Beginning to use New Breed

Knowbuddy

Member
I posted somewhere in a thread about New Breed, and I offered some knowledge about how I personally learned to use the book (and this method may be the one written in the book, I don't know, because I've never really read the text that I remember)

Someone asked me for the info, and so I figured that if I'm going to type it once into an email, why not just post it for anyone who's buying the book or just got it?

Hope it helps!

-------

I went to the Atlanta Institute of Music and the way we used it there was extremely helpful to me.

Lets see:

First of all, do you know how to read rhythms? Do you know all the different values of the notes? If not, you definitely will need to learn how to read the rhythms before you can really begin using the book effectively. However, the rhythms are fairly easy and only utilize 16th notes, no further. So it's pretty easy to get the hang of if you have to learn it first.

One of the first things we did before actually USING the book itself, is take then concept of the book and put it in it's simplest form. So what you would do is take all of the places in a bar of music in 16th notes, and break them apart in all the combinations that you can make. Like this

Start with quarter notes:

1 2 3 4

ands:

+ + + +

e's:

e e e e

And so on... You need to actually write this out and label it 1-9:

1. 1 2 3 4 (I have it written out as 4 quarter notes)
2. + + + + (written out as 8th note rest and one 8th note)
3. e e e e (written as 16th note rest and one dotted 16th)
4. a a a a (dotted 16th rest and one 16th)
5. 1 a2 a3 a4 a (dotted 8th combined to one 16th)
6. e a e a e a (16th rest 8th 16th)
7. 1e 2e 3e 4e (16th and dotted 8th)
8. e+ e+ e+ e+ (16th rest, 16th and 8th)
9. +a +a +a +a (8th rest 2 16th notes)

You're going to be playing THESE on your BASS DRUM, while using one of the systems on page 9 of the New Breed book.

So, say you are going to use system #4 (one of my fav's):

Bold text = "The System"

Right hand = Straight 16th notes on the ride cymbal.
Left hand = 2 and 4 on the snare drum.

Left foot = all +'s on the high hat pedal.

Right foot = the written 1-9 exercises.

Do these SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW. Get each number 1-9 DOWN and COMFORTABLE, so that you can do it without thinking about it and it just feels more natural. Another thing to do, is once you get it 1-9, do it backwards 9-1 and play it back and forth 1-9 9-1 1-9 9-1. This will get you REALLY prepared to actually use the book the way it's written. One thing I've noticed with New Breed is that you will almost feel off balance until you are really comfortable playing the exercises. Probably because you are using all 4 limbs...

So that's the first step.

Now as for the book, look again on page 9 (or wherever the systems are in your book, I just don't know if they're all the same) now, take a system, we'll use 4 again...

Look on page 14 (Reading 1-A). You will play the "system" of number 4, which is:

Bold text = "The System"

Right hand = Straight 16th notes on the ride cymbal.
Left hand = 2 and 4 on the snare drum.

Left foot = all +'s on the high hat pedal.


And then READ all the way through page 14 with your BASS DRUM foot while maintaining the system without wavering it in any way.

And so on....

Ok, so that's just a little introduction of how I personally learned to use the New Breed Book. I think the 1-9 think actually came from Gary Chester or someone who took lessons from him or something like that. Not sure... Apparently someone did a clinic at AIM and wrote this out on the board and there it stayed forever.

Hopefully that will help out with anyone wanting to get or use New Breed for the first time.

Feel free to contact me with anymore questions if something doesn't make sense...

~B
 
Ok, smart ass remark..

Seriously though... There are people like me who don't like to "read" the books. Or, feel defeated as they look through the books and fail at the basic idea of them only because they're (we're) going WAY over our head's simply because we didn't "READ" the book, or whatever....

Anyway, I'm JUST trying to be a help or an inspiration, instead of a drag.

~B
 
This is great implemenation of the use of The New Breed and plan on adding it to my practice routine! Thanks!

Daryel Johnson
Drummer / Writer / Blogger
Blog: adrummersjourney.blogspot.com
 
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