I spend so much time talking about how great Ted Reed’s Progressive Steps to Syncopation (commonly known as “Syncopation”) is, and how you can do everything with it— and should— and how it’s the only book you […]
Category: best books
NOW AVAILABLE: 2019 Book of the Blog
OK, the 2019 CRUISE SHIP DRUMMER! Book of the Blog is now available for purchase. This handsome 131 page volume includes all of the downloadable materials, transcriptions, and practice methods posted on the site in 2019. […]
Making sense of the Chaffee jazz materials
Patterns, vol. 3 by Gary Chaffee Let’s talk about a big scary hard thing: the jazz section of volume 3 of Gary Chaffee’s Patterns series— the Time Functioning book. It’s in a similar category with […]
Practice tips for drummers with limited time
Get it, use it. Here are some suggestions for people learning to play the drums, but who have limited time to do it… 1-2 hours a day to practice. That’s most people, actually. As you’ll […]
Jazz rhythm book
There’s a good book on rhythm that is kicking around on the internet for you to download and read: How to Read Jazz and Other Syncopated Type Rhythms. It’s by Micheal Longo, who had a long […]
Beginning snare drum books
Winner 1 A brief roundup of some available beginning snare drum books— books for first year students who have never played before, roughly age 10 and up. May also use them with more experienced players […]
Best books: Beyer Elementary Method for the Piano
I’m always seeking out methods for introducing people to non-drumming activities— playing the piano, in this case. Last year I bought an 80s-vintage Clavinova, and got some beginner piano books so I could learn how […]
NOW AVAILABLE: 2018 Book of the Blog / Syncopation in 3/4
The 2018 CRUISE SHIP DRUMMER! Book of the Blog is now available to order. It includes all of the downloadable exercises and trancriptions posted on the site in 2018, as well as some grooves o’ […]
New Joel Rothman title
In the mail I just received a new book by Joel Rothman: Drumming Outside The Box – for Rock & Jazz. It’s basically a library of patterns focused around creating an unbroken rhythm on the […]
Best books: Rhythms and Techniques for Latin Timbales
UPDATE: I just realized we’ve already shared another excellent free-online book by Rendon, Timbale Solo Transcriptions. Get that too, if you haven’t. Rhythms and Techniques for Latin Timbales by Victor Rendon is sort of the […]