Music Lesson: Take it to the Top

Introduction
With our pop piece, Take it to the Top, there are a couple of things I just want to talk through with you before you start playing it.

Hi-Hat Technique

• Because it's a fairly light pop song, I'm playing the hi-hats with the tip of the stick.
• You don't have to do this, but I've changed from the rock piece that we did before, where I had a slightly heavier hi-hat sound.
• If you want, use this song as an opportunity to play your hi-hats with the tip of the stick and see if you like that.

For example, in the first bar it is:

• Heavy Sound: “x x x x”
• Light Sound: “Tip of the stick” (which might seem a little bit heavy for the style of music).

Counting Rests

• Again, during the quarter note rests, count through them so that nothing surprises you when you come back in with the next hi-hat or the snare.
• There’s quite a lot of space here at 85 beats per minute, so keep counting.

Snare Fill

• At the end of the first line, there’s a little snare fill: just three quarter note snares in a row, followed by a rest.
• Count through the rest so you can confidently come in with the groove in the next bar.

Common Mistake:
It can be common for students, and even seasoned players, to ignore or cut short the rest at the end of the previous line when they see a new groove coming up.

• Tip: Count through it and come in confidently in the second line with the groove.
• Again, you can keep your hi-hats light; if it feels too light, you can use that part of the stick again.

Watch for Restrictions

• Remember to watch out for the quarter note rest at the end of the second line. Count through it so that the groove comes in at the beginning of the third line confidently.

Fill and Bass Drum Technique

• There’s a little fill at the end of the third line.
• Watch out for the transition from eighth note bass drums to quarter note bass drums.

Technique Tips:

• Make sure you're comfortable with your foot technique.
• Avoid rushing or dragging; focus on maintaining good timing.

Last Line Annotations

• Looking at the last line of this piece:
  • On beat 2, there is no hi-hat, snare, or bass drum.
  • On beat 4, there’s no hi-hat.

Snare Fill:

• In the second bar of the last line, the snare fill goes: "Ba ba ba ba ba ba."
• For the sticking, I will favor: Right, Left, Right, Right, Left, Right. This should sound even.

Even Snares:
If you notice a difference between your left and right hands, especially if you’re right-handed, focus on making the snares as even as possible.

Final Bars

• In the penultimate bar (the second from last), we have hi-hats and bass drums in unison on all quarter notes.
• Aim to keep these hits as together as you can to avoid any unintentional flams.

Reminder on Flams:
We want to avoid the hi-hat and bass drum missing each other. They should land together.

Conclusion

• In the last bar, ensure a strong ending with hi-hats and snare on beats one and three.