I hit a wall at Level 2.5 of Drumeo Method. This was sometime in February, when things speeded up and I couldn't keep up, and I reacted by stopping those lessons. Although I continued to tap along with the original cheap Chinese pine sticks in the recliner downstairs, I didn't sit on the Roc-n-Soc for probably close to a month.
When I felt ready to continue, I slowed everything down just to get through it. Now here we are in late April, and I'm on Level 2.7, which is the final section of "Basic Theory and Ear Training." It's a final exam of sorts, consisting of putting all the beats and fills of Level 2.5 into action, and playing them over a 2 1/2 minute piece of music. Knowing where to play required some 2.5 review and some extra attention to the instructor's example of 2.7, in simplest terms: "OK, in the first verse, he's playing Beat #1 from the 16th-Note Beats PDF with Fill #1 at bar 4 and Fill #3 at bar 8. Then on the first chorus, he plays Beat #4 with only one fill, and it's Fill #4 at bar 8." And so on through the next three verses and their accompanying choruses.
I understand the purpose of the final level is not to photocopy the instructor's choices, but as a 67-year-old beginner, it helps me to understand the structure. Two fills in each verse, one fill at the end of the chorus, and it's OK if I choose Fill #5 at any appropriate point, even though the instructor didn't use it in his example.
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