Teaching Rhythm For All Instruments – Joel Rothman

This is an excellent source for learning to read rhythmic notation. Around here we just call it “Rothman,” and it’s a requirement for all beginning drum students. Mr. Rothman presents the material in such a simple and logical way, that my students can literally read music from day one. The lessons become progressively more interesting…

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Gary Chaffee’s Time Functioning Patterns

Time Functioning Patterns - Gary Chaffee

It would take too long to write about the importance of Gary Chaffee here, so I’ll just say that this book is a must-have for intermediate/advanced players. The “Fat Back” section in particular is required for all my students once they can read 16th-note rhythms. Chaffee designed the “Fat Back” section so that it methodically…

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A Funky Primer for the Rock Drummer

A Funky Primer for the Rock Drummer

Ah, the Funky Primer! I believe this was my very first drum set method book… I still have my copy from the 1970’s! This book is primarily for beginning and intermediate drummers, but I regularly repurpose pages of this book to make it challenging even for advanced drummers. The first few sections cover basic notation…

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Tommy Igoe’s Great Hands for a Lifetime

Tommy Igoe - Great Hands for a Lifetime

This is quite possibly my favorite drum education product, and I use it both in my teaching practice and as a life-long student of drumming myself. It’s essentially a guided sequence of snare drum rudiments all seamlessly connected by a double-stroke roll. It makes for a great warmup and is fun to play. The product…

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