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07/12/2021

+233…91 Asks Oparachukwu

Is there a Difference between Rehearsal and Practice and if there is a difference, what’s the difference…?

Indeed, most people use Practice and Rehearsal interchangeably, but the truth is that they are indeed very different and there’s a world of difference between them.

Here are a couple of things to note to help you make the distinction:

Practice is often a private and individualistic event. Rehearsal is almost always a collective event.
Practice is Raw. Rehearsal is Fine Tuning.
Practice is often technique development focused. Rehearsal is almost always performance focused.

You practice what you’re going to rehearse.
You rehearse what you have practiced.

Practice is the raw stuff you start doing long before the event and that you cannot do minutes into the event or it is bound to flop.

Rehearsal is what you can do even minutes into the event and even on stage just before the performance.

Practice comes before Rehearsal. Rehearsal comes after Practice.

Individuals in a band will practice their respective parts at home. Then the band will meet and rehearse together so that all the individually mastered parts can ‘gel’ together.

I hope this clarifies.

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06/29/2021

+233…84 Asks Oparachukwu

“How does one spice up a Drum Solo?”

Well, while there are indeed many ways to spice up a drum solo, the three top ways to spice up a drum solo are the extensive use of Dynamics, the Incorporation of repetitive phrases, grooves and or rhythms that draw audience participation, and then the outright use of such showmanship tricks as stick twirling, blindfolds, monstrous patterns and etc.

Of course the list is not in any way exhaustive, but with the three key spices mentioned above, you will almost always deliver worldwide and can never go wrong working with them. The goal is often very simple; to take your audience on a journey.

So play things normally, play them fast, play them faster, play them just beneath the hearing of the audience, play them normally, play them loud, displace accents here and there, incorporate other percussion into the groove/into the performance, do some stick tricks such as throws and twirls and make funny faces/laugh hysterically where applicable.

There’s more, but you can’t go wrong with these basics up above.

They are spices. They are Universal.

So feel free to add them generously to your 'solo soup' and see wonders happen.

Oparachukwu is a Person NOT a Robot

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06/14/2021

+234701...9 asks Oparachukwu

How Do I Apply Rudiments to make Drum Fills??

I teach that the first basic step to building fills is the application of rudiments in something I have called the Direct Application Method in my easy to read drum book- A Hand Guide To Chops Development

To apply rudiments to make drum fills, understand first that majority of rudiments when written in traditional form, come with a default time signature.
For example, the most famous Paradiddle has a default time signature of 4/4, while the Double Paradiddle has a default time signature of 6/8.
To begin to apply any rudiments directly, first determine the default time signature of that rudiment, and then seek to gain mastery of that rudiment by applying it directly to songs that are in the same default time signature as that rudiment.

Once you have this sorted out and have a very solid grip on this, and in the event that you now want to begin to apply rudiments outside of their default Time Signature, you can employ the Adaptive Time Signature Method.

The Adaptive Time Signature Method is such that if you wanted to apply a rudiment like the Double Paradiddle which is in default 6/4 to a groove in 4/4, you only very simply have to employ your knowledge of note values and instead of playing the notes of the double Paradiddle as straight Eight notes, play them instead as Triplets and they would fit into your 4/4 time easy, smooth and without any hassles.

Basically, to apply Rudiments, especially directly, you must understand the Rudiment and its default T.S

To apply rudiments non directly and as fills, understand that fills are developed and integrated from a basic understanding of Note Values, Time Signatures, and tweaking a few things like tempo and phrasing...

Hope this helps...

Oparachukwu is a Person NOT a robot😌.
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06/07/2021

+234...11 asks Oparachukwu

How can I determine the EXACT Time Signature of a song by Ear? Is it possible? Is there any simple technique...?

To be able to determine the TS of a song by ear alone, (either EVEN or ODD TIME), you need to possess great listening skills and you start by finding out what the beat is.

To find what the beat is, tap your fingers for every beat like a human metronome, (resisting the urge to tap uneven rhythms) and focus on getting an underlying constant pulse.

While you do this, listen for the start of bars, (and there are various indicators as so where a bar is starting; such as an emphasis, a chord change, a cymbal strike, verbal cues etc.) and pick out any strong bar you hear and count from ONE upwards, coming back to ONE! at the start of the next bar/emphasis.

Next thing to do is determine what the lower number of the Time Signature is, and to determine what the bottom number is, (what is called the subdivision), listen to the drum and bass (the rhythm section) of the music, especially if it is popular music, and pay ample attention to what the hi-hat is saying.

The hi-hat will often carry the most consistent pulse, and you will more than not, easily and quickly get your subdivision/bottom number /note value from her.

Therefore to get the T.S of a song by ear and where the sheet/piece cannot be obtained, the note count may be deduced by listening to the repetition of the pulse and the note value by listening to the subdivisions of the pulse.

You will get it.

I hope this helps you

Oparachukwu is a Person NOT a Robot
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05/31/2021

+233...49 asks Oparachukwu

I am starting out a music band, how can I tell a Good Drummer from a Bad One...?

It is actually super easy to spot a bad drummer and traits of bad drumming go all the way from no volume control to poor time keeping, playing rock solos in non-rock music, can't count any other numbers aside from 4 and other such things as generally being unable to interpret and serve the song they are supposedly playing to.

So while the traits of good drumming are not exhaustive, as much as you can, look out for time control, look out for volume control, Look out for attitude. The fills played…are they actually necessary and useful to the sound, or are his solos misleading and or overbearing? Does he show up to sessions punctual and very well practiced?

Such core skills as getting along with other band members, keeping good time, serving the music, accenting tastefully where needed, and never adding anything unnecessary or irrelevant are core traits of good drumming and these things you should look out for mostly.

Drummers have a great range of skill sets and while some have better technique or are more athletic than others, the key is to find just the one who adds just what the song needs and leaves every other thing out. That's what good drumming is eventually and as always, I hope this helps you.

I am Oparachukwu Joshua Ayodeji more popularly known as the_Oparachukwu and yeah, I have been away for a bit. (I had to go work a bit)

But the Ask Oparachukwu service is back up and running and the AOSPosts would now be posted every Monday for the rest of the Year unfailingly here on WhatsApp and especially at https://facebook.com/theoparachukwu, so please take a moment to visit and like the page: https://facebook.com/theoparachukwu .

There are a lot other value laden posts you cannot exhaust there...

As Always...
Oparachukwu is a Person NOT a Robot
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01/27/2021

+223...15 Asks Oparachukwu

How Can I Work On My Ability To Play Odd Time...?

Well, once, legendary Vinnie Coluita was asked this question. Someone asked him at a clinic about how he was able to play in 7/8 so well and without dropping a beat, so much so it even almost felt like he was playing common time.

He looked at the Audience and paraphrased he said Well, I just sit behind the Kit and play for One Hour to the Click. After this, it becomes Easy.

And then there was SILENCE over the Hall because quite expectedly, this was a Clinic and so they were expecting him to reel out plenty many steps and long – long procedures.

But the Truth is that NOTHING beats sitting your bu**um down and just playing to the Click if you're really trying to get a Hang of Odd Time Signatures.

The Only Other thing I would say to try, which is but a variation of the same, is to have a Library of Songs in the Time Signature you're trying to master, so you also at least know, what the Time Signature feels like when played and or performed. This is ALL. There is no other Revelation.

Calibrate your Metronome to 7/8, sit your bu**um down and lay it to the Click for One Hour.
Take a 10 min break. Repeat Twice Daily.

Oparachukwu is a Person NOT a Robot
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