Technique

1.1 - Hand & Foot Strokes

Skills:

  • The Four Basic Strokes - Full, Down, Up, Tap

  • Heel up and heel down technique

  • Burying the beater / releasing the beater

Resources:

  • Basic Drum Kit Studies

  • VicFirth.com

  • Bass Drum Control

 1.2 - Sticking Patterns

Skills:

  • 8th note sticking patterns

  • Playing with a metronome 80-120 bpm

  • Moving around the kit

Resources:

  • Basic Drum Kit Studies

  • Stick Control pg. 5-7

1.3 - Tier One Rudiments

Skills:

  • Single Stroke Roll

  • Double Stroke Roll

  • Single Paradiddle

  • Multiple Bounce Roll

  • Flam

  • Drag

Resources:

  • VicFirth.com

Reading

1.4 - Simple Time Signatures

Skills:

  • Understanding the top and bottom number of a time signature

  • Playing in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 2/2 (cut common)

Resources:

  • Basic Drum Kit Studies

1.5 - 8th Notes

Skills:

  • Identifying 8th notes (singular or in groups)

  • Understanding the duration of an 8th note

  • Counting 8th notes

  • Sight reading 8th notes, quarter notes and their rests

Resources:

  • Basic Drum Kit Studies

  • Syncopation Lesson Four

1.6 - Reading Charts

Skills:

  • Song form

  • Repeat signs

  • 1st and 2nd endings

  • Sign and Coda

Resources:

  • Basic Drum Kit Studies

  • The Drumset Musician

  • Rockschool Grade 1

  • Trinity Rock & Pop Grade 1

Drum Kit

1.7 - 8th Note Grooves

Skills:

  • Bass drum variations

  • Snare drum variations

  • Two bar patterns

Resources:

  • Basic Drum Kit Studies

  • The Drumset Musician

  • Groove Essentials

1.8 - Groove Orchestration

Skills:

  • Playing the ride cymbal and hi hat pedal

  • Open hi hats

  • Riding on the crash or toms

  • Cross stick

Resources:

  • Basic Drum Kit Studies

  • The Drumset Musician

1.9 - 8th Note Fills

Skills:

  • Fills using 8th notes and quarter notes

  • 8th note fills with various stickings

  • Four bar phrases

  • Fills for 1, 2, 3 and 4 beats

Resources:

  • Basic Drum Kit Studies

  • The Drumset Musician

  • Stick Control

  • Syncopation

Level 1 Songs

Skills:

  • Complete a set list of 10 songs (Level 1)

  • Record 3 songs

Resources:

  • Rockschool Grade 1

  • Trinity Rock & Pop Grade 1

  • Song Library - Level 1 songs