1 comments about Linear Time Playing: Funk & Fusion Grooves for the Modern Styles.

1. this book is fabulous. it will give you a whole new, funkier and groovier style of playing drums. the things you can do after mastering this book are incredible. i haven't mastered ityet...i'm not even close to it, but it has already changed the way i look at a 'traditional' rock/funk beat. this is a classic. get it

4 comments about The Ultimate Beginner Series: Rock Drums Basics Steps 1 and 2 Combined (The Ultimate Beginner Series).

1. Rock Drums Basics is in fact, one of the easiest ways for you to learn how to count, read notes and play the drums. it's include all the common 2 & 4 snare rhythms, and Also include a chapter about developing a groove with a bass player, which is a very important skill for a rock band. the book can really help you understand the important part of the drummer in a rock band, and even better: anybody can use this great book!



2. Without any previous drumming backgroud, I enrolled in a beginers class at college just for fun. We used Rock Drums Basics as one of our textbooks. It soon became my favorite book. It really starts with the basic patterns but gets progressively more complex to the point where you can play along three real songs (included in CD), rock, ballad and shuffle.
   
   With this book you will learn about 19 rock patterns with at least two additional variations of each one plus some fills for each groove. Just make sure you practice on a drum set and not on a practice pad. You will really have fun.



3. I really enjoyed using this book as a teaching aide. Obviously, some musical background will allow for faster progress through the book. I have found that someone with no musical background might get off to a slow start, but anyone can improve with more practice. The CD that comes with the book is very helpful.



4. I started drumming about 2 months ago with a basic set, Tommy Igoe's 'Getting Started on the drums' dvd and this book. The book is endless pages of exercises that gradually builds in difficulty. It's great. Each new pattern gets you using all four limbs, and are easy to modify for more practice (open/closed hi hats, crash vs hi hats, etc). It's got sycophated patterns, drum fills, and stuff on establishing a 'groove' with a band/bass player. Not the end-all of drum books, but perfect for beginners.

1 comments about Primary Handbook for Mallets.

1. This primer on mallet-playing instruments such as the xylophone and marimba is perhaps the best of all the how-to-play mallet method books.
   
   It contains illustrations of mallet holding, and a detailed explanation of the keys and treble cleft scale. It also contains excellent practice pieces and compositions and sections where students can practice creating compositions.
   
   A CD comes with the book that plays every lesson in the book so you know how the practice session or piece should sound.
   
   It is rare to find schools for mallet-playing if you don't want take college courses and you are way too old to be in elementary school band. This book does a great job of taking the place of a live instructor and teaches you how to be an pretty good musician.

2 comments about 200 Drum Machine Patterns.

1. Book is very basic and simple. Easily applicable to any drum machine. Most rhythms in this book are very basic and thus highly recommended for those just getting into drum programming. Anyone wishing for more intracate drum patterns this is not the book for that. These patterns are cool enough to get you going. Alot of cool basic rhythms presented in this book. Simple and concise.



2. I don't feel that the patterns in this book are very useful
   outside of the most basic types of music. The patterns are
   organized in a visual format allowing for easy programming
   into grid type sequencers which is a plus for those who cannot
   read standard music notation. However these patterns simply
   do not cut it except perhaps for those seeking an introduction
   to beginning MIDI drum programming. Anyone expecting interesting
   patterns should look elsewhere.

No comments about Modern School: Xylophone, Marimba, Vibraphone.

3 comments about Drum Programming.

1. Ages ago I was in band, playing guitar, writing and recording songs. I've just started getting back into music again, and have purchased a Boss 880 Dr. Rhythm drum machine. Played around with it, lots of fun, and then thought "ok, so how do I program some of my own beats into this thing?". Everywhere I turned, the responses were "read the manual" or "just use samples" and then finally "well the best way to learn to program drums is to learn to play drums". Great, so I'm going to have to spend years learning how to physically co-ordinate my limbs when what I really need is a basic understanding of the fundamentals of how beats work in popular music.
   Then I found and ordered this book. Ray has done a great job. He provides the information in a clear, concise manner. Its amazing that this book was written in 1991, and yet it feels like it could have been written yesterday. This is because the book teaches how to think about beats and program them in a way that is realistic to what an actual drummer could play. He uses a simple to understand chart method that is based on 16th notes, just like the old Roland TR 909 interface, super easy to understand. Ray gets right to the point, and then has you program in some example beats. Things are immediately becoming much clearer to me, and I'm only half way through the book. If you're not a drummer, but want to learn how to program your drum machine so that it sounds realistic and not like a "beat box" then this book is for you. The Boss Dr. Rhythm 880 is aimed at guitar/bass players, and they should really include a copy of this book with every unit they sell. Its really amazing how hard it is to find information on how to decide WHAT to program into a drum machine, and Ray does a great job with this text. Thanks Ray!



2. this is a great book for those looking to learn to program their own beats.It teaches you the basics such as time signatures,quantization,song structure and the dynamics to bring your beats to life(instead of just making generic static beats).It doesn't simply feed you basic patterns for you to copy.Sure its from the 90's and its geared mainly for rock beats, but the fundamentals it teaches are universal.As an avid beat boxer i have always had a good sense of rhythm but i was never able to translate this into a drum machine. This book helped me to formulate a plan to be able to take the beat in my head and make it materialize.It also helps you to familiarize yourself with different aspects and features of your drum machine with out overwhelming you with jargon.
   I used this book with a yamaha RX5 drum machine(excellent learning tool and overall great drum machine).This book is the real deal for those seeking to learn to make their own drum tracks not simply add someone else's beats do their arsenal.



3. I bought this book based on another review that said it would complement the Boss DR-880 and help me learn to think like a drummer. I did learn a few things around the basic use of cymbals and toms, but on the whole it was nothing I hadn't already figured out. It's crudely written but gets right to the point. You certainly won't learn how to compose any complex rhythms, but it might be enough to get you going if you haven't used a drum machine before and are very intimidated by it. I'm not sure anyone can teach how to compose fills that sound realistic, and this book didn't help me there. But for the price, I guess it was OK.

5 comments about Funk Drumming: Innovative Grooves and Advanced Concepts (Book & CD).

1. There are over 150 examples of funk beats in this book, and 89 of them are included on the cd, played by Mike Clark. The beats in this book are so addictive that I spent three days just playing the first 3 grooves in this book, just trying to get the groove and feel right and coming up with my own variations. Each example beat uses accents and ghost notes very tastefully which makes them very interesting to play for a long time, and sort of forces you to come up with your own variations. I haven't found a drum book this enjoyable since Steve Gadd's "up close".



2. as above,it's a great book for any serious funk drummer,the book show you many styles of funk drumming!also a lot of practice sources for training techniques and groove.get it,let's get funk!



3. Great book! Lots of really cool grooves, including "open" style. Not recommended for beginners - this is a compendium of advanced grooves that require mastering hand-foot coordination with exact timing before one attempts them.



4. This is one of my favorite books. If you want to get inside Mike Clark's head, this book is definitely it.
   
   The book showcases his drumming style and how he developed and improvised them, which also encourages one to develop his/her own funky grooves and playing off of them.
   
   I've been always a fan of funk, and I am happy with what I have added in my library of funk "bibles".



5. Like many drummers, I have marveled at Mike Clark's amazing rhythms on albums such as "Thrust", and have been left scratching my head wondering "how does he do that?"
   
   This book really broke down Mike's brand of highly syncopated, 16th-note funk for me, increased my understanding, and opened up a lot of doors for my drumming. It's full of practical examples, that you can actually use in a musical situation.
   
   If you take the time to work through all of these exercises, you will be surprised at just how funky you can sound! I personally found this book is the real deal.

5 comments about The Commandments of R&B Drumming: A Comprehensive Guide to Soul, Funk and Hip Hop.

1. I recently began "using" this book. One doesn't just read it. It is a history, study guide, practice guide, and motivator. Each of the major sections includes a discussion of the great artists, the terminology of the particular genre, a list of "must have" CDs, and actual transcriptions of specific grooves.

   I'm looking forward to matching up the transcriptions to the grooves. When I'm handed a chart, I'll know what groove is expected. I already play some of the grooves, but this book shows the next logical step for growth; a slight variation or two. Also, in my case, I'm not up-to-date on the newer "Hip-Hop" and other grooves. Learning these will be major growth for me. I believe it's best suited to gigging drummers who want to expand their box o' chops. But things are laid out clearly enough for beginners.

   If you want to get funkier and be ready to rock, I recommend this book. The list of CDs is worth the price.

   Stay cool. Peace.




2. my husbands love this book for all musicians this is a must have for drum programing as well and a addition to your studio tools for sampling and programing .



3. If you have an inkling of interest in funk and soul drumming, or just wonder who was that amazing drummer on that old soul hit, this is the book for you. Zoro's love of this music is infectious and makes it a joy to read. His transcriptions are dynamite and answer many questions of "How did they do that" for many great songs. The CD is a great tool to help you practice these grooves and his lists of recommended music have turned me on to some drummers I wasn't already familiar with. Once you have this book, the next step is to get the DVD which has him performing all this great music. ...



4. Zoro, who is well respected in the drumming community, takes you through the evolution of R&B music with information about the drummers who laid down the groove, discographies of great albums, and lists of must-know tunes for the working drummer. The Chapters take you through the evolution of feels with lots of groove exercises and transcriptions of tunes typical of the feel/style.

   Not only does Zoro teach you the grooves, but he presents great exercises for developing independence, especially to get those happy, stanky feet on the bass and hats. The progression of the lessons was so straightforward that I actually taught myself to read while studying this book.

   The best part is that the Commandments of R&B Drumming is FUN. You will not find a more entertaining book anywhere on drumming. Zoro loves this music and it shows in his writing. Since I finished it, I still like to go back and breeze through the exercises just to dig on the grooves.




5. I bought this book after seeing Zoro on the 2005 MD festival. What a groove. This is a great book for building a background of knowledge that is essential for any drummer looking to become a great groover. Get it and download every song or record mentioned in here; and listen. Zoro has dug up all the info on all the great players of R&B, motown, funk, soul, hip hop, etc. All great musicians are walking, talking encyclopedias of great recorded music and great players. This is the book for the drummer who understands he/she needs a history lesson as much as a drum lesson to find that magic pocket in their playing. The exercises outlined in the book are also quite valuable.

1 comments about Sticking Patterns (with CD).

1. Great book. The material in the book is presented in a very straight forward manner and the cd included really helps "visualize" how the exercises are supposed to sound. This is not a beginners book. But once you get to the level where you can read the rhythms the material is highly valuable and versatile. It will change the way you think and hear the instrument. I think its particularly useful for jazz. But anybody can benefit from it.

No comments about Time Awareness: For All Musicians (Book & Audio CD).