Learning the Piano and Drums

Hello everyone, It’s been awhile since the last time I’ve posted on here. In the last post, I made it my goal to learn some new rudiments, learn new 1/8 note beats and fills, and practice these new learned skills to some loop tracks. Much to my disappointment, I haven’t played the drums as much as I would like the past couple weeks. As a result, I wasn’t able to meet many of   last posts’ goals. However, I was able to go over the following rudiments: Single, Double, Four Stroke, 5 Stroke, and 7 Stroke rolls. This week, my goals will be as follows: 1. Start Level 2 of the Drumeo Method 2. Use the new rudiments I learned on the drum kit with a metronome/ loop track. 3. Stay on track this week and play the drums for at least 1 hour every other day. Thank for reading, Angelo

Hello everyone, So due to some personal matters and getting sick, I wasn’t able to play piano as much as would’ve liked the last week and a half. In my last post, my goals were the following: 1. Learn and record myself playing “Blue Rondo” 2. Practice the F# Minor scale until I get comfortable. Even with my with my sickness and other distractions, I’m glad to say that I was able to record myself playing Blue Rondo early last week. If you would like to view the video, please click on the link below. https://youtu.be/pP6Oh6kZ9L0 As for the key of F# Minor, I must admit that it was more challenging than I thought to learn the scale. This was due to the fingering required for the harmonic minor scale. My natural instinct was to play the natural scale, so I was playing E when I should’ve been playing E#. After getting over this hurdle, I was able to work my way through some pages in Book 3, and managed to review the primary chords of F#Minor , as well as it’s inversions. In the...

Hello everyone, Last week, I made it my goal to complete the Drumeo Method Level 1 Lessons. In addition, I also wanted to record myself playing “Your First Song” and “Your Second Song”. I’m happy to say that I  completed both these goals. Sadly, Series 2 on the Drumeo Method doesn’t come out for a couple weeks, so I need to find something to learn. Eventually, I want to be able to play drum grooves without having to think so hard. This means really working on building my foundation for the drums.  That being said, my goals for the following week or two are as follows: 1. Learn more 1/8th note beats and fills. 2. Practice these new notes and beats to different loop tracks 3. Learn 4 new drum rudiments and practice those rudiments. If you would like to view the videos of me playing, please click on the links below: 1. “Your First Song”              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuZXFs5-cNc 2. “Your Second Song” ...

Hello everyone, Last week, my goals were the following: 1. Practice and record myself play “Adagio in A Major” 2. Review the Key of F# Minor Over the past week, I managed to complete these goals. I have shared a link below of me playing “An Adagio in A Major”. For those of you who are struggling to pick up the piano, I highly suggest picking up Alfred’s Basic Adult All-in-One Course. Slowly but surely, this book series has helped me how to play the piano. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MODGLTByxA In the next week, I hope to: 1. Learn and record myself playing “Blue Rondo” 2. Practice the F#Minor scale until I get comfortable. On another note, if you grew up watching the HSM series, like me, you should really watch HSMTMTS. I’m currently listening to the soundtrack on Spotify. Enjoy.

Hello everyone, So in my last “Drum Progress” post, I talked about trying out a  Drumeo Edge subscription to help my progress in learning the drums. Over the past week, I’ve been watching a bunch of videos in the Level 1 Series. I know a lot the beginner material that Jared was going over, but I did learn quite a few new things. I learned how to properly set up an acoustic kit, how to tune the various drums in the kit, and how to properly hit the drums and cymbals. I also reviewed the “Heel Up” and “Heel Down” techniques. Overall, I think this subscription is paying of so far. I haven’t really touched the drums since my last post, but it’s important that I’m setting up a good foundation for myself. My goal for the next week is the following (hint: it’s the same as the last post) 1. Complete the Drumeo Method Level 1 Lessons 2. Record myself playing “Your First Song” and “Your Second Song” If you’ve read this far, I also recommend watching Promised Neverland season 1. It’...

Hello everyone, Last week, my goals were the following: 1. Go over/ learn the key of A major 2. Practice and record myself playing “An American Hymn” In the past few days, I learned that the sharps in this key are #F, #C, and G#. I also learned that the primary chords in this scale are A major, D major and E7. In addition to learning the key of A major, my other goal was to practice and record myself playing “An American Hymn”. Overall, this experience was a little challenging. I didn’t realize how difficult it was to play a whole song without messing up. The added pressure of being perfect is rather nerve racking, but I managed to somehow do it. I have shared the link below, so feel free to watch it if you have time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glHq62Bfo1w This week, my goals are the following: 1. Practice and record myself play “Adagio in A Major” 2. Review the Key of F# Minor Ok, that’s it for this week. Thanks for reading.

Hello everyone, When I first got the drums earlier last year, I decided to purchase the Beginner Drummer Book offered by Drumeo. Since I was inconsistent with my practice on the drums, I only managed to get up to chapter 5 or 6 in this book. Even after following these chapter, I felt like I didn't really have a direction in my learning, and it was very frustrating. To improve my practice consistency and give myself a direction in learning, I decided to invest in a Drumeo Edge subscription. My goal in the next couple weeks is the following: 1. Complete the Drumeo Method Level 1 Lesson 2. Record Myself Playing the Two Songs I will learn in this lesson. Cheers.

Hello everyone, In terms of my progress on learning the piano, I have been using the Alfred Adult All-In-One Course Books for the past year or so. Currently, I am on book level 3, and am about 60ish pages into the book. I have learned how to play in the major scales of C, G, F, Bb, Eb, and D, and their relative minors. It has been a slow and steady process, but it has been rewarding because these scales are getting easier to read. In addition to learning these scales, I've learned about other topics such as the Circle of Fifths and Diminished 7th Chords. In the next week and a half my goal is the following: 1. Go over/ learn the key of A 2. Practice and record myself playing "An American Hymn"