Book Review
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Drum Aerobicsby Andy Ziker
BOOK/CD LEVEL: ALL $19.99 With Drum Aerobics, author Andy Ziker looks at drumming from a physical perspective—a concept that all heavy players can understand and benefit from. The package doesn’t focus on metal, thrash, and punk at the exclusion of…
Rifftide: The Lifeand Opinions ofPaoa Jo JonesAs Told To Albert Murray
BOOK LEVEL: ALL $18.95 Jonathan David Samuel Jones, aka “Papa” Jo Jones, was the father of modern jazz drumming. By way of his groundbreaking work with Count Basie’s big band, first in 1934, then between 1936 and 1944, and again…
On the Beaten Path: Beginning Drumset Course, Levels 1, 2, and 3 by Rich Lackowski
BOOK/CDs LEVEL: BEGINNER $9.99 Here’s an interesting approach to learning how to play drums: starting right off (practically) copping beats that are part of the everyday musical landscape. In Level 1, Lackowski aims to win young hands and hearts…
The Snare Drummer's Toolbox by Chris Crockarell & Chris Brooks
BOOK/DVD LEVEL: BEGINNER $5 You play drumset…but how are your snare drum basics? This educational and entertaining eighty-page method book covers it all in ten comprehensive lessons, from explanations of how to hold the sticks and read music to…
Led Zeppelin: Good Times, Bad Timesby Jerry Prochnickyand Ralph Hulett
BOOK LEVEL: All $35 Zeppelin fans, you may not have seen all there is to see of your favorite group after all. Whether you learn much from the text of Good Times, Bad Times depends on how much you’ve already…
How to Play Drums in a Big Band by Rich Thompson
BOOK/CD LEVEL: BEGINNER TO ADVANCED $25 Digging for pay dirt, Rich Thompson surpasses the typical “play this groove, then hit this hit” approach to big band chart instruction. Offering insightful commentary on the arrangements, Thompson stresses an awareness of…
The Complete Guide to Playing Brushesby Florian Alexandru-Zorn
BOOK/DVD LEVEL: ALL $29.99 Setting the bar for one-stop brush manuals, The Complete Guide to Playing Brushes aims to set your hands free. The typical circle-and-arrow diagrams are here. But, in a brilliant stroke, the focus is not on…
Realistic Drum Fills: Replacementsby Carmine Appice
BOOK/CD LEVEL: ALL $15.99 Rock legend Carmine Appice continues his award-winning Realistic instructional series with this seventy-five-page guide to creating more interesting drum fills by developing hand/foot combinations. Famous for this technique, Appice starts with basic 8th-note sticking patterns…
Systems, Book 1 by Ari Hoenig
BOOK LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED $15.99 NYC drummer Ari Hoenig’s new book focuses on coordination systems and different melodic variations to expand your independence and overall musicality. The material isn’t a breeze—even the flam warm-ups require facility and concentration—and…
Groove Alchemy by Stanton Moore
DVD/BOOK/MP3 DISC LEVEL: ALL DVD $29.99, BOOK/DISC $24.99 The DVD of the well-structured, in-depth multimedia package from New Orleans drumming great Stanton Moore reveals a concise chronological history of the rhythmic foundations and evolution of funky drumming, beginning with…
The Breakbeat Bibleby Mike Adamo
BOOK/MP3 CD LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED $19.99 Part encyclopedia and part progressive practice manual, this soon-to-be-classic 180-page book dissects the foundation of hip-hop—the breakbeat—into thirteen essential drumming elements (offbeat 16ths, open hi-hat, syncopation, buzz strokes, etc.), while offering essential…
AC/DC Play Drums with the Best of...
BOOK/CDS (2) LEVEL: ALL $24.99 For decades, legendary Aussie rockers AC/DC have so unapologetically celebrated their lack of creative evolution that it might seem pointless to study drum charts for the band’s greatest (or any) songs. Before MD offices get…
The New Frontier for Drumset by Marko Djordjevic
BOOK LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED $12.99 Serbian drummer/clinician Marko Djordjevic delivers a fascinating guide to understanding and applying subdivisions within drumset improvisation. His method involves several intricate steps, each connected to certain parts of the kit (kick, snare, hats)…
Song Charting Made Easy by Jim Riley
BOOK/MP3 CD LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED $19.99 Although this book/CD package by Rascal Flatts drummer and MD contributor Jim Riley centers on describing the unique number-based nomenclature used in Nashville studios to map out songs, the underlying musical content that’s…
