Exercises

In order to make use of this article you should:

1.Know what a jig is
2.Be able to read drumming notation

The Hands: Embellishing the Music

In order to make use of this article you should:

1.Know what a jig is
2.Be able to read drumming notation

Introduction

The bodhrán is a versatile instrument, but the drum kit is more versatile, and the combinations of sound it can bring to Celtic music are vast. However, it's important to remember that Celtic music isn't rock and roll, jazz or any other kind of music and can't be played on the kit as if it is.

I downloaded and installed Finale Songwriter yesterday and like it very much. This morning I created a Bossa Nova exercise sheet for my Latin grooves practice, which is available in PDF format below. It's intermediate in level; you should be able to keep time on a kit and read standard drumming notation to make use of it. Right click and choose "Save Link As" to download the document and stay on this page at the same time.

Happy practicing!

Last week, Pam suggested we move on to study the kit, and I sat in front of a kit for the first time since I was five years old. My coordination was fairly good for all that I haven't played in over three decades, and I'm looking forward to buying my own kit and learning to play.

I've had one of those leap ahead experiences in my playing, largely due to some steady basic skills practice. Therefore, the last two lessons with Pam have been about making things harder, faster, and more complex rhythmically. Unfortunately, none of our work is translatable here, or maybe I'm just not skilled enough a musician yet to bring what I'm learning to the page.

So instead, my notes for this entry are all about my daily practice regimen for the next couple of weeks.

Warm-Up

In 5/4 and 9/8 Time: