Andrea
Drums are very interesting, and great instruments to play. There are so many different styles and techniques a player may use.
However, learning drums can be tedious and demanding. Many enthusiasts have gotten themselves stuck on the basics and end up even giving up.
You may have gotten a great drum set from a friend. But that drum set is far from getting the best experience you want.
And that is where a great drum tuition book comes in. You can use the right book to enhance your development whole, playing the drums to practice what you have learned.
There are so many sources for drumming materials today. Go online drumming, and you will find all sorts of tutorials. The biggest advantage is that you can acquire many different techniques from varying points of view for drumming.
However, you can enhance these drumming lessons using a drum book. It is all about reading and understanding the basics in the right way from the drum book.
And since there are many books, I will be talking about 20 top books every drummer should read.
Come along.
Syncopation
This is perhaps the most popular drumming book on the market. This drumming book is the work of Ted Reed, offering a very versatile approach to drumming.
It is among my favorite resources when teaching beginners about rhythm notation of drumming. But it is also very applicable for intermediate and advanced drummers.
“Syncopation” is at the top of the world of reading. It carries many exercises that a beginner will find useful for learning the rhythm.
It has the section of quarter notes, which I find a bit longer. But you can move on after the first two pages into the eighth notes in the section without missing a thing.
Other sections on eighths, triplets, and sixteenths are quite useful as an introduction, helping the reader figure out these figures. The exercises are linear and easy to follow for drumming.
Modern Reading Text in 4/4
Once you have learned the basics from “Syncopation,” it might be the right time to move on to “Modern Reading Text in 4/4.”
Written by the late Louis Bellson, this drumming guide gets deeper into the possibilities of reading rhythmic notation. This drumming guide has some tricky pages with strange writing, but you will still reach there once you know what they all mean.
You will see rests all over the place, with every sixteenth note and triplet partial you could ever think of. The dotted notes galore and never-ending ties introduce the reader to a wide range of possibilities.
The only thing I did not like about this drumming guide came on the 16th note triplet and 32nd note fronts. I find them to light for many tastes.
Funky Primer
The first time I saw this drumming guide hit me with a mixed reaction. I don’t love it, and I don’t hate it either.
Nevertheless, there is something new about it that any drummer should stop to check out. I like the first different coordination section where on the 8th note drum books variation is unbeatable.
The drumming guide has 36 different pages of exercises covering a lot of the issues with drum book placement on the 8th note grid. The bass drum book lines up with the snare drum book. This is one of the most important and different skill drummers should have.
But the book is often not musical. Many exercises are decidedly lame sounding beats that cannot be played in real life. However, if you are learning to play the 8th note, this book will allow you there.
The Breakbeat Bible
This is another wonderful collection to a drumming library after “Primer”. This is mostly because it solved the musicality issues quite easily. The groove of this book is something you can play in real life.
It features other sections on ghost book notes, open hi-hat ideas, buzz strokes, and different cymbal patterns. As a beginner, start with “Primer” to understand control with some coordination and then move on to “Breakbeat” to understand better all possibilities in playing groves.
Secret Weapons for Modern Drummer
Indeed, every modern drumming needs a secret weapon, and when it comes to technique, this is pretty much the book you need. Jojo’s drumming teachings are in line with every music lesson you can gain from instructors.
Even though books are good, they will not show you what strokes really look like. This is why I have included this video.
Now, you may have seen a lot of videos on the internet, but most are from crappy teachers. It is only in “Secret Weapons” that I have seen real information.
It begins with the basics of the stroke and advances to insane push/pull techniques. After learning the basics from the books above, this could be a good time to learn what it really looks like. It is a document that will help you develop.
A Fresh Approach to the Snare Drum
Mark Wessels presents one of the most recommended books for drummers. The content structure is well thought out, helping a drummer of any level just to pick it up and still become something useful.
This is a great resource for a self-taught beginner drummer. And if you are totally new to drumming, you will gain everything you need from this book
From a beginner to an intermediate drummer, you will find many sections that are practical exercises designed to help you grow.
From the best drum books, you can expect fundamentals of music, an in-depth introduction to the snare drum books for beginners, how to hold drumsticks, and a strong focus on rudiments, among other sections. It is all about developing your skills.
Stick Control for Snare Drummers
This book by George Lawrence Stone was written in 1985. It is a highly sought after and recommended book in a modern drummer for the stick control. And if you ask any drummer for a recommendation, chances are they will give you this perfect book.
The book begins with stick control exercises, teaching you how to hold drums and use them. It only has two pages on the introduction before jumping into the 50+ pages of stick exercises.
If you thought holding sticks is easy, think this way again. You will learn to build muscles and play drums in the right manner.
No matter the genre you are playing, the practicing exercises in this book will get you there. For a drummer, your foundation is very important.
Your muscle memory will build up over time as you follow all instructions given. And the best part is you can practice these exercises on drum pads, which is really good for starting drummers that don’t have a snare yet.
Practicing will help you grow your skills from level to level until you have mastered it all.
Drum Rudiment Bible
D. Mark Agostinelli is one of the most respected experts in the drumming industry. He decided to compile a go-to book for drummers in 2010, which he calls the “Drum Rudiment Bible.”
He named it ‘bible,’ which, in my opinion, is a great title. It allows the user to learn every rule there is to know about drumming.
The book begins with over 500 lessons on best drum rudiments. You won’t have any excuse to miss practicing ever.
If you find yourself and need something to make your drumming life more exciting, you will get it all here. Explore and practice these rudiments until you have a good understanding of the best drum hardware books.
Some rudiments can be really hard to grasp. Mark has released some videos that explain and break down the book for easy understanding.
If you ever find trouble learning rudiments, you can use a good book like this one. Everything has been explained in detail with different examples for you to get the best picture.
4 Way Coordination
This book by Marvin Dahlgren and Elliot Fine has been listed as one of the most useful drum books materials. Some of the books listed above introduce you to drumsticks.
And once you have developed these skills with great competency in control, it could be the right time to move on to something else. 4 Way Coordination introduces you to ‘limb independence,’ something every drummer needs to develop.
It is developed with a training system aimed at helping you develop independence on the drum set. You will soon have the confidence and skills to play faster, with more creativity.
Expect on a structured training system broken down into eight major segments. Drummers who have issues with hand and leg coordination behind the throne can use these exercises.
Each segment builds on the previous one like series, helping you develop along the way. This book offers complete independence in training using different time signatures.
Also, expect a large collection of practical exercises. You sometimes need to practice what you have learned, and you will get it all here.
A tradition of Excellence Book 1 – Percussion
Written by Bruce Pearson and Ryan Nowlin, here is a full curriculum created for music educators. It is designed to help them impact the skills of playing in an orchestra band into learners’ minds.
This is a series of five books, and this particular one focuses on percussion. It comes with very useful information for the drummer who wants to grow from a hobbyist to a real gigging.
The book offers a deeper view of advanced theory and specific lessons on sight-reading, rhythm studies, playing chops, and many other lessons.
This book has more complex lessons. This means it may not be the best option for a beginner. It is teaching music theory as well as essential skills for playing in an orchestra.
It might also come in handy if you seem to have stuck. You will learn to read and create good music.
Drums For Dummies
We all have been in a situation where we know nothing about drumming or miss some information. “Drums for Dummies” is a good book to get you out.
Whether you are starting for the first time, you just want to get some information you missed; this book is a great resource. It will help you understand and play key rhythms apart from knowing the basic drumming methods.
It also teaches you how to assemble a proper drum kit for your needs properly, and maintain them. In other words, it teaches you drums first, then drums.
The Art of Bop Drumming
“The Art of Bop Drumming” was a very important aspect of bebop drumming that started in 1940. This book comes with a CD and offers a holistic study of jazz drumming. The jazz drumming also presents an in-depth study of bop drumming.
The jazz drumming book is the work of John Riley, designed to help the reader understand irregular patterns and other useful styles.
You get a great combination of music, text, and text in these best-selling drum books. It is a useful tool that will help you get a deeper understanding of this drumming style.
Modern Drummer Presents Stick Technique: The Essential Guide for the Modern Drummer
You may have noticed that many of the books so far are on stick techniques. Well, this is one of the basic approaches to drumming you really need to get will if you are beginner drummers.
This book is an informative and educational book on technique. It is written by Bill Bachman, an editor for Strictly Technique in the advanced Drummers. And now, he presents a book that can be beneficial for every drummer.
Through the lessons in this book, you will improve your grip, strengthen your weaker hand, and get an overall understanding of drums.
Back to Basics
Here is another video I would like to add to this list. It is the first educational video from Dave Weckl. He presents the basics of his techniques. And although he did not play the same for long, this useful video should be a wonderful lesson for you.
I like the foot technique section more. He gives out his double stroke technique on the bass drum. The video is old, but it has some good lessons for the modern drummer. A beginner will always have something to learn from such materials, and you can count on this one.
Advanced Techniques for Modern Drummer
Jim Chapin presents these classic and advanced techniques as an introduction to jazz playing. Playing jazz seems like the easiest thing to do. But wait until you start playing this varied cymbal pattern and play other things in contrast. It was the hardest advanced techniques.
In this book, Chaplin explains everything in little details, making it easy to learn. You will learn to play jazz and quickly grow through this book.
It looks a bit dated, and the notation strange, but once you get hung of it, you will enjoy the best drumming lessons.
Survival Guide for the Modern Drummer
Are you looking to achieve your dreams of becoming a professional drummer? Well, you are walking on hard ground. But with the Survival Guide for the Modern Drummer, you have everything you need.
It was published by Alfred music in 2015, contains 80 pages and 124 play-along songs. It is the best tool to help you take your drumming to the next level.
It will help you dig out your drumming skills using downloadable drum grooves and many other great lessons.
Alfred’s Drum Method: Book 1
So far, we have looked at most books that help learners to grow. What about if you are a tutor looking for the right teaching tool?
Well, look no further. Alfred’s Drum Method, Book 1, is her. This book was published in 1987 and has remained one of the top choices for many musicians across the globe.
The book breaks down the most important things about drumming. It has many good features designed to help beginners grow theory skills. The 80 pages of this book cover the basics of drumming, among other lessons.
The Best Beginner Drum Book
As a beginner, one of the hardest things you will face is improving your skill. This is why the Best Beginner Drum Book could be a great option. It lays a solid foundation for students and beginners, helping them play along with real drums, and grow faster.
W21PR – Standard of Excellence Book1 Drums and Mallet Percussion
Learning drums takes more than just effort. You need the right motivation. And this book, with its practical and straightforward approach to drums, can give you that.
It was published in 1993 by Beacon Music Company Incorporation. It contains 96 pages of performance-centered lessons on drumming. The book uses ear training, music theory, multicultural studies, music theory, and listening composition to enhance learning.
How to Read Drum Music
Reading drum music can be hard for both beginners and experienced drum players. This is why you will find something useful in this book.
It presents an easy approach to reading drum music, beginning with the basics of drumming. The book presents every lesson clearly, just the way it relates to music notation. You will also access free video examples in the book from here.
Conclusion
The list of drum books is quite long. Each of them comes with unique styles and techniques. You will have to choose the right one to get the best results. It all depends on your needs.
