This book was created to help drummers improve their abilities to play great drum fills. the material presented was originally developed over the course of several years, as a result of the needs and requests of many of my students. As drummers practice playing fills, it becomes apparent that there are a variety of issues that need to be addressed. to play fluent and creative fills, a drummer needs a strong foundation of basic fill concepts, the technique to execute the fill, and musical ideas for the content of the fill. Without these key elements, playing fills can be a source of difficulty and frustration. to further illustrate this idea... In some cases a drummer may practice a particular lick or sticking pattern to a high degree of physical execution, but does not have a clear understanding of how to apply it well within a musical phrase. the opposite is also sometimes true, a drummer may understand a simple rhythmic idea and play it very well as a fill, but doesn't quite know how to employ more interesting techniques or sounds into the phrase and get something else out of it.The goal of this book is to help drummers achieve a balance in these necessary skills. This book presents a diverse collection of studies and exercises that clarify the basics of drum fills, develop more advanced and specific techniques to use in fills, and present many ideas for musical phrases using the techniques. the studies are presented in an order that follows a natural progression of ability, however... the exercises do not need to be played in the order they are presented. Students and teachers can select exercises to design a curriculum that fits a student's needs as their skills develop. with each set of exercises, you will find descriptions, tips and practice instructions. Sometimes they are written for each individual study, and when appropriate they are written for the entire chapter. Be sure to read the text that accompanies each part of this book to get the most out of the exercise.

Essential Drum Fills is a collection of fills that Peter Erskine has enjoyed hearing and /or playing over the years. The book includes over 500 drum fills in a variety of styles and ensembles, as well as multiple examples, transcriptions and drum charts. Comes with online audio demonstrations and play-alongs. Music PDF files are also included.

Offers advice for adding fills in various styles of music and includes exercises and counting tips to improve stick control and precision.

Stick It to Your Chops is an exhaustive sourcebook containing challenging, effective, and enjoyable exercises for advancing technical skills on the snare drum. The book is divided into three sections: Warm-Ups, Expanding Accents and Rhythms with Rudiments, and Combinations. Pre-knowledge of snare drum rudiments like the double-stroke roll, the single paradiddle, the flam tap, and the flam accent would be advantageous in approaching this book. The “Combinations” section contains every right-left sticking pattern engendered by groupings of three to eight notes; if the book’s rhythm charts were applied to these patterns, the equivalent of over 5,800 pages of exercises would be generated. The book’s patterns and rudiments focus on developing consistency and evenness of strokes, dynamic control, and dexterity. All exercises in this book are written in standard percussion notation with both right-hand and left-hand leads. Online audio examples are provided for select exercises from each section.

Once beginning drum set students have learned some basic beats, the question becomes “How do I get to the next level?” Developing the use of drum rudiments opens a new universe; by focusing on rudiments, you will learn new sticking patterns and build technique, speed, and dexterity. Applying these patterns to the drum set with the online grooves and beats included with this book creates yet another enjoyable dimension. An important part of this process is to apply it while playing with other musicians. The music tracks that accompany this book enhance the learning process and make it fun to play the examples and use them in a musical setting. Each recorded musical example appears in two separate versions: One version includes drums as a reference; the other leaves the drum tracks out, so students can provide the drumming. All examples are written in standard drum set notation. Includes access to online audio.

Covers the history of drumming, different drum types, how to care for them, and basic skills and tips for playing different types of music.

The Groove Schoolbook is a complete guide to the most common drum set patterns used in rock, pop, funk, and shuffle music. It is also a handy source of more than 2500 possible technical combinations that will prepare a drummer for the stylistic variety of the most common grooves in modern drumming.

Written in standard drum set notation, the book can be used by students and drummers of all ages, levels, and backgrounds. It can also be used by professionals as a reference book, or by anyone preparing for a university percussion program. The book’s intricate and interesting patterns will help students develop ambidexterity and four-limb independence. Includes access to online audio. Hailed by Billboard Magazine as “…one of the best Latin-American drummers nowadays,” Randolf Jimenez is a respected drummer, percussionist, composer and educator who has worked with many Grammy and Latin-Grammy award-winning artists and musicians. He is also an outstanding drum instructor in the Toronto area. Visit: www.randolfjimenez.com

“I love this book because it starts with a basic foundation for beginning students and advances into patterns that all drummers of different levels can use musically.” Walfredo Reyes Jr.—Drummer with Chicago, Santana, Traffic, Cristina Aguilera. Visit: www.walfredoreyesjr.com