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I) Thirty Second Notes If you were to look back to the �Note Value� diagram in Chapter Two you would see that the only note value that we haven�t discussed is the thirty second note. In light of the fact that this curriculum is designed to focus primarily on the basics, there isn�t a whole to say about thirty second notes because we�re not going to deal with them a whole lot. However, there are some things coming up where a rudimentary understanding of what they are, how they�re counted and how they�re written is mandatory. So let�s take a look at these things and see if we can�t make some sense of them. A) The �Feel� of a Thirty Second Note Thirty second notes tend to go by pretty quick. That�s why there are no phonetics to go along with them. Even �1-e-+-a� doesn�t provide us with a quick enough manner in which we can verbally keep track of them the way we might with a group of eighth notes or sixteenth notes. But there is a little trick that I�ll share with you that utilizes the �accent� anomaly that we just discussed. This will provide us with a great way to �feel� how thirty second notes should be played even if we aren�t verbally acknowledging each note as it is played. 1) #37 Audio Thirty Second Note Example Go to #37 Audio Thirty Second Note Example on the CD. You will hear this:

Pretty basic, isn�t it. We�re in 4/4, I�m playing four groups of sixteenth notes which translates into four attacks per quarter note.

Part II � Reading Chapter Four

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2) #38 Audio Thirty Second Note Example Now take a listen to this: We�re in 2/4 albeit a very slow 2/4. The count off, if you noticed, was �1-+-2-+� which means that the quarter note is pretty much crawling. But here�s the thing: Did you notice how both examples sounded exactly alike? The reason being is that in each case there were four attacks per �count� that was verbalized during the count off. In the first example I counted off four quarter notes and then played four attacks per �count�. In the second example I counted off what would be four eighth notes and then played four attacks per �count�. This is the �trick� that I was alluding to earlier. You�re not going to be able to verbalize thirty second notes because they usually go by too quick. However, if you can think of them as being nothing more than four attacks per eighth note, then you�ve got it! Take a look at this example and I think you�ll see what I mean: 3) #39 Audio Thirty Second Note Example

Did you hear how the thirty second notes fell into place? In the first measure we started with two quarter notes and then played four eighth notes to set the �pace� for the thirty second notes in the second measure. 4) #40 Thirty Second Note Example I) Group One This first �group� is nothing more than a single measure of 4/4 beginning with four eighth notes which set the pace for the following four groups of thirty second notes. This will help reinforce the little �trick� I�ve been talking about as far as being able to �feel� thirty second notes.

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II) Group Two While there are many configurations involving thirty second notes to consider, for the sake of this curriculum I wanted to consider only a couple. We�ll see thirty second notes again in the next section where we look at rudiments and warm ups. For now listen to Group Two and then try to play through them yourself at various tempos. The first example in this group is a rhythm you�ll encounter later in a drumset fill that�s actually very nice. You�ll want to get this rhythm under your belt so when you do encounter the fill pattern later, you�ll be able to pick it up right away. The second measure is written in 2/4. It�s a rhythm you�ll see later in the drumset section. If you�ve already listened to �First Impressions�, you heard this rhythm played in the first measure of the second line up from the bottom on page two. Check it out� a) Real World Manuscript It�s not too often that you�ll see thirty second notes written out the way we�ve encountered them thus far. Usually they�ll show up as a roll which looks like this: In a moment we�ll flip back to the Performance Section so you can hear what this will sound like. But before we do that, let�s pause a moment and consider the way these thirty second notes have been written in this example. Notice the two lines that have been written across the second eighth note and the three lines which are written across the first quarter note in the measure. What do these mean? Glad you asked. One line written through a note cuts that note in half. So if you as a musician are reading a piece of music and you see a half note written with a line drawn across the stem you wouldn�t play a half note, rather you would play two quarter notes. Take a look at the diagram below and you�ll see how this concept is represented with quarter notes, eighth notes and sixteenth notes.

➨ ➨ ➨

➨ ➨

➨

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You can see how this �slash� can make for a much easier situation when we�re wanting to document thirty second notes. Anywhere from one to three slashes is all we�ll need to communicate what could otherwise be a large number of notes to write out individually. 5) #41 Roll Example Let�s go back to that example we looked at a moment ago that featured the rolls. Flip to the Performance Section and listen to #41 Roll Example. That �s the measure that we encountered a moment ago at the beginning of �I) Real World Manuscript Technique� on the previous page. Just to make sure that we�re clear on what is being played, I wrote the same measure two different ways. The first way documents every note with the sticking notated below. In the very next measure is the exact same rhythm, only this time I used slashes to notate the rolls. I want to mention one more thing before we move on to the next section. You will notice in the example we just looked at pertaining to rolls there were what looked like two ties. You can see what I�m talking about in the diagram to the right. These aren�t ties as far as linking two rhythmic values together like what we�ve discussed before. Rather, these �ties� are communicating to you and I that the roll is to be released on the note that it is tied to. You can play a roll like what we�ve got written above as far as releasing it on the next note written, or you can release it early and thus be able to better articulate the next note. This will make more sense when we cover it in the next section. For now I just wanted to mention that while it looks like there�s two tied rhythms in that measure, there aren�t. Whenever you encounter the �tie� in conjunction with a roll it is to be interpreted as an indicator which is letting you know how to release the roll. II) Triplets Up to now, every subdivision has been based on a �half�. In other words, a whole note cut in half is a half note. A half note cut in half is a quarter note. A quarter note cut in half is an eighth note. An eighth note cut in half is a�

These are not ties, as far as linking two rhythmic values together. Rather, they are a way of letting the drummer know to release the roll on the note that the roll is �tied� to.

Important: How would you write a half note roll using the slashes that we just discussed? Would you use more than three? Actually, while it might be theoretically correct to use four, you�ll never see more than three. Consequently if you ever see a half note or a whole note with three slashes, know that it�s a roll.

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�you get the idea. There is another rhythm, however, that is very popular that is based on thirds. The rhythm is called a triplet. Don�t let my mathematical breakdown / description intimidate you. It�s actually very simple and it sounds great. Let�s start with eighth note triplets.

A) #42 Audio Eighth Note Triplet Example

If we divided a quarter note up into thirds as opposed to dividing it in half we would have three eighth notes instead of two and it would sound like this: What we�ve got here is four quarter notes just so you can hear our starting point. Then in the next measure we get into the subject matter at hand: triplets. Notice there�s a �3� above each group to distinguish them as triplets as opposed to three regular eighth notes. You count triplets using the phonetics that I�ve got written below � �1-+-a� etc. B) #43 Audio Quarter Note Triplet Example We can do the same thing with a half note. If you were to divide it in half, like we�ve been doing up to this point, you would get two quarter notes. However, if we applied this �triplet thing� that we�ve been talking about, the result would be three quarter notes and it would sound like this: �Feeling� quarter note triplets and being able to play them accurately is best accomplished by thinking in terms of eighth note triplets. Let me show you what I�m talking about. C) #44 Audio Quarter Note Triplet Example

3 3 3 3

1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a

3 3

3 33 33333 3 3

1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a 1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a 1 a + 3 a +

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What you do is play a measure of eighth note triplets and play the accents as I have them written. The next measure will sound similar to the first one in that what you�re hearing are only the notes that were accented a moment ago. It is this �collection� of notes that constitute quarter note triplets. A quarter note triplet can be thought of as playing the first, the third and the fifth note of two beats worth of eighth note triplets. I find that when I think of a quarter note triplet in that way, I can better �feel� what it�s going to sound like before I attempt to play it. The quarter note triplet is easier to understand and perform once you�ve got eighth note triplets under your belt. So let�s proceed now with #45 Quarter Note and Eighth Note Triplet Example� which begins with some eighth note triplet examples. Once we get to Group Three we�ll pick up again with the quarter note triplet and I think it will make more sense at that point.

1) #45 Quarter Note and Eighth Note Triplet Example

I) Group One

In this first group we�re simple going to rotate one group of triplets around the measure, then two groups and then three and finally four. Then I�ve got two example where I staggered things a bit.

II) Group Two

In this next group we�ve got an eighth rest in between the first and third triplet. The result is a �rolling� little rhythm that�s very common in the �Shuffle� style of playing.

III) Group Three Alright! Now that we�ve played through some eighth note triplets let�s go back and look at this quarter note triplet we were talking about a moment ago and play through some examples. 2) #46 Quarter Note and Eighth Note Triplet Exercise You know the drill! The numbers of the examples are written above each measure should you get stuck.

3) #47 Combination Exercise A quality little rhythm that just rolls along. I think you�ll enjoy this one. After you get done with #47, let�s move on and look at sixteenth note triplets.

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D) Sixteenth Note Triplet Example By now you should me more than familiar with the theory behind triplets: What would normally be divided in half is now divided in thirds. We�ve seen how that worked with half notes and quarter notes, now let�s consider eighth notes. When you cut an eighth note in half, you get two sixteenth notes. When you break it up into thirds, you get a sixteenth note triplet. There really aren�t any phonetics that you would annunciate as you played through some sixteenth note triplets. Eighth note triplets? Yes. Quarter note triplets? Maybe (although you would be counting using the same phonetics utilized with eighth note triplets). With sixteenth note triplets they�re usually going by so fast that it isn�t practical to try and verbalize them. Flip back to the Performance Section and listen to #48 Sixteenth Note Triplet Example and I think you�ll get the gist of what we�re talking about here. Remember the theory behind them is identical to what we�ve been talking about up until now. Instead of two sixteenth notes, there will now be three equaling one eighth note. Let�s play through some examples and exercises. 1) #48 Sixteenth Note Triplet Example One thing that I want to bring to your attention is the way in which sixteenth note triplets can be written when there�s two sets of them appearing side by side. One way that you�ll see them will look like this:

Notice that you�ve got two sets of sixteenth note triplets written side by side, each group of triplets designated as such with a �3� written across the top just like we�ve been seeing up to this point. Sixteenth note triplets appearing side by side can also be written like this: Notice that there�s a �6� over the top of this grouping of sixteenth note triplets. It sounds identical to the example written above, although sometimes this configuration is called by a different name. Rather than being referred to as �two sixteenth note triplets�, it�s called a �sextuplet�. Having said that let�s go to the Performance Section and play through #48 Sixteenth Note Triplet Example.

3 3

6

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2) #49 Sixteenth Note Triplet Exercise Good job! Now let�s take a look at this next exercise which has everything we just got done looking at arranged in a more musical manner. 3) #50 Combination Exercise An entire sixteen bars! A little more ambitious that what has been typical in the past but we�re at a point where we�ve got a lot of rhythmic figures to choose from. Go get �em! 4) Manuscript Exercise Now that you�ve got the hang of this �triplet thing�, use the manuscript paper that�s provided and write out some of your own triplet combination exercises. III) 6/8 Time Signature The next two topics that we�re going to look at pertain to something I like to call �packaging�. In other words, there are no new rhythms to process, rather we�re just looking at a different way of packaging them. In other words, it�s the same stuff, it just looks different. The first thing we�re going to look at is 6/8. If we apply the approach that we�ve been taking with time signatures up to this point, then the �6� is going to mean that there are six beats in each measure and the �8� means that an eighth note it going to get a beat. You might be asking, �Why in the world would you want to write something in 6/8?� 6/8 winds up sounding a lot like triplets and you�ll hear that in a moment. If you were to try and write out every rhythm you�re about to see in 6/8 and write out in a different time signature, you could do it but it would be a lot more work to write out plus it would be a bit more cumbersome to process. A) 3/4 Time Signature Before we get into 6/8, let pause a moment and consider something that might appear a bit more familiar; the 3/4 time signature.3/4 is just like 4/4 only there�s three beats per measure instead of four. We haven�t gone over 3/4 prior to this but it really is no different than 4/4 with the exception of the number of beats per measure. Everything else looks and is counted the same.

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Consider the following example: You could probably play the above exercise without even thinking about it. I�ve got some of the counts written in just to confirm your �suspicions� if you found yourself hesitating when you got to the dotted quarter note in the second measure. Now let�s take a look at the exact same rhythm written in 6/8. As you can see it only takes up four measures instead of eight which makes it a bit easier to write out. You might take a look at this and initially be a bit apprehensive given the number of sixteenth notes not to mention the group of thirty second notes in the second measure. But you�ve got to remember that it is the eighth note that is getting a beat so in order to write out what would be the equivalent to an eighth note in 4/4 we�re going to have to write out sixteenth notes. And if we wanted to write out what would be the equivalent to sixteenth notes in 4/4, we would have to write thirty second notes in 6/8. 1) #51 6/8 Reading Exercise We�re not going to be confronted with 6/8 a whole lot in this curriculum but I wanted to go over it nevertheless simply because you�re bound to encounter it as a player sooner or later. With that in mind, let�s go to #51 6/8 Example and play through a few measures of 6/8.

31 2 3 1 + 2 3

3

1 + 2 3 + 4 e + a 5 + 6

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2) Manuscript Exercise Use the manuscript paper that�s provided and write out some of your own rhythmic ideas in 6/8. IV) Cut Time Imagine what it would be like if you had a time signature that utilized the half note as the unit of beat. In other words, rather than a quarter note getting a beat, a half note got a beat. Such is the case with cut time. There�s two ways the cut time signature is written. Look at the examples below: In the example on the left, the time signature is written out in a manner that we�re already familiar with. The top number tells us that we�ve got two beats per measure, the bottom number is saying that the half note gets one beat. The example on the right means the same thing, it�s just a shorthand way of writing it. Now that we understand what cut time is, let�s take a moment and see what it looks like. A) 2/4 Time Signature First, here�s a rhythm written in 2/4:

Now let�s take a look at the same rhythm written in cut time: This whole thing is real similar to what we encountered with 6/8 in that we have the option of taking a rhythm and documenting it in more than one way. It just depends on

3

3

49

which way is easier to write / easier to process for the musician reading the music. The one thing that is different about this when compared to 6/8 is rather than an eighth note having to be written out as a sixteenth note in order to achieve the same affect, now we do the same sort of thing only in reverse. Since we�re dealing with a half note as the unit of beat, an eighth note in 4/4 can be written as a quarter note in cut time. A sixteenth note in 4/4 can be written as an eighth note and so on. This can potentially save us a whole lot of work from a composition standpoint. 1) #52 Cut Time Reading Exercise Let�s now take a look at #52 Cut Time Reading Exercise. You will notice right away that there�s some strange looking abbreviations written occasionally at the bottom of some of the measures. Don�t let that bother you right now. We�re going to be going over what those are in the next section. 2) Manuscript Exercise Take a moment now and write out some of your own ideas in cut time. V) Dynamics As a drummer you are in a unique position in that you dictate the emotional level of the music the band is playing. Regardless of how intense the band might be playing or how loud, if you�re playing in a way that sounds hesitant or if you�re playing especially soft, the ensemble you�re playing with is going to follow you. That�s why it�s very important that you master your instrument as far as being able to play with control. Specifically, you want to be able to play soft if the situation calls for it. It�s easy to play loud, but it can be very challenging to play soft and at the same time play with the same level of creativity and enthusiasm. For someone who�s learned to play with control, it�s not a problem. For someone who has always �bashed� their drums when they practiced, it can be a huge problem. Usually the volume that the composer wants you to play is communicated using dynamics. It�s not at all difficult to understand, but there is some explaining that needs to happen because the terms are in Italian. A) Fortissimo - Fortissimo (four-tiss-ah-moe) means to play very loud. When you see it in a piece of music, it�s abbreviated as �ff �. B) Forte � f Forte (four-tay) means to play loud as opposed to very loud. It�s abbreviated as f.

ff

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C) Mezzo Forte � mf Mezzo forte (mets-oh-four-tay) means to play at a medium loud level. It�s abbreviated as mf. D) Mezzo Piano - mp Mezzo piano (mets-oh-piano) means to play at a medium soft level. It�s abbreviated as mp. E) Piano Piano means to play soft. It�s abbreviated as p. This is going to be softer than mezzo piano. F) Pianissimo Pianissimo (pee-ah-niss-ah-moe) means to play very soft. It�s abbreviated as pp. At this level you�re barely touching the drum. You�re more felt than heard at this point. G) Crescendo / Decrescendo A crescendo means to get louder and it�s illustrated like this: . It means to gradually get louder. On the other hand, a decrescendo means to get gradually softer. It looks like this: 1) Dynamic Reading Exercise Every one of the above dynamics, including the crescendo and decrescendo are written as part of #52 Cut Time Reading Exercise that we just did. Go back now and review it, this time play it with the dynamics. 2) Manuscript Exercise Compose a piece of music using the manuscript paper that�s provided and incorporate some dynamics.

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VI) Quiz Let�s review everything we�ve learned in this chapter by taking a little quiz.

Quiz

1) You can count thirty second notes by saying, �1-e-+-a�. True or false? 2) If you saw a quarter note written with a slash through it, what would you play? a) two eighth notes b) two sixteenth notes c) a half note 3) If I were to divide a quarter note into thirds, the end result would be a) eighth note triplets b) quarter note triplets c) a half note 4) If I have two groups of sixteenth note triplets written side by side I can join them together and write a �6� over the entire group and call it a �sextuplet�. True or false? 5) I�m in 6/8. If I wanted to write the equivalent to eighth notes in 4/4 I would have to write a) thirty second notes b) sixteenth notes c) quarter notes 6) There are two ways that I can document a cut time time signature. True or false? 7) What would be the dynamic marking that means �very loud�? a) mf b) pp c) ff VII) Conclusion This concludes Part II. From here on out all of the commentary will be provided in conjunction with the exercise or example recorded in the Performance Section. At this point, should you be ready to move on, jump to #54 which will begin a section on warm ups, coordination exercises and rudiments.