This month we’re going to focus on the six different two-note 16th-note groupings. We’ll begin with “1-e,” and then we’ll move it to “e-&,” then “&-a,” and finally “1-a.” After those first four variations, we’ll do a separate exercise for the last two two-note groupings: “1-&” and the ever-tricky “e-a.” As in part one of this series (March 2014), the exercises will first focus on playing the rhythms as accents among taps, and then we’ll play the rhythms with the spaces between them left open. The first exercise, with the accents and taps, will most likely be easier to play than the three-note exercise from part one, but the second exercise will most certainly be harder this time, since there’s more space between the notes. As always, play the exercises with perfect rhythmic accuracy, great dynamic contrast, and a smooth, musical feel, which can be especially challenging at very slow […]

April 2014 Issue