ineedaclutch
Platinum Member
Absolutley. It's an easy to follow framework to expand on.
So I downloaded a .pdf of AAD. The notation is a little dated, but I'm looking forward to diving into it.
Are there any in particular that teachers recommend students to start with, or should I just start at the beginning?
So I downloaded a .pdf of AAD. The notation is a little dated, but I'm looking forward to diving into it.
Are there any in particular that teachers recommend students to start with, or should I just start at the beginning?
I may add more, but I put up 3 separate vids on a channel in the event you want to see how I practice the Wilcoxon material. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCimT6lLP8slkcJfQzmNxwWA/videos
They are not in order of difficulty. The last 30 are longer pieces.
Any are good, and there are lots of versions of each solo online. #6 is an easier one, so you could start there. Or just go from the beginning!
Nice playing!
And all 26 rudiments are incorporated into each of the last 26 solos!
I picked up AAD almost a couple of months ago, and I've been working through one solo a week, playing each one 3x a week for 1/2 hour, starting at 40bpm, and increasing it in 5bpm increments at a time up to 80 bpm. Periodically, I'll review previous ones I've learned at 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% and 90% of my maximum speed.
Is this a reasonable way of learning the solos? Given the breadth of this book, I figure it's a long term study and will take a few years to get through at even a basic level.
All in all, I'm really liking the solos so far - they're creative, pithy and, more importantly, fun to play.
definitely a reasonable way to do it! I think I would only go as slow 60bpm and then do the "5 beat creep" (as I call it with my students), but start at whatever tempo is comfortable. For me 40 bpm is too slow...like, it does not feel like there is any connection to the patterns at that tempo
I've been going down the Wilcoxon rabbit hole myself quite a bit lately. Especially AAD. I've been using predominantly the Reflexx pad for my stuff, using both sides of the pad to get a well-rounded workout. I find just working them in numerical order gives a nice mix of challenges and some musical variety. I'm not sure if Wilcoxon arranged them that way deliberately, or if it just happens to work, sort of like arranging a set list in alphabetical order seems to.
Like many of you, I find the musical aspect of the solos makes them a lot of fun to practice.
One of the noteworthy things about the notation in Wilcoxon is the different types of seven-stroke rolls. I had never seen this notation prior to working out of these books. Phil from Drummer's Weekly Groovecast was my point-of-entry to understanding how this notation is meant to be played. The traditional (Phil calls them ternary) seven-stroke roll we are accustomed to in most rudimental literature (which fits in the space of an 8th note) is used in some passages, but so are the binary seven-stroke rolls that have two grace notes preceding the 8th note. These are meant to be played sort of like pickup notes to a 32nd note roll that starts on the "e."
There's an almost endless supply of material in these books and I'm really enjoying working through them.
How about setting the click to 80 bpm for the 8ths for the first 2/4 solos and intrepeting them as 4/4? Maybe that will make practicing them less tedious, as you can also play them while listening to music in the 80 bpm range.Still, you're absolutely right about 40bpm, in that there seems to be "no connection to the patterns at that tempo". I know when I'm playing them, I can't wait to get to 50-55bpm, which is where they start to feel and sound musical to me.
I get what you're saying, but I'm not yet good enough to start with any of these solos at a faster speed, lest I don't get the sticking down. The only other solos I've learned are the ones in "Mastering the Rudiments for Snare Drum", so it's still a slow process for me.
Perhaps once I've got the first 20 solos under my belt (the first 10 in straight time and the second 10 in triplet time), I'll be able to start learning them at a quicker tempo.
Still, you're absolutely right about 40bpm, in that there seems to be "no connection to the patterns at that tempo". I know when I'm playing them, I can't wait to get to 50-55bpm, which is where they start to feel and sound musical to me.
How about setting the click to 80 bpm for the 8ths for the first 2/4 solos and intrepeting them as 4/4? Maybe that will make practicing them less tedious, as you can also play them while listening to music in the 80 bpm range.
I'd just learn them piece by piece in free tempo and then start using metronome at whatever pace is comfortable. Going super slow is also advanced. Not the same as going very fast, but it's for when you want to refine things on a very deep level.
Just pick a solo and get that one done.
It is based on rudiments and some variations that show up all the time, repeating elements, so the next one will be easier.