and she played with the high hat, but struggled until we gave her back the shaker. Then we did the hat again, and it was fine.

We played fast and slow beats, she's going to work on them at home.

September 10th, 2012