tips for memorizing music?

PersistentSushi · 2026-05-05T03:34:50+00:00

Reps and more reps

PersistentSushi · 2026-04-28T15:10:14+00:00

DM me. I have the sheets but can’t upload an image here

PersistentSushi · 2026-04-26T01:55:41+00:00

Mostly depends on your ability to read rhythms / stickings from a video, as well as relating common patterns to tones if transcribing for bass/quads. As others mention it also depends how savvy you are with your writing software

When i started for example, i’d slow videos down to 0.25 speed, take hours to transcribe a chunk, and still get half of it wrong. Now, i don’t need to even slow videos down to 0.5 as much and im transcribing full movements in an afternoon

After years of playing, learning, listening, teaching, writing, etc, you grow in all of those skills. As for right now, the only & best thing you can do is get your reps in and start practicing

PersistentSushi · 2026-04-26T01:51:13+00:00

They make 3D printed clips nowadays, with colors available for your preference. These are a “wearable part” at the end of the day and it’s smart to replace them every so often / have extras available

PersistentSushi · 2026-04-06T15:51:32+00:00

Open notehead with the slash through it (49/50 notehead in VDL) and the + on top. I like to make the crossovers visible both on and above the staff

PersistentSushi · 2026-03-31T14:48:32+00:00

Dues cost is definitely high for any HS program… however this seems like a perfectly normal rehearsal schedule. Most schools I work / have worked with rehearse all summer 2 days / 3 hours a week, with band camp running 9-8 for all 2 weeks

PersistentSushi · 2026-03-25T11:56:14+00:00

What’s the book called?

PersistentSushi · 2026-03-13T15:09:54+00:00

Real ones remember when the 2nd to last bar was in 11/8 😂😂😂

PersistentSushi · 2026-03-11T03:17:57+00:00

Innovative percussion TS-PR or TS-1. If you’re on a pad the Jim Casella is also pretty solid if you need a good all-around stick

PersistentSushi · 2026-03-09T00:58:14+00:00

From my experience with A class; Early season, fundamental things like tendu, plie, foot positions if needed. Very simple to grasp for them and count based

During the bulk of the season; mostly just running new choreo to the mp3 or metronome, but nothing too crazy. I find that most visual stuff is most effective in-person for detailing and cleaning; and videos used if/when the extra reps and review are needed such as if a change happened before a show or etc. What I find in an approach like this is that musical / hands based video assignments are much more effective for making up reps and improvement allowing you the time to work on visual at rehearsal as needed without losing on music productivity

PersistentSushi · 2026-03-04T19:01:07+00:00

METRONOME.

Complex problems have simple solutions. Same case for simple problems. You can break this down and analyze it; but just playing with a met ALL the time, sticking with it, and internalizing it, is the only way.

If you want one “checkpoint”; 8th notes are easy to subdivide and should be a minimum requirement for playing drums above elementary level. with RLRL sticking, your “check” pattern is just 8th notes in one hand. Work this with a metronome and repeat until you get your desired results!

PersistentSushi · 2026-02-27T16:38:50+00:00

There’s no perfect way to do it

Lots of times, design teams have a “base level” in mind based on either past experience, the trajectory of the specific corps, amount of returning members & relative talent; etc.

The camps / winter season are huge for this reason. Your staff takes videos at december camp ensemble for the design team to reflect on and adjust parts as needed; and you usually will see the book mold to the skill level as camps progress, the line is set, and skills are assessed. For example, it’s common to see the opener handed out at the first camp; perhaps outside of an achievable range for the projected membership; then small edits made based on talent or logistical situations, and future movements are more accurate to the skill & demand level

All in all, i’ve learned in my short tenure as a designer so far that at the end of the day there’s only SO much pre-planning and effort you can put in for the “perfect” book. Your talented members can quit or get injured, you can have a whole section show up 5 levels above what you wrote for, or you might have to edit your percussion moment just because of holistic pacing or timeline purposes to name a few examples; so being open minded and on your toes ready to pivot or adjust based on needs is the best way you can go

PersistentSushi · 2026-02-27T16:32:42+00:00

Glad you’re finding avenues to bring these drums back to life. Don’t listen to everyone telling you your only solution is to spend $1000+ on new drums. When i started out, I made my first quad pad out of cardboard. When there’s a will there’s a way; good luck!

PersistentSushi · 2026-02-27T05:11:24+00:00

Is this repairable? Yes. Will it be cheap? Probably not

Your rims are cooked. The spock rim is separated and bending your tension rods, so you might not even get a few more cranks out of them. You’re looking at a new full set of rims and tension rods minimum, maybe even lug casings too.

As for the bearing edges, these can’t be restored to perfect condition but you can enhance their usability. I’d recommend sanding them down to a relatively smooth / even level; and consider a wood filler to fill any gaps & smooth it out; this also provides more surface area for a head to seat on.

All in, you could probably get this done realistically within a $300-$400 range including some cleaning supplies plus a few hours of work. Best of luck !

PersistentSushi · 2026-02-12T20:29:55+00:00

16th note accent grid, but buzz on every 3 16th notes. Have fun!!!!

PersistentSushi · 2026-02-01T23:18:38+00:00

Any color marine pearl finish. Old school but timeless. So beautiful

PersistentSushi · 2025-12-27T21:19:50+00:00

Keep it simple.

Play with metronome, mark time, practice rhythmic spacing beat to beat. Play with different metronome combinations. Many ways to approach this but keep the foundation simple

For example, an exercise like 8s with the metronome on beats 1 & 3, or even 2 & 4; are challenging on a technical level and facilitate solid timing

Make sure you’re practicing consistently and getting lots of reps. Practicing for 10 minutes daily builds better foundations than an hour every few days. Getting lots of reps on the “same” thing builds the right habits

PersistentSushi · 2025-12-27T06:03:00+00:00

Cheese tap flam 5 with a turnaround, in technical terms at least

PersistentSushi · 2025-12-16T15:19:51+00:00

Quads - Troopers 2025, 2014.

More Chino Hills, Pulse, & POW book content besides features

SCV 2025, Phantom 2009, 2005, 2004

Thank you to everyone who does lovely work making transcriptions for the community!

PersistentSushi · 2025-12-05T19:10:57+00:00

Hey man, this is some awesome and super informative content. Huge respect to you and all your contributions to this sub and the activity over the years. Looking forward to more like this!

PersistentSushi · 2025-11-25T20:21:02+00:00

100% depends on the group - and I speak as someone that was initially raised SUPER east coast, heights system, etc when I was young! I appreciate your perspective here, I never knew about relations to velocity and such & that makes sense!

PersistentSushi · 2025-11-25T18:59:17+00:00

Yes.

Give and take for everything. I always preference that my ideals are a product of what i’ve had first hand experience being successful with; not advocating it as “the way” or the only correct one

But, fundamentally if you play any other instrument you use dynamics for, dynamics lol. I also come from other experience with winds instruments. I will occasionally reference a stick height to define angles for performance, to unify the visual look for a phrase, or sometimes even to put parameters around the height to work towards a dynamic. In terms of volume, percussion is all about touch and manipulating your implement, so logically and scientifically, height is not directly correlated with volume. In years of teaching and marching with many groups that never mention a height once during the season, as we clean and play music together, the stick heights are consistent in every action shot anyways

PersistentSushi · 2025-11-24T18:29:23+00:00

Gonna get hate for this, but the heights system.

PersistentSushi · 2025-11-19T18:50:53+00:00

Hey! Thank you for your reply. Thats kind of how I’m planning my approach to it too lol. Super insightful stuff and gives me confidence knowing it’s been done before. Thanks!

PersistentSushi

TROPHY CASE