Joy Spring - Drum Lesson
In the video below, I give a lesson on the ‘open chart’ piece, ‘Joy Spring’ from the Trinity Drum Kit 2020-2023 syllabus. The syllabus contains a number of open chart pieces, where only the important details are fully notated. Such pieces leave a lot of room for performer interpretation. As such they are often perceived by students to be harder than those pieces where all the details are given. Experienced drummers can draw upon their knowledge to ‘fill in the gaps’ and interpret phrasing. However, those with only few months or years playing behind them usually struggle to come up with the goods.
What's in the Video?
In this lesson, I go through each section of ‘Joy Spring’, identifying those areas which require closer attention, such as phrasing and rolls. I often count these out fully and provide a little notation. I hope the information bestowed goes some way to make up for the low quality production.
Joy Spring 'Closed Chart' Version
In most cases, I find it beneficial to fully notate ‘open charts’ for students. Don’t worry; this isn’t cheating – it’s called making a learning aid! You may think this defeats the object, but think about it for a second. Through a comparison between the ‘open’ and (for use of a better word) ‘closed’ versions of the chart, students can begin to develop an understanding of what is required of them. Similarly, it can provide them with material to practise which will allow them greater freedom to improvise in the long run. This is especially useful in the interpretation of the slashed notation sections.
And Finally...
Have you found this lesson helpful? If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.