Working drummers often have to learn songs quickly, and then perform them well for an audience. This is a skill set that we work on here at grooveKSQ. Watch the video to see this concept in action!
What is Rhythmic Dictation?
A musician’s ears are every bit as important as their hands and feet and technical ability to produce musical notes on their instrument. Here at grooveKSQ, we focus on ear training quite a bit because sharp ears to a musician are what a sharp palette is to a chef: incredibly useful!
How do we strengthen a student’s listening skills? One method is the use of rhythmic dictation exercises.
Rhythmic Dictation (“RD”) is one of the skill sets that intermediate and advanced students work on here at the studio. Quite simply, RD is the process of 1) hearing a rhythm blind (i.e. the student is using their ears only, not their eyes to process information), 2) decoding that rhythm in their head, and 3) writing that rhythm down with good musical notation. This type of ear training is generally not taught in high school music classes in the way it is here at the studio in terms of the level of difficulty. As an added bonus, not only does this process strengthen the ears, but a happy byproduct is the students get to work on their notation as well.
Ear training (or aurals) is a required subject in every undergrad music education program. For those students studying marimba/vibraphone here, we can work on melodic and harmonic dictation also.
That time AJ went 6 for 6 on his first rhythmic dictation exercise. Perfect scores go up on the studio fridge.
Video Lesson: how to play grace notes & ruffs
One of the cornerstones of the teaching philosophy here is a strong emphasis on rudimental playing, as that opens the door to many drumset concepts. In short, good technique and control makes the flashy drumset work easier to execute at a high level.
Below is a video lesson I posted for a student which resonated with quite a few people, it was one of the most viewed video lessons on the channel. Click here to subscribe to the studio’s YouTube channel if this interests you!
Student Spotlight: Thomas L's solo "South Street Sterno"
When Preparation Meets Opportunity
All the students come with slightly different goals. Some want to be in a rock band with their friends. Some want to audition for a music program at the college or university level. Some come to the studio just to have fun. Some put the work in to be professional players. ALL of these goals are legitimate, and I’ll help you move towards your goals - whatever those may be. The important thing here is that the teaching objectives are defined by the students.
The students undertake all this preparation: hand speed workouts, ear training, repertoire work, etc., so that when an opportunity presents itself, they are ready to step in and do a professional job.
Dennis Chambers Clinic Roundup
The Dennis Chambers clinic was a terrific experience for our students and a lot of new friends who got a rare chance to see one of the best in the business up close.
Dennis talked a lot about the importance of playing with feel and groove versus showcasing your shops (i.e. playing as many notes as you can all the time).
Dennis performed with Oz Noy Trio later that evening to a sold out crowd and brought the house down.