This is a quick reminder of the Notation Key used before you get started again.
As discussed in the welcome to this course, a lot of what you will see throughout this course will be an extension of areas and ideas covered in Course 1.
This will not always be the case, but it is a good idea to build on this existing knowledge and skill set and to be confident in playing the ideas through as this will put you better placed to break down and work through the new concepts and ideas.
Remember to experiment in three main ways:
How long/how many times can you play the exercise before making a mistake?
If you do make a mistake, can you recover and carry on?
Can you increase AND decrease the tempo and not just sit in your comfort zone?
Can you experiment with dynamics playing both loud and soft?
It is when you can achieve all of the above that you are ready to move forward. This is not to say that you cannot try other ideas, but to get the full value from an exercise then it is worth considering these points.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module looks at Dynamics. This word simply translates as 'volume' in music. As you will now know, the drum kit can be a loud instrument! In fact, unless played with control, it IS a loud instrument. With this in mind, playing dynamically can add a level of finesse to your sound that may otherwise not be there. Making the loud bits loud, the quiet bits quiet and being able to build and move between these adds drama to a piece of piece.
As a musician, you are the bridge between a piece of music leaving your instrument and hitting the ears of waiting audience members. This in short is why musicians are still irreplaceable. Despite technology being incredible, there is still a clear distinction between an accomplished musician and a drum machine. A large part of this will be expression and dynamics in the playing.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
In this module we explore rests further and look at how they can affect and influence a bar or entire piece of music.
To the untrained, the idea that you need to pay so much attention to not playing is a ridiculous concept, however it is often the gaps and rests within a piece that make the most interesting rhythms.
As drummers, we have very little control over the sustain of our drums. We can be more expressive with cymbals in cutting them short (choking) or rolling for longer sounds, but rests help to create interesting patterns where this isn't possible.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module looks at how we can use various methods to navigate around a piece of music. With the use of these methods it can be possible to condense sheet music on to fewer pages which in turn makes it much easier for musicians, saving page turning. You can imagine that the more complex and longer pieces of music get, the more helpful these methids can be. It can also be invaluable when you are dealing with several instruments, such as a conductor reading a score (several instrument parts at the same time).
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
Until now, we have focussed on playing three parts of the drum kit. That changes here as we introduce the left foot. It should be said that the term 'left foot' is biased to right handed drummers and of course as with most other notation available, left handed players are asked to revers the sticking. So if you are left handed, this module focusses on using your right foot. In short, whichever foot you use, the instrument that we are adding here is the Hihat foot pedal.
You will learn how this is notated and how it is possible to use the pedal independently as well as alongside other elements of the kit to generate different sounds.
It is one more thing to think about but it can add a whole other dimension to your playing!
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
After learning some new ideas in the previous few modules, this section builds again on knowledge gained in Course 1.
We look at Cymbal Instructions and some of the many ways that these can be relayed to us as musicians.
It is important to familiarise ourselves with these as it can mean an affect is lost in translation otherwise.
Step
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module looks at how we can integrate the Hi Tom, Middle Tom and Lo Tom into grooves. These can add an interesting sound as they give the illusion of adding 'colour' to a groove due to their pitched sound. The Bass Drum, Snare Drum and Hihat are unpitched sounds and so the addition of the toms can be refreshing. That being said they can clash if overused and tend to work best in specific styles of music such as Latin.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module returns to the idea of Quaver bass drums and combines it with the other module looking at Quaver rests. The result being a module looking further at grooves using single and paired quavers.
These sound great and are lots of fun to play!
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
The following module explores how adding the Snare Drum can change a groove.
When adding anything to a groove, it is worth considering whether it is neccessary and/or whether it adds value to the groove itself or the wider piece of music it is played in.
Regardless of whether this idea is widely used in your performing, it is a good way of exercising the Snare drum hand that can otherwise be very limited in use.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
Improvisation can be lots of fun and is a very useful skill to have as a musician.
To 'improvise' translates as to 'make up'. There will often be boundaries to stick within and these can be as wide as a set genre/style of music, or it could be a set dynamic. For example, if you are playing in a rock band and are asked to improvise, you instantly have an ide aof the kind of beats that will work, the time signatures that will most likely be used and the best dynamics to adopt. This method can be applied across many different situations.
It can be scary being asked to just 'make something up'. Persevere as this skill will develop and it has the potential to bring a fun angle to your playing.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
We explored using the left foot in an earlier module (which translated as using the Hihat foot) and in this module we build on this further by playing through a selection of Open Hihat Rhythms.
You will notice that when the Hihat is played with both the foot and the stick, the sounds achieved can vary depend on the timing of each element.
This is another one of those modules that you will see a jump forward in your playing.
It is a tough skill to develop but it is lots of fun once you master it!
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module looks at how you can add your own stamp on a groove by thinking outside of the box. Developing the ability to adapt what is written on the sheet music is a useful skill.
In this example we look at swapping written Hihat patterns for the Ride cymbal but you could also use this idea on the Toms. For example, if you have a rhythm pre prepared for a 5 piece drum kit that comprises of 3 Toms but arrive to find the drum kit provided only has 2 Toms then you will need to adapt your playing.
The example above assumes there is time to do this. By practicing this skill, you will be able to react in real time. For example, a cymbal arm drops making the cymbal unplayable and you need to react instantly to using another cymbal before correctly the broken cymbal arm at the end of the song.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module introduces a new note value in the form of the Triplet.
In short, Triplets split a note into three parts. Yet again on this course, this will see you rise up a level in your playing as you begin to subdivide notes and add more intricate rhythms to your repertoire.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module takes a more in-depth look at notation and some of the sometimes confusing aspects that you may come across. Some of this may be common sense to some people, but they are valid questions that have been raised that can if left unaddressed be confusing.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module looks at the Snare Drum Rudiments introduced at grade 2. it is important to stress here that these rudiments are specifically focusses on the hands and therefore apply to the Snare Drum.
You will notice that there is a separate course available that looks specifically at Drum Kit Rudiments and how these Snare Drum rudiments are adapted to be applied to the whole Drum kit.
I recommend, familiarising yourself with these to begin with and applying the rules discussed earlier in the course to ensure that you can play them fluently and with dynamics across a range of tempos.
Also, work on memorising both the names and how to play each of these exercises.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module looks at Fills moving around the drum kit, focussing specifically on using semiquavers.
These are fast fills and they can be great for building hand speed. Focus on trying a variety of different sticking patterns.
Remember the golden rule of playing things slowly and with a well balanced sound before looking to increase the tempo.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
In this module we explore Dotted notes. This is quite a complex idea but put simply it increases a notes length by half as much again.
We have talked previously about sustain (being able to hold notes for longer periods) and the lack of it within drumming. So although we might not need to hold the sound of a note for as long as instructed, we would still need to value the length between this note and the next one.
The module information below explains this in more detail.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module looks at Accents which translated means to accentuate or play a particular note louder than the others around it. It is different to a general dynamic which affects and changes a bar or group of bars.
Accents can be used to create impact such as the final beat of a piece of music.
They can also be used to create overlaying rhythms which is where in my opinion the sound best.
This is another point in your progression that you will notice a huge step up.
As always, persevere and focus on the definition between each note within the bar.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module builds on the earlier Improvisation module and looks specifically at fills. As with improvising around a groove, it can be a useful skill to be able to adapt existing fills to create new ideas.
Look at what has been played previously and reorganise it as well as adding in any new ideas that you see appropriate.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module introduces variations on semiquavers. These are exactly what you would expect from the name. We look at the possible variations of a standard group of 4 semiquavers (usually counted as 1e+a), how they look on paper, how they are counted and ultimately how they sound.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module looks at new time signatures and how they relate to drumming.
In short a Time Signature is found at the start of a piece of music and it tells us two things:
How many beats are in a bar
What type of beats these are
The module information below looks at this in more depth and gives examples and explanations as to why they are used.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
In this module we look at delving deeper into the sounds that can be achieved from the drum kit and in turn the layers both sonically and rhythmically.
Every surface of a drum or cymbal will vary in the sound that it produces. Some of these variations will be subtle, such as moving a few millimeters to the left or right when striking but there are also more drastic changes in sound such as using the Bell of the cymbal.
This sound can add a whole other element to a groove and cuts through the busiest of songs.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module explores fills in more details and brings together the earlier modules of 'Semiquavers around the Drum Kit' and 'Variations on Semiquavers'.
By adding these changes to the rhythms played, they become more interesting rather than just the same repetitive pattern playing on different voices (drums).
Try using some of these fills within your improvisation or as replacements for songs that you are working on.
You can also use them as starting points from which to create your own new ideas.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This module is a snap shot into some of the many genres and styles of music around. It provides a 'go to' groove for each style that you can take as it is or adapt.
All of these styles can be found across the various grade 2 syllabus and so it is a good idea to try to memorise each of their names and also the grooves themselves.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This final module recaps some aspects covered earlier as well as introducing a new concept.
On beat grooves drive a song along and can add a real momentum.
Rim Clicks offer yet another voice (sound) from the drum kit. Played correctly they draw on the sound of the drum and the rim to create a cutting full bodied sound.
The Two Bar Phrase was explored earlier in this process as an option of adding interest into a phrase rather than repeating the same bar over and over again. Try introducing some of the new grooves learnt in this course and creating some new Two Bar Phrases.
Step 1
Read the module information below
Watch the video
Step 2
Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable.
Remember to play at a slow and controlled tempo to ensure correct technique.
Step 3
If you have any questions then please come along to the weekly mentorship call on Wednesday at 7pm (UK time) and you will be able to ask. You will also have the opportunity to meet and chat with others on this course.
Have Fun!
This is the first of four performance pieces at this level exploring the Disco genres further.
This is the second performance peice at this level.
This third performance piece explores the 12/8 time signature.
This final performance piece is an opportunity to test yourself against a multitude of new skills learnt at this level.