EZ linear quarter note rock method - drills

Here are a few specific drills for use with the EZ rock method from the other day. Not every single thing you play using this method is going to sound great, but it's a solid method for learning to improvise embellishments on a simple idea, while maintaining a strong quarter note-based groove.

I'll use the same example from last time— line 3, page 8 from Syncopation:

Which gives the follow as our foundation pattern, which we'll be embellishing with the bass drum— on various es, &a, and as added after the written snare drum and bass drum hits:

Add bass drum on all as:

Add bass drum on as after written bass drum notes, and on es/as after snare hits:

Add bass drum on &s after written bass drum hits, and e&s after snare hits, :

Add bass drum on as before written bass drum hits, and on &as before snare hits:

And there are other possibilities. When devising your own drills, you can also think about doing something different on the last snare hit in a sequence. Here we're using line 2, p. 8 from your book as the foundation pattern:

I suggest practicing all of these ideas until you can play all the exercises from the book without stopping— lines 2-15, plus the 16 bar exercise. It will be more fun if you use one of my practice loops.