BOOK/MP3s
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
$15.99

In his new book, clinician/instructor Garey Williams tackles the oft-neglected hi-hat foot, focusing on composing different beats while keeping hat-time on various parts of the bar. Essentially a four-limb coordination guide, the book doesn’t really contain much in the way of interesting new ways to use the hi-hats, but rather outlines an impressive array of rock and funk patterns and their relation to hats played on beats 1 and 3, 2 and 4, or the “&s.” The included lengthy mp3 CD allows students to listen to a wide variety of snare and kick drum beats while they follow along visually with the book’s notation, though the constant click track (strangely including a clashing, off-beat hi-hat component) does tend to distract by adding more audible lines to the already dense grooves. That slight hitch aside, Williams includes thoughts on experimenting with tight or “sloshy” sounding hats, listening, posture, and creating practice routines. (Alfred)

Ilya Stemkovsky