Level 5 · Styles & Musicality
5-5 - One-minute solo
Graduation: everything you have, one minute, your rules.
How to practice it
Metronome at your favorite tempo. One minute: start with a groove, add dynamics, throw a fill, visit the tresillo, move an accent, end on a confident '1'. There is no wrong solo - there is only steady time and sounds you chose.
Suggested take: ~75s · start 70 BPM → pass around 95 BPM
Freeform exercise - use the metronome and follow the instructions above.
70 BPM
Start at 70, exercise passes around 95. Legend: B bass · S snare · g ghost · - rest
Tips
- • Structure helps: 4 bars groove → 4 bars variation → fill → repeat.
- • Space is a solo ingredient. A dramatic stop is a move.
- • End ON PURPOSE: big snare or bass on a '1', then silence.
Watch out for
- • Playing fast instead of playing something
- • Abandoning the pulse during 'creative' moments
- • Fading out instead of ending
Record your take
Aim for ~75s. Put the phone ~1m away, facing the front plate. You'll get Rafa's feedback within a minute of submitting.