ONGS, SESSION SKILLS, ene fedad a Di Initial DRUMS COLLEGE LONDONTHE EXAM AT A GLANCE For your Rock & Pop exam you will need to perform a set of three songs ‘and one of the Session skills assossmonts, either Playback cr improvising, You can choose the order In which you ploy your set-Ist Song 1 Choose a song from thls book OR trom wow ttinityrock.com/downloads. Song 2 Choose a diferent song trom this book OR trom wwwtrinityrock.com/downloads © perform a song you have chosen yourselt this could be your own cover version or 6 song you have written, It should be at the same level as the songs in this book Song 3: Technical focus Choose one of the Technical fecus songs from this book. which cover three specific technical elements Session skills (Choose either Playback or Improvising. When you are preparing for your exam please check on www.trinityrock.com for the most up-to-date information and requirements as these can change from time to time.CONTENTS Songs Black Betty 4 Boulevard Of Broken Dreams 5 1 Am The Music Man 6 And The Cradle Will Rock 7 Technical focus songs Days 38 ?'m Gonna Be (500 Miles) 10 About the songs Black Betty 12 Boulevard Of Broken Dreams 13 1 Am The Music Man 14 And The Cradle Will Rock 15 Days 16 I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) W Session skills Playback 18 Improvising 19 Help pages Choosing a song for your exam 20 Writing your own song 21 Playing in a band 22 Playing with backing tracks 23 Copyright in a song 23 Drum notation guide 24 Each song has two backing tracks: the fist Includes a click track fo play long with, the second omits the click track Trinty College London's Rock & Pop syllabus and supporting pubilections have been devised and produced In association with Faber Music and Foters Edition Loncon inky Colage Landon Cover ana noe design by Chine Aland ognerasce: Wand desecpmort ty Any Azure @ Cofehont a.cananene om) ‘pAbed Embankment Prctograpre courtesy ot ox Features Lint, Ema etinivcoleg cok Rroung rocks ciara Py GM OAD \retnjealege ce Pogatowa'n he Uk Company ro,Casssns3 Veco be Vinton Crortyre 014092 ojooarse Svar Paton HB The Suse SEuertG Gut Sti om amine Coors 92012 Yl Catogo London BoE: benivers 162012 why Cotege tendon Drunk Googe Dowie Fro etinodn 2012 by Rly Cotege london Bra Sema Dowus oBAND OPTION BLACK BETTY if [verse T] 5 “Shes from Bimingh u = SS = = c ~ Y foo (eho Won eee Be SSS 2 oe eee Verse 2| voce! cue 11 "Looky here Black Betty vlog tela ttehetytl tefl ololteh ef Taf Ferre pe zeEe ——— tpt fat oF Mal Able Nn SL arate ie anaBOULEVARD OF “" BROKEN DREAMS lero ane Vue by Bile Joe Aematong, rank. Wren il and Mena PhosBAND OPTION | AM THE MUSIC MAN (Verses 4 =92 Pop 2 bars councin vocal ve beth ees) Intro] ian Soo cee I Bicek LaveWAC AACE 10. 12 AND THE cto saaiue CRADLE WILL ROCK _ Words ond Mae by Edward Van Halen Alby Van Halen, Michasl Anos == 108 Classic Rock 2 bars countin * Jide Jd ddd so od) J Soe tl tat Ste =r | ooo POR mae eer [Chorus] ere cradle wil rock 8 ao oa eo SS SS SSS sea ds rere ar! PLE yTECHNICAL FOCUS DAYS In your exam, you will be assessed cn the following elements 1 Cross-sticks The opening groove (a section with the some repeated rhythm) in bars 2-10 of this orangement uses a cross stick (sometimes known os a tin-tap cr im-knock) in the right hond on beats 2 and 4, The stick con either be tuned round or as normal Mako suro that this s well-controlled, Check that: «there Is a gap between the neorside rim and the end of the stick which Is nearest the body ‘this part of the stick remains in contact with the drum head throughout the stroke. 2 Ride cymbal The chorus uses he ride cymbal Moke sue that you site realy cleanly ~ and not fom hac ipso that trains wal maling ef onc ered 3 Fills Stay very steady on the fils (short decorative passages that fil gaps between repacted pattems) — take core not to rush Play right in the centre of the toms for ¢ full sound, On the final fl, make the crescendo very gradual, so that every note Is louder than, the last one, That way it will sound really effective(itp, SRD 3B 14-15 demo backin Wasim oe wan inty Moco Worcs ane Muse by Ray Doves a 4-100 Not heavy 2 bors countin Shale oom ooo oe —— — | repeP ae ee f rI’M GONNA BE (500 MILES) In your exam, you will be assessed on the following technical elements: 1 Producing a good sound This gong hos a strong backbeat (the backbeats are beats 2 ond 4 of each ba) Concentiate on playing these well- you can really bring the song fo Ife Ifyou get the feel ust ight. Remember that the bass drum is also known as the “kk’ cium Give Ita solid stroke! Experiment with how tightly together you ore squeezing the hi-hat cymbals: try to find a really nice sound. 2 Playing a groove During the chorus. the drums keep lime by ploying a simple groove (a groove is ‘section with the some repeated rhythm), Have fun with the splash of cymbal sound at the end of each bar but be caretul not to overdo it —it should not sound 100 aistacting! 3 Co-ordinati ing the bass and snare drums Verte 2 ie c march-ike saction in which the player can decice on the sticking, But, however you choose fo play it, mako sure that the bass drum and snore drum ft neatly together as wilten (you should neat one combined sound rather than two). fone hand is louder than the other. the music will not flow smoothly so Isten very carefully and watch that your stroke heights are consistently matched,5 d r Hi ‘: il T Om 52 all 2 5 8 | S | ell ft lr oe 8 wh IT 85 wef Ny én 2 3 weak aa Tee 7) ge 5 B mh is he sue Ne D a i ~ sae (at eo a g ul: i ON Of ty) qe oT ao § i rr SII th G5 tro air 3 ei or -b 7 ie itl Tht ale I = 4 Ah o= a al ro i AL ff ale cp Ss . tr tl sh =. — } 2 a pz a Se J #130 Pop 2 bars courtin — é { oc . ait JL ot sk ar a 226 Lt tur alt ott epee “a R- Sl Nee oe #99 owBLACK BETTY tw0d Black Betty’ is an African-American worksong (an early type of black American, music sung rhythmically while doing menual labour). Nobody really knows who Black Betty was, but mony believe thet the name was slang for a prison bullwhip or a bottle of whisky Block Betty’ is normally credited to Lead Bolly, although he was not the fist to record it, Born Huddle Lecbetter, Lead Belly wos a wandering musician who spent mare than ‘one spol in prison, including c long stretch for murder, His talent as a folk-blues singer ‘and 12-siting guitarist was recognised by the folk-music researcher ond collector John Lomax, who later secured his release from prison (although he was soon back inside for assault), Lead Belly’s songs have been recorded by Pete Seeger, Lonnie Donegon, the Fall and Nick Cave, ne most famcus recording of ‘Black Belly’ wos by Ram Jam it was thelr only hit “Black Betty’ opens with @ straight « pattomn on the bass drum. Moke sure you keep a steady bect, Attor tho short intro, ‘Block Betty’ uses two diferent pattems: + Tho fist pattem (in the chorus) is a straight -) groove * 7 Rather than lay all the hi-hat nofes exactly evenly, you could make the rhythm flow musically by emphasising the main beats a ite. + Inthe second pattern (in the verses) the hi-nat plays an otbeat «) pattern. which Gives c double-time fool, eet + Make sure that the off-beat JJ are even and definite. Practise dividing the beat excetty in half and keep your off-beats flowing precisely. Remember that they are ‘much more likely 1o drag than rush. Oh she make me singBOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS __ Green Day is a three-piece Californian pep punk band ~ Bille Joe Armstrong (vocals and guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass anc backing vocals) and Tre Cool (crums). They came. ftom the underground Califomian punk scene but have gone on to enjoy mainstraamn ‘success with catchy pop-tock songs, Boulevard of Broken Dreams' Is from the 2004 concept album American Iaot, which talls he story of a character named Jesus of Suburbia, The straight | pattern in the chorus of ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ nos one hand playing the crash cymbal. Alm for a consktent sound, with the hand coming fully off the cymbal belween strokes. in bars 14 and 22 there are some fils (short decorative passages that fil gaps between repeated patterns), Inese should be played as alternate single strckes: 2.g. RIGHT LEFT RIGHT LEFT, etc. Try fo maten the height of your strokes in both nanos ~ make sure that your weaker hand Is king as high as your stronger one - so that the single strokes are equally balanced. > lonely road| AM THE MUSIC MAN ack Lace he origins of "1 Am The Music Man’ ore uncertain. tis usually sung as on action song where the singers act out playing the different instruments and sometimes imitate the sound of the Instruments as well, In 1990 it was recorded by the British pop group Block Lace, The drums play a straight 4 beat for most of the song. Make sure that you keep the. shyly steady, In bors 9 and 21 there are some fils (short decorative passages thet fll gaps between repeated pattems). When you break from your repeated pattein to move around the: diums,ce extra careful not to speed up. Sometimes having to change co-ordination con distract trom the pulse of the music. Watch out for the repeat signs | can play ves It can playAND THE CRADLE WILL ROCK 7 \Ven Halen wes a Calfomian band formed by brothers Eddie Von Halen (guitar and keyboards) and Alex Van Halen (drums). Their father was a musiclan and they both hed classical taining. Van Halen was one of the most successful heavy metal bonds, renowned for loud distorted guitars. powerful bass riffs and flambayant singing. ‘And The Cradle Will Rock’ Is rom the 1980 album Women and Children First. where. Van Halen first experimented with synthesisers. It was the fist seng they released that fectuted the keyboard playing of Eddie Van Halen, who was already famous for his virtuosic guitar playing Make sure that you keep in time with the guitar rif in the intro, For mest of the song,"And The Cradle Wil Rock’ uses a soight 2 pattern on the hi-hat or ride eymbol, together with the bass and snore drum pattern: 4 J JD 6 ‘And The Cradle Will Rock’ features drum fils (hort decorative passages thot fll gaps between repected pattems) There are 2 il # onthe snore at bars 4,12 and 16 around the drums at bar 20. These should be played as single strokes (RIGHT LEFT RIGHT LEFT, etc. Try to match the heigh' of your sttokes in both hands - moke sure that your weaker hand fs rsing as high as your stronger ane - so that the single strokes are equally balonced, ‘Well they say ifs.kinda. frig tnin’DAYS Kirsty Moot Kitsty MacColl, daughter of the folk singer Ewan MacColl, enjoyed success both as on ‘accomplished songwriter and os a vocalist She had several pop hits during the 1980s ‘and 19905 and also sang on recordings by other bands inciuding the Smiths and the Pogues. Her fe and career was cult short by a tragic accident when she was hit by @ speedboat, Days’ was originally a hit for the Kinks in 1969: it was written by thelr singer Ray Davies, Kirsty MacCol's recording ~ on her album Kite ~ made the song a hit again, 20 years ‘atfer it wos written, ‘Days’ is marked ‘Not heavy’. Play with the tip (not the side) of your stick on the hi-hat 0 that you get a clean. ight souns. Remember that the repected hi-hat JJ ¢ 7 should not sound mechanical - ‘emphesise the stronger beals a little to make It sound more musical | won’t for. get e day a single a on e”I'M GONNA BE Yel rex) (500 MILES) ‘The Proclaimers "Ym Gonna Be (600 Mites)’ was written and performed by the Scottish duo The Prociaimers - identical twins Craig and Charl Reid. It is fom Sunshine on Leith (1988) = an album of catchy post-punk songs about love. lite and palitics in Scotiand, ‘The song did not enjoy success until It was used In the 1999 fin Benny & Joon, when it became a worldwide hil Since then. it has been used in advartisements, fims, and on elevision worldwide. It Is very popular in Scotland where it's played at major sporting events every time the national team scores. ‘Ym Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ has two dynamic markings ~ these tell you how loudly or softly to play. Look out for these markings: + mf (mezzo torte = moderctely loudly) + f (forte = toualy), Verse T has drum beats on the frst lwo beats of the bar and resis on the third and fourth beats. Be careful nat to rush the rests. I'm gonna be the onewho goes along with you / eleanor)PLAYBACK For your exam, you can choose either Playback or improvising Gee page 19). 'f you choose Playback, you will be asked to play some music you have not seen or heard before, In the exam, you will be given the song chart and the examiner vill play a recorcing of the music on 3 CD, You will hear several fwo-bar phrases on the CD: you should, play each of them stroight back in tum. There's a rhythm frock going throughout, which nelps you keep in time. There should not be any gaps in the music. in the exam you will have two chances to play with the CD: First time — for practice * Second time — for assessment You should listen to the audio, copying what you hear: you can also read the music from the song chart, Here are some practice song charts - which ate also on the CD | bn this book | Practice playback 1 we ACy | 2 8t 9 Se ee ee WSsIMPROVISING For your exam. you can choose either Playback (see page 18),or improvising, If you choose to improvise, you will be asked to improvise over a backing track that you haven't heard before In a specified styie. In the exam, you will be given a song chart end the examiner will piey @ recording of the backing frack on CD. The backing track consists of a passage of muse played on loop. You should improvise a crum beat aver it In the exam you will have two chances to play with the CD: * Fist time ~ for practice ‘* Second time = for assessment Hete ate some practice improvisation charts which are also on the CD jn this book Practice improvisation 1 J =102 Rocke 2 Em Am G Em weg t 1 all aeACe 22 1 260 Slow Pop a a’ Em D cCHOOSING A SONG FOR YOUR EXAM ‘There ate lots of options to help you choose your three songs for the exam, For Songs 1 and 2, you can choose a song which is: = from this book © from wwertrinityrock.com/downloads Or for Song 2 you can choose © song which Is * sheet music from a printed or oniine source, your own arrongement of a song ora song you have written yourself (see page 21). You can play the song unaccompanied of with a backing track (minus the solo instrument). if you Ike, You con create a backing track yourself (or with friends),or you could add your own vocals - or both, For iniflol, he song should be between 30 seconds and two minutes long, and the level of difficulty should be similar to your other songs When choosing ¢ song, think about: + Does it work on my instrument? + Are there any technical elements that are too difficult for me? (it80, pethaps save it for when you do the next grade.) + Dol enjoy playing it? + Does it work with my other songs to crecte a good setlist?WRITING YOUR OWN SONG ‘You can play a song that you have written yourself for one of tne choices in your ‘exam For initial, your song should lost between 30 seconds and two minutes, so it is tkely to be quite straightforward. It's sometimes difficult to know where to be however. Here are some suggestions for starting points: * A melody: many songs ore made up around a *hook’ (a short catehy melodic idea, usually cnly @ few notes long), Try writing © couple of ideas for hooks here: + Achord sequence; a short chord sequence can provide an entite verse or chorus. Write your Ideas for a chord sequence here. a | | | | | ! | + Arrhythm: a short repected myinm wil offen underpin on entire song, Think of @ couple of short rhythms you could use here: 3S $A = There aro plenty of other ways of starting: perhaps with o ttf or a lytic, tor example. ‘You wil also need fo consider the structure of your song (verse andi chorus, 12-bar blues. and so on). the style itis in (blues, hard rock, etc.), and what instruments it i for (€.9. voice/keyboards/drums There are many choices to be made — which is why wring a song is such a rewarding thing to do.PLAYING IN A BAND Playing in a band is exciting: It can be a lot of fun and. as with everything, the more You do it.the easier it gots. Irs very ditferent from playing on your own. Everyone: conitibutes to the overall sound: the most important skill you need to develop Is Istening For a band to sound good. the players need to be ‘together’ — that mainly means keeping hn time with each other, but clso ploying at the some volume, and with the some king of feeling, Your relationship with the other band members is also important. Talk with them about the music you play, the music you like. and whal you'd like the band fo achieve shorl= torm and long-term, Band rehecrsals are important ~ you should not be late, tied or dstracted by your mobile shone! Being postive makes a huge difference. Try to create a friendly atmosphere in rehearsals so that everybody feels comfortable frying out new things. Don't worty cout moking mistakes: that is what rehearsals are for. ‘Black Betty’ (page 4) ancl Am The Music Man’ (page 6) are arranged for band. ‘You will find parts for vocals, keyocards, guitar ang bass In the other Trinity Rock & Pop Initicl books. Trinity offers exams for groups of musicians at various levels. Ihe songs ‘arranged for bands are ideal fo inclide os part of a songtist for these exams. Have lock ot the website for more detailsPLAYING WITH BACKING TRACKS ‘The CD contains demos and backing tracks of all the songs in the book. ‘Tho additional songs at wwwitrinityrock.com/downloads also come with demos and backing tracks * In your exam, you should play with the backing frack, or you can create your own: (see below) + The backing tracks start with a click track, which sets the tempo and helps you stort accurately, + Be caretu to set the balance between the volume of the backing track and your Instrument. * Listen carefully to the backing track to ensure you are playing in time. It you are creating your own backing track here are some turther tios ‘+ Make sure the sound quality is of a good standard, © Think carefully about the instruments/sounds you are putting on the backing track © Avold copying what you are playing on the backing track - It should support not duplicate, + Do you need to include a click track at the beginning? copyRienT INA SONG f Ifyou are a singer or songwiter its imooriont fo Rolls to remember 5 ‘know aboul Copyright Wheo sameons walles a song Or cleatés an aricngement they own the ‘copyright (sometimes called “the rights) to that ‘Version The copyright means that cther people ‘cannet copy it, set lt: perform itn c concert, ‘Take ft available oniirie of record ft without the: “owner's perralssion-oF the appropriate licence. ‘When you wilte a song you automatically own. the copyright to it, which mears that other, People connot ‘copy your work. But, just as importantly, vou cannot ‘copy: ‘other peopie's Wolk, of perform If ip public without thelr 2 peimission oF the appropriate licence. iifeate & Cover vetsion bE song ‘€nd play init in an exam or other non-pubIle petlormance ‘+ You cannot record your cover version and make: "your tecerding avaliable te omers (by copying. aaa tt or Uploading i to a: website) without the appropriate licence. You do own the copyright of your own origina! “song. which means that no one is allowed to. copy. _#\ You cannot copy someone eke's song without thelr permission oF the appropriate licence.DRUM NOTATION GUIDE Ride cymbal (RC)/ Crash cymbal Hihat Closed (Open Hi hat (HH) «coy with foot Hi hat Hi hat dE === = = = High tom Mid tom Snare dew Floor tom Bass drum (BD) Ride bell Cowbell Rim click! Buzz roll (On the rim Ghosted note Cross stick Rim shot (RS)Drums Initial: Trinity College London Rock & Pop Examinations 2012-2017 Whether you are self-taught or taking lessons, learning for fun or you have a view to a career in music, Trinity College London Rock & Pop exams will help you fo achieve your ambitions Available for Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keyboards and Vocals, from Initial (beginner) to Grade 8 (advanced), these exams cover a wide variety of music and artists - giving a great choice in all rock and pop styles. This book contains all you need for your exam - songs, performance tips, technical support, session skills ‘and a group song for those in a band - together with a GD of demo and backing tracks. And The Cradle Will Rock Van Hc Black Betty Lead Belly Boulevard Of Broken Dreams G Days Kirsty MacColl 1 Am The Music Man Black | Proclaimers Additional songs and support are available online www.trinityrock.com ISNA OAETAG SOS NEB TEONETIEAENS MEN STEO.AEINANED HN OPK CANTONS TRINITY