Fundamentals Week Two

The second week of class is about the 2 beat (bass on 1, 3...snare/hi hat on 2, 4). This is my go-to basic beat...so not that hard (though of course there is room to improve). The song is Flashlight by Parliament. A great groove...but nothing technically difficult. The trick is in keeping the groove consistent for five and a half minutes.

I was pretty stressed out about class last week and had to take a step back and chill out. This is all meant for personal growth and fun...there's no need to expect perfection and to stress myself out (and then feel bad about myself) if it isn't attained. Take away what you can but be realistic. It isn't a miracle.

Got a B+ on the first assignment. The comments were basically to keep the sticks closer to the heads between hits (the intro part of Separate Ways I was pulling them away, which I'd only do in a wide open part like that. I kind of reject the comment. I understand the benefits of economy of motion...but theatrics isn't a horrible thing when performing...and that's what that felt like more than a mistake)...and that I rushed the prechorus, which I knew. He complimented me for getting back into time though. His comments in general for eveyone fell into about 4 streams and were, though personalized, generic (copy and pasted). I don't think this is going to get too detailed. On the other hand, I suppose that people tend to make the same mistakes.

Anyway, this week's lesson feels more laid back. We'll see how it goes when we get into the Latin shit.