Better Drums With…
Rockschool Welcome to Drums Grade 1 Drums Notation Explained
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Pieces: Crescent City Voodoo J.K. Justin Time Time Skysurfer e Grunt To e Edge
4 5 6 7 8 9
Technical Exercises E xercises Sight Reading Improvisation Im provisation & Interpretation Ear Tests General Musicianship Questions e Guru’s Guide Entering Rockschool Exams
www.rockschool.co.uk
10 12 13 14 15 16 18
Welcome To Drums Grade 1 Welcome to the Rockschool Drums Grade 1 pack. The book and CD contain everything needed to play drums in this grade. In the book you will find the exam scores in drums notation. The accompanying CD has full stereo mixes of each tune, backing tracks to play along with for practice, one with a click and one without for each song, and spoken two bar count-ins to each piece. Handy tips on playing the pieces and the marking schemes can be found in the Guru’s Guide on page 16. If you have an queries about this or any other Rockschool exam, please call us on 020 8332 6303, email us at info@rockschool. co.uk or visit our website http://www.rockschool.co.uk . Good luck!
Level 1 Requirements for Grades 1, 2 & 3 The nine Rockschool grades are divided into four levels. These levels correspond to the levels of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Further details about the NQF can be found at http://www.qca.org.uk/NQF . Details of all Rockschool’s accredited qualifications can be found at http://www.qca.org.uk/openquals . Drums Grade 1 is part of Level 1. This Level is for players who are just starting out and who are looking to build a solid technical and stylistic foundation for their playing. Grade 1: A player of Grade 1 standard should be able to play up to 30 bars of music composed of quarter and eighth notes and associated rests. There are simple notated fills usually played at the end of a four or eight bar section. Some hi hats are played open and crash and ride cymbals are also played. Grade 2: in this grade you are beginning to develop your groove playing while building a solid technical foundation for the future. Grooves feature development and variation and you may be asked to show this in your playing. Notated fills feature at the end of four or eight bar sections. In this grade you will also begin to work on your stylistic appreciation. Grade 3: this grade continues the foundation work started in Grade 2. As a player you will be encountering syncopated eighth and sixtenth note grooves and a greater degree of hand-foot co-ordination around the kit. The pieces of music are now longer, covering two pages, givi ng you opportunities for inventive fills and part development. You should be developing your stylistic awareness.
Drums Exams at Grade 1 There are two types of exam that can be taken us ing this pack: a Grade Exam and a Performance Certificate. Drums Grade 1 Exam: this is for players who want to develop performance and technical skills
Players wishing to enter for a Drums Grade 1 exam need to prepare three pieces of which one may be a free choice piece chosen from outside the printed repertoire. In addition you must prepare the technical exercises in the book, u ndertake either a sight reading test of an improvisation & interpretation test, take an ear test and answer general musicianship questions. Samples of these tests are printed in the book along with audio examples on the CD.
Drums Grade 1 Performance Certificate: this is for players who want to focus on performing in a range of styles
To enter for your Drums Grade 1 Performance Certificate you play pieces only. You can choose any five of the six tunes printed in this book, or you can choose to bring in up to two free choice pieces as long as they meet the standards set out by Rockschool. Free choice piece checklists for all grades can be found on the Rockschool website: www.rockschool.co.uk.
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Drums Notation Explained
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Crescent City Voodoo
Tracks 1, 7 & 13
Adrian York
q=110
R ’n’ B
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4 © 2006 Rock School Ltd.
is music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
J.K.
Tracks 2, 8 & 14
Noam Lederman
q=110 Rock ’n’ Roll
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5 © 2006 Rock School Ltd.
is music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
Justin Time
Tracks 3, 8 & 15
Deirdre Cartwright q=76 Hip Hop
1 e d a r G s m u r D
6 © 2006 Rock School Ltd.
is music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
Skysurfer
Tracks 4, 10 & 16
Colin Woolway q=100 Rock
1 e d a r G s m u r D
7 © 2006 Rock School Ltd.
is music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
e Grunt
Tracks 5, 11 & 17
Peter Huntington q=102 Funk
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8 © 2006 Rock School Ltd.
is music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
To e Edge
Tracks 6, 12 & 18
Hussein Boon q=108 Pop
1 e d a r G s m u r D
9 © 2006 Rock School Ltd.
is music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
Technical Exercises
Track 19
In this section, the examiner will ask you to play a selection of exercises drawn from each of the four groups shown below. In addition there is a fill exercise which you will play using the designated backing track on the CD. You do not need to memorise the exercises (and can use your book in the exam) but the examiner will be looking for the speed of your response. The examiner will also give credit for the level of your musicality. The stickings shown (L & R) are there as a guide for right handed drummers. Left handed drums should reverse the stricking patterns.
Group A: Single Strokes 1. In eighth notes R
L
R
L
2. In triplet eighth notes R
L
R
L
3
R
L
3
3
Group B: Double Strokes 1. In eighth notes R
R
L
L
Group C: Paradiddles 1. Standard paradiddle in sixteenth notes R
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L
R
R
L
R
L
L
3
Group D: Triplets 1. Standard triplet in eighth notes R
L
3
L
R
L
3
L
3
3
Group E: Fills In the exam you will be asked to play the three bar groove shown below followed by one of the notated fills chosen by the examiner. You will perform this exercise in the exam to the backing track on the CD. q= 80 Rock R
L
R
L
R
L
R
L
R
R
L
L
R
R
L
L
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Sight Reading In this section you have a choice between either a sight reading test or an improvisation & interpretation test (see facing page). Printed below is the type of sight reading test you are likely to encounter in the exam. The piece will be composed in the style of either rock or blues. The examiner will allow you 90 seconds to prepare it and will set the tempo for you on a metronome.
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Improvisation & Interpretation
Track 20
Printed below is an example of the type of improvisation & interpretation test you are likely to encounter in an exam. You will be asked to play an improvised groove to a backing track played by the examiner on a CD. An initial groove of one bar will be notated and you should include a fill at the end of the four bar sequence. You will be allowed 30 seconds prepration time and the examiner will set the tempo. You will then be allowed to practice through one playing of the test before playing it a second time for the exam. This test is continuous with a one bar count in at the beginning and after the practice session.
1
2
3
4
Fill
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Ear Tests
Tracks 21-23
There are two ear tests in this grade. The examiner will play each test to you on CD. You will find one example of each type of test you will be given i n the exam printed below.
Test 1: Fill Recognition The examiner will play you one bar of snare drum fill twice on a CD and you will then be asked to play it back. You will then be asked to identify the fill from the two printed examples shown below. A
B
Test 2: Groove Recall The examiner will play you a two bar drum groove repeated on a CD twice. You will be asked to play back the groove as you have heard it on the CD.
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General Musicianship Questions You will be asked five General Musicianship Questions at the end of the exam. The examiner will ask questions based on a pieces or pieces you have played in the exam. Some of the theoretical topics can be found in the Technical Exercises.
Topics: i) ii)
Music theory Knowledge of your instrument
The music theory questions will cover the recognition of the following at this grade: Drum voices on the stave Note values Rests Time Signatures Repeat markings (including first and second time bars)
The instrument knowledge questions will cover the following topics at this grade: Names and position of all drum voices
Questions on all these topics will be based on pieces played by you in the exam. Tips on how to approach this part of the exams can be found in the Rocks chool Companion Guide and on the Rockschool website: www.rockschool.co.uk.
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e Guru’s Guide To Drums Grade 1 This section contains some handy hints compiled by Rockschool’s Drums Guru to help you get the most out of the performance pieces. Do feel free to adapt the tunes to suit your playing style. Remember, these tunes are your chance to show your musical imagination and personality. The stickings shown in the music are suggestions only. Feel free to use different sticking combinations as they suit you. Please also note that any solos featured in the full mixes are not meant to be indicative of the standard required for the grade. The track listings below are grouped: 1-16: full mixes; 7-12: backing tracks without clicks; and 13-18: backing tracks with clicks.
Drums Grade 1 Tunes Rockschool tunes help you play the hit tunes you enjoy. The pieces have been written by top pop and rock composers and players according to style specifications drawn up by Rockschool. The tunes printed here fall into two categories. The first category can be called the ‘contemporary mainstream’ and features current styles in today’s charts. The second category of pieces consists of ‘roots styles’, those classic grooves and genres which influence every generation of performers. CD full mix track 1, backing t racks 7 & 13: Crescent City Voodoo
This rock ‘n’ roll piece features a groove played in quarter notes on the snare and kick drum with some eighth note kick drum variations on the third beat of the bar and similar snare variations on beat four. In bar 6 these are played sequentially. For the first twelve bars, the ride cy mbal features before switching to the hi hat which is played alternately open and closed. Composer: Adrian York. CD full mix track 2, backing t racks 8 & 14: J. K.
The groove in this blues-rock song is played in quarter notes for the most part on the kick drum while the snare alternates between eighth and quarter notes. This pushes the beat forward and gives the piece rhythmic distinctiveness. Watch for those points where the kick drums plays an off-beat eighth note (for example in bars 2 and 4). The ride cymbal is played in the first 11 bars, punctuated by crash cymbals. The second half of the piece switches to hi hat: watch for the kick drum pattern in the guitar breaks. Make sure you play the fill in bar 20 evenly. Composer: Noam Lederman. CD full mix track 3, backing t racks 9 & 15: Justin Time
The groove in this hip hop piece should be played quite metronomically. The groove pattern throughout is quite complex with its off-beat eighth note kick drum. Note also the open hi hat at the end of every other bar in the first eight bars, the two ride cymbal eighths on the last beat of bar 12 and the crashes that accent the l ast beat of bar 20. Composer: Deirdre Cartwright. CD full mix track 4, backing t racks 10 & 16: Skysurfer
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The first two bars of this rock piece are played on the kick drum only before the start of the main groove in bar 3. The groove requires a high degree of hand and foot co-ordination, notably on the fills on the last two beats of every second bar up to bar 10. The next eight bars features a ‘standard’ rock groove featuring the ride cymbal before switching back to the opening groove pattern for the finale. Composer: Colin Woolway.
CD full mix track 5, backing tracks 11 & 17: The Grunt
This funk piece features a mainly uniform groove with an off-beat eighth note kick drum in each bar. There are little fills at the end of bars 8 and 16 and watch for the open hi hat on the 6th eighth note in bars 4, 12 and 20 and the crash cymbals in bars 9, 13, 18, 20 and 22. Composer: Peter Huntington. CD full mix track 6, backing t racks 112 & 18: To The Edge
This song, a homage to mid 90s U2 is quite intricate and is made up of a number of sections. The first four bars are played on the kick drum, ‘four to the floor’, with an eighth note snare beat announcing the arrival of the groove, in which the kick remains four to the floor and off-beat eighth note snares punctuate the rhythm in bars 5 and 7 (note the open hi hats that are played along with each of these snare notes). The hi hat is played open in quarter notes for four bars before a complete change of groove in bars 12-15 (with open an hi hat right at the end of each bar) followed by one bar of energetic eighth note fill played on snare and kick. The four repeated bars at the end are played on the ride cymbal. Composer: Hussein Boon. CD Musicians:
Guitars: Deirdre Cartwright; Hussein Boon Bass: Henry Thomas Drums: George Gavin Keyboards and programming: Alastair Gavin
Drums Grade 1 Marking Schemes The table below shows the marking scheme for the Drums Grade 1 exam. ELEMENT
PASS
MERIT
DISTINCTION
Piece 1
13 out of 20
15 out of 20
17+ out of 20
Piece 2
13 out of 20
15 out of 20
17+ out of 20
Piece 3
13 out of 20
15 out of 20
17+ out of 20
Technical Exercises
11 out of 15
12 out of 15
13+ out of 15
Either Sight Reading or Improvisation & Interpretation
6 out of 10
7 out of 10
8+ out of 10
Ear Tests
6 out of 10
7 out of 10
8+ out of 10
General Musicianship Questions
3 out of 5
4 out of 5
5 out of 5
Total Marks
Pass: 65%+
Merit: 75%+
Distinction: 85%+
The table below shows the marking scheme for the Drums Grade 1 Performance Certificate. ELEMENT
PASS
MERIT
DISTINCTION
Piece 1
14 out of 20
16 out of 20
18+ out of 20
Piece 2
14 out of 20
16 out of 20
18+ out of 20
Piece 3
14 out of 20
16 out of 20
18+ out of 20
Piece 4
14 out of 20
16 out of 20
18+ out of 20
Piece 5
14 out of 20
16 out of 20
18+ out of 20
Total Marks
Pass: 70%+
Merit: 80%+
Distinction: 90%+
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Entering Rockschool Exams Entering a Rockschool exam is easy. Please read through these instructions carefully before filling in the exam entry form. Information on current exam fees can be obtained from Rock School by ringing 020 8332 6303 • You should enter for a Grade 1 exam when you feel ready. • You can enter for any one of three examination periods. These are shown below with their closing dates. PERIOD
DURATION
CLOSING DATE
Period A
1st February to 31 st March
1st December
Period B
15th May to 31 st July
1st April
Period C
23rd October to 15 th December
1 st October
These dates will apply from 1st January 2007 until further notice
• Please complete the form giving the information required. Please tick the type and level of exam, the instrument, along with the period and year. Finally, fill in the fee box with the appropriate amount. You can obtain up to date information on all Rockschool exam fees from the website: w ww.rockschool.co.uk. You should send this form with a cheque or postal order (payable to Rockschool Ltd) to the address shown on the entry form. Please also indicate on the form whether or not you would like to receive notification via email. • When you enter an exam you will receive from Rockschool an acknowledgement letter or email containing your exam entry number along with a copy of our exam regulations. • Rockschool will allocate your entry to a centre and you will receive notification of the exam, showing a date, location and time as well as advice of what to bring to the centre. We endeavour to give you four weeks’ notice of your exam. • You should inform Rockschool of any cancellations or alterations to the schedule as soon as you can as it is usually not possible to transfer entries from one centre, or one period, to another without the payment of an additional fee. • Please bring your music book and CD to t he exam. You may not use photocopied music, nor the music used by someone else in another exam. The examiner will sign each book at the start of each examination. You may be barred from taking an exam if you use someone else’s music. • You should aim to arrive for your Drums Grade 1 exam fifteen minutes before the ti me stated on the schedule. • The exam centre will have a waiting area and warm-up facilities which you may use prior to being called into the main exam room. • Each Drums Grade 1 exam is scheduled to last for 15 minutes. You can use a small proportion of this time to tune up and get ready. • About 2 to 3 weeks after the exam you will receive a copy of the examiner’s mark sheet. Every successful player will receive a Rockschool certificate of achievement. 1 e d a r G s m u r D
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