Level 5 · Styles & Musicality
5-4 - Play a song
The whole point: play along with real music.
How to practice it
Pick any medium-tempo song you love (70-100 BPM). Play the groove that fits (3-2 for pop, 5-2 for Latin, 5-3 for ballads) along with the track, start to finish of at least half the song. Record yourself WITH the song audible in the background.
Suggested take: ~120s · start 70 BPM → pass around 100 BPM
Freeform exercise - use the metronome and follow the instructions above.
70 BPM
Start at 70, exercise passes around 100. Legend: B bass · S snare · g ghost · - rest
Tips
- • Find the drummer's kick and snare; your bass and snare take their jobs.
- • Simpler than you think - bar after bar of solid groove IS the job.
- • Drop to just bass on 1 and snare on backbeat if you get lost, then rebuild.
Watch out for
- • Overplaying - a groove that serves the song beats a busy one
- • Ignoring the song's dynamics (verse soft, chorus big)
- • Stopping when you slip instead of riding back in
Record your take
Aim for ~120s. Put the phone ~1m away, facing the front plate. You'll get Rafa's feedback within a minute of submitting.
Up next after this: 5-5 - One-minute solo