FREE DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: 240 pages of rhythms. It just takes a little ingenuity to use it as a teaching or practicing tool. I'll leave it up and available for FREE download or a short time.
THE SHAPES AND PATTERNS OF RHYTHM is a handy tool for percussion students, drum set students, teachers and professionals.
My objective was to organize rhythms that can then be creativelyapplied to an endless number of situations in a step by step fashion.
Examples for utilizing The Shapes and Patterns of RhythmThe beginning student can use the pages as a step by step reading exercise in conjunction with the methodbook they are already using. As the student grows, the exercises grow with them. Notice that the concept is to first learn to read and play rests. As the exercises increase, the number of strikes per measure increases. This allows the mind and hands a relatively large space of time during the rests to focus oncorrect preparation for playing the next note.•
Much of the energy and focus while using this book should be devoted to the careful use of space during the rests. Students often relax their attention as if there’s nothing to do during rests. A drum stick should be prepared for the next attack immediately after its previous one; not just before it’s needed. After all possibilities for a single strike per measure are covered, two strikes per measure are introduced.Exercises 1 through 15 offer every possible position and combination for quarter notes and rests in a 4/4measure. This teaches the student to calculate the simple quarter note math while training their hands to respond to the commands of the written music. Eighth notes and their rests are then offered in the same way; then triplets, sixteenths and a section on reading rolls.
The intermediate and advanced student can use the study for reviewing and strengthening sight reading skills and should also focus on preparation skills. By advancing quickly through the book at a brisk sightreading tempo, the player can usually find weak spots in their reading and/or playing and then refine those skills by slowing the tempo and continuing through the studies more methodically from that point.
Beginning drum set students:
1. Play Shapes And Patterns of Rhythm studies on the bass drum while playing the rhythms listed on thenext page on the ride cymbal or closed Hi Hat. (As the student advances, the snare drum and Hi Hat canbe added to play on two and four.)
2. Play Shapes And Patterns of Rhythm studies on the snare drum while playing the rhythms listed on thenext page on the ride cymbal or closed Hi Hat. (As the student advances, the Hi Hat can be added to playon two and four and the bass drum can be added to play on beats one and three.)
3. Play Shapes And Patterns of Rhythm studies on the hi hat (with foot) while playing the rhythms listedon the next page on the ride cymbal. (As the student advances, the snare drum can be added to play ontwo and four.)
The triplet section of the book (pages 29 through 48) lends itself very well to the study of jazz and modern swing feels. I also like to use the eight note studies (pages 4 through 28) in a swing eighth note fashion, treating the written rhythms as “kicks” and play drum “fills” during the rests.
Please note that these are the most obvious suggestions and the student and teacher should be creative in combining their own ideas to prescribe lessons that fit their needs.
The Shapes and Patterns of Rhythm is a tool to help eliminate gaps in a player’s ability and spawn new ideas for freedom in creative performance while keeping their place in the spectrum of learning rhythms.