DRUMS
STUDYING THE DRUM BOOK CLASSICS | Carl Albrecht
My goal in sharing drum concepts is always to inspire players to reach for the next level in their playing . I hope that drummers that read these articles feel that they have gained useful material for their artistic growth , whether it ’ s technical or spiritual . That being the case , I feel that it ’ s time to talk about drumming by the book . We ’ re going to go through my suggested drum book list for the serious student of drums .
You can start by playing on a practice pad , but eventually you need to play on the drum kit to get the full benefit of your workout . The feel of the drums , and the way the sticks and your hands respond to them can be very different according to the hardness of the surface you hit . This includes cymbals and any other instruments you have in your set up . Also , at first play everything very evenly with no accents or change in dynamics . When you feel you have total control of the pattern or exercise then you can gradually accent different notes and try a variety of dynamics . OK , these are the methods ; now let ’ s look at the books . And , of course , use a metronome .
“ Stick Control ” by George Stone is still the first book I recommend . Start by just going through it as written , hands only ! Then mix it up . Try the kick on all quarter notes , and hi-hat on 2 & 4 , while playing the hand patterns around the kit . Maybe try playing all the R ’ s with your hands and the L ’ s with your feet . You could even play the whole book with your feet only … or , while you do that , play quarter notes with your hands . Be creative and try any combination you ’ d like . If you ’ ve done this book already then add “ Master Studies ” by Joe Morello to your collection . You should also have a list of the “ 40 International Rudiments ” kept with your books .
Every drummer should have a snare method book . If you ’ re new to this start with any level one book . I actually started in the old Haskell W . Harr Drum Method book number one . But I also recommend the classic “ Elementary Snare Method ” by Roy Burns . If you have more experience , try “ Portraits in Rhythm ” by Anthony Cirone . Play through a study first on snare drum only . Then do it again interpreting the piece around the drum kit . Remember to keep it flowing smoothly and don ’ t stop . Keep the tempo slow enough to read without mistakes . Force your eyes to look ahead in the score so you are not looking at the notes you are actually playing . At first you will only be a few notes ahead . But eventually you should see a measure or two forward . Then gradually increase your speed .
“ Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer ” by Jim Chapin is the classic swing studies book . A great follow up would be “ Studio and Big Band Drumming ” by Steve Houghton . At first go through these books as written . After you ’ ve mastered the exercises go back and try creative ways of reading them . Maybe try reading the snare part as a kick drum study , or when you see a rest , play it on the kick . Even try reading the line on any of the other drums not just snare . Try moving around the whole kit so you play a single line study as a melodic concept . The nice thing about many of these books is that they now come with CD ’ s , DVD ’ s or YouTube links to demonstrate exactly the way the studies should sound .
For rock styles try “ Realistic Rock ” by Carmine
Appice . If you want to develop some double bass chops get into “ Double Bass Drumming ” by Joe Franco . You can work on these books in the same fashion . Moving on to more rock-funk styles get into “ Advance Funk Studies ” by Rick Latham . To stretch your 4-way independence try “ The New Breed ” by Gary Chester or “ Time Functioning Patterns ” by Gary Chaffee , a great study in “ linear playing .” These types of books can apply to all styles .
You may find that as you work through some of these books that you get bored or just burnt out . Don ’ t be afraid to lay a book aside for a while and work on something else . That ’ s why I always work in several books at a time . I know we ’ re just scratching the surface but keep challenging yourself . Maybe get a drum teacher . Watch some instructional stuff on YouTube . Go to a drum clinic ! Yes , learning is fun . But more importantly , I believe we are called to honor the Lord with all of the gifts He has given us . ( Check out the “ Parable of the Talents ” in Matthew 25 .)
Blessings to you as you press on ! Carl
Carl Albrecht Professional drummer for 30 + years , playing with Paul Baloche , Don Moen , Ron Kenoly , Abe Laboriel , LeAnn Rimes and others . He ’ s also a clinician , author & pastor . Contact Carl for coaching , online lessons , producing , or sessions . I ’ m still growing too ... www . CarlAlbrecht . com LMAlbrecht @ aol . com