Drum Instruction DVD & Book Reviews

Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials interests me. Amazon sells the DVD and book separately. Any idea which i'm supposed to get if I can only get one?
 
thanks for the link man! I'll ask my friends in US to get this one for me.
 
Hey you drummer-guys !!
Yes I am new in the forum and have never heard of it before.
But: I played the drumset 11 years now and all by self-education.
So i ve tried perhaps twenty books and dvds ... and this are the best to start with and later on to go on with ( in my oppinion and in oppinion of lot of other drummers)

First : go to Vic-firth homepage an dowload the 40 rudiments videos for free. learn all and keep on playing them (try them with your feets too )

Best Books and DVD s (from beginning to advanced) :

1. G.L. Stone Stick Control for the snaredrummer (try to play many of the exercices with feet as well and share the strokes on the drumset)
2. G.L. Stone Accents and Rebounds for the snare drummer (try to play many of the exercices with feet as well and share the strokes on the drumset)

3. Thommy Igoe Groove Essentials DVD and Book ( Great !!!) -> to learn all basic grooves


Now its getting advanced (learn 4-way independece) :

4.marvin Dahlgren : 4 way coordination
5. Garry Chester : The new Breed

Now the brain is burning ( metric modulatian , odd times , Displacement )

6. Garry Chaffee - Rhythm and Meter Patterns
7. Gavin Harrison : Rhytmic illusions ( Book and DVD ) Great book and Great DVD 6 stars to it !!!


all listed books and dvds got 5 stars by me and by other (amzon.de / amazon.com)

Follow this and I will think you become a great drummer !

Cheers

Timbo
 
NAME:
Alfred's Drum Method Book 1
STAR RATING:
#####
WORDED RATING:
Covers and answers many begining questions.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Beginers of all levels
PUBLISHED BY:
Alfred Publishing
DESCRIPTION:
This book covers all the very begining topics. Although billed as a Snare drum book, it covers what we all should know. Time signatures, reading the notes and their values. Lessons are laid out in a very orderly fashion all building from the previous page and setting the player up for the next page. The solo pages can be very long and tedious but the lessons are very well earned. They help to reinforce lessons learned on previous pages.
The book comes as 2 different versions, With and without DVD. I would suggest saving the few extra dolars for the DVD version. Very dated and droning. Highlights the solo pages well but doesnt have any more meat in it that the book doesnt explain very well to begin with.
 
NAME:
complete learn to play DRUMS manual by craig lauritsen
1864692588.02._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

STAR RATING:
##### ++
WORDED RATING:
highly progressive from basics building up in what i consider to be an excellent balanced and thoughtful curriculum to upper intermediate levels.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Beginer to professional level
PUBLISHED BY:
L.T.P publishing pty ltd
DESCRIPTION:
224 pages and two discs. this really is a manual. i use it as a drum teacher. particularly good is its drum reading lessons. it is blocked into bite sized lessons which are ideal for the self taught drummer or a teacher to use.
typically it runs each lesson like so:

- introduction to a rhythmic figure (eg the dotted 8th) with 16 variations and placements and counting techniques (with eg tracks on the disc to ensure you are accurate)
- a 16 bar sight reading exercise incorporating the figure with previous lessons.
- up to twenty written and tracked grooves that incorporate the figure (including fills that use it)
- finally a short (8 - 10 bar) solo using the figure. (an excellent homework assignment after spending the lesson going through the three points above).

the book takes you up to quite complex reading figures before suddenly becomming simple again but introducing a rudiment. then it progresses forward again quickly showing how the sticking pattern applies and soon it is added to the body of knowledge that went before.
it ends on some generic stuff including reggae, jazz independance and comping and lots of triplet application.
this is an essential filler book for the self taught and a great introduction to reading.
i don't often say this of drum books but i am very glad i bought it. more so than the george lawrence stone book even.

for more visit: www.learntoplaymusic.com
 
OK I will give an old one a shot here....especially since it is re-released on DVD:
NAME:
TERRY BOZZIO: Solo Drums
STAR RATING:
****
WORDED RATING:
Great video- ahead of it's time in a way
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Medium to advanced players
PUBLISHED BY:
DCI video ( originally) not sure who has DVD rights
DESCRIPTION:
This video is the begining of many of the techniques Terry Bozzio has come up with and showcases his soloing ability for the most part. Key things that are sovering are basic grip and arm mobility. Practicing various rolls using both hands and feet, Permutations of 16th note soloing phrases and ostinato drum soloing. Bozzio shows solos invloving triplet feels and 16th notes feels utilizing his fett and left hand to 'hold down' the ostinato patterns while soloing with his right hand. He also holds certain patterns with his feet while soloing with both hands. Odd times are discussed somewhat and examples are played in cluding the US Drag groove. I remember when the video came out so many were saying "yeah but how can I apply this stuff?"...well to me anyway ostinatos are used all the time in jazz and rock ...so I find the techinques to be useful in becoming a more well rounded player. Also the Soloing concepts are a grea alternative to a "just blowing chops" style of soloing with little direction . So the idea of using musical themes and playing more musically in general as a drummer I feel was helpful. Seeing other players nowadays like Minneman, Virgil and Lang ....I guess some of these guys might agree. Plus the other thing I liked was being able to see how the guy thought about his playing- something in general I like to see from any Drum video.
 
Hey guys. I saw a few clips of Weckl's "How to Develop Technique," and it has me wondering about my own hand technique. I wondering what books I can buy to help me develop my hands (grasp different techniques better: Moeller, wrist/finger control, etc.).

Alot of the book are pretty cheap on Amazon, so I'm thinking about getting 2 or 3. Right now I'm looking at Dom Famularo's "It's Your Move," and the supplementary book to Weckl's DVDs, "Exercises for Natural Playing."

In addition to those, I'm wondering about "Stick Control," by George L. Stone and versions 1 and 2 of Joe Morello's "Master Studies."

If anyone can comment on these books (and/or others) it would be helpful. What books would be the best for re-learning the basics of hand technique? I'm at the point now where I feel like I want to go 'back to basics' and really re-learn my technique. Clips of Weckl inspired me, so I'm wondering if I should attempt to follow his examples.

By the way, I currently play matched grip, and have for about 10 years (I'm only 18) but am thinking about working on traditional grip as well.

Thanks in advance.
 
Marco Minneman - Extreme Interdependence(Book + CD)

Rating : 5.0/5.0

Review : One of the best books to build up independence and interdependence. Marco takes u step by step evolving independence and interdependence of four limbs. This is actually helping me a lot. still in the first exercise, took me a while to do the warm up exercises, but now the actual exercises are a bit easy. i advice this book to every drummer who intends to make their body a bit more flexible .... drumming wise :)

Thomas Lang - Creative Co-ordination and Advacned Foot Technique

Rating : 4.5/5.0

Review : A very in depth analysis of double bass work and also independence. A matrix system that Lang came up with actually helps prac independece easily. since the matrix is easy to remember and no difficult at all, i think its a nice idea. though it doesnt cover independence over time signatures(which is covered in marco's book) it makes a very good watch and interesting DVD. he covers many aspects of multi pedal orchestrations and diff foot patterns that can be created using simple and already known patterns. The only negative aspect is everyone cant try out the diff MPOs that he shows, but its interesting to see how its done. All in all a good DVD with 7 hrs of footage, a nice watch and plenty to learn from.
 
Does anyone have any opinions on the instructional "Hands, grooves & fills", by Pat Petrillo?

I recently acquired this DVD and I think it is great. It comes with a book, a DVD and a CD which contains files in Mp3 format. All three of these items work well together. I find that many educational tools out there fail because they are too much of an exhibition of the drummer's prowess or, on the other hand, the educational style is simply too uninspiring to work in such a medium. Pat really does a great job of teaching while inspiring you to practise. This is a book about TEACHING - but the examples make you want to play!!

The technique section is very useful in terms of ways to develop control and speed. Note, however, that I think you need to have some basic knowledge before this will be very helpful. This is not for brand newbies because I suspect they may not make it past the warm up exercises. But, Please don't let that put you off - if you are dedicated I am sure you could get some benefits.

The groove section is excellent. It teaches good basic grooves and it teaches some complex grooves with the use of controlled ghost notes as well as displaced snare work. The fills section is also excellent as it breaks down just what technique you need to pull off some stuff that sounds a lot more complex than it is.

Pat is an engaging and passionate teacher and he does a good job in showing you how to find the pocket - and that after is all is the thing that keeps you in work.

This is one of the best educational tools out there - I recommend it highly.

Paul
 
Hey, guys

I found this review page and think it is a great idea for a thread. I recently produced a DVD on bass drum technique (not some gimmick, but true bass drum technique for today's music). If one of you would like to review it for this thread, I'd be happy to send you a free copy of it. I know we all like to get free stuff, but I want the person who receives the free DVD to be someone who is truly struggling with their bass drum technique and is sincerely interested in improving it. If that is you, send me an email with your mailing address and a note about your situation. If I get multiple emails from people who sound sincerely interested, I'll send it to the person who touched base first. By the way, receiving the free DVD does not mean you need to give it a good review. You can give it any kind of review you want. I only want honest comments written. Thanks. Keep up the good work with the review thread.

Matt Ritter

www.MattRitterMusic.com
 
Paul

Thanks for the great review! I'm glad you like, and I hope it is helping you achieve results.

I would love to hear from anyone else with comments.

Look for some upcoming excerpts in Modern Drummer in the coming months.

Pat
 
Thanks for the email responses. I knew it would be hard to choose just one person to receive the DVD, and I was right! I've chosen 2 drummers who emailed me. One is a beginner looking for a solid bass drum foundation, and one is an experienced drummer interested in exploring new concepts. That should definitely provide us with 2 different perspectives. Thanks, everyone!

Matt Ritter
 
Thanks for the email responses. I knew it would be hard to choose just one person to receive the DVD, and I was right! I've chosen 2 drummers who emailed me. One is a beginner looking for a solid bass drum foundation, and one is an experienced drummer interested in exploring new concepts. That should definitely provide us with 2 different perspectives. Thanks, everyone!

Matt Ritter[/QUOT
Hey I just bought your DVD, and I am looking forward to learning from it. I have always strugled with my bass drum playing, and I'm looking forward to some help!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to get it and start learning!!!!!!!!!! Thank's
 
Hey, Drumnisworship

Thanks for buying my DVD. I really hope you enjoy it. As you begin working with it, I want you to keep in mind that 99% of all drum grooves involve just single strokes and double strokes on the bass drum. That's all! I wish I had emphasized that more in my DVD. Singles and doubles! Focus on those 2 techniques, and you'll be in great shape. My video teaches those things, plus a zillion other things, so it can easily get overwhelming. Keep it in perspective, keep it enjoyable, and start by learning singles and doubles. Those 2 techniques can EASILY be learned in a couple of weeks. Anything above and beyond singles and doubles should be considered extra credit for fun. If you ever have any questions, feel free to email me through my website. I'll get your message quickly that way, since I'm not on the forum all the time. Best of luck!

Matt Ritter

www.UnBuryingTheBeater.com
 
"Bass Drum Techniques for today's drummer
Unburing the Beater" by Matt Ritter

This is a bass drum system that revolves around not buring the beater in the head.

Matt has an analysis of common Bass drum methods.
Talks about heel down, heel up, and how the system uses them in the unburing the beater system.
He covers basic drum setup, practice guldelines, and how to sit and stabilizing yourself at the kit.
Matts discusses pedal adjustments and becoming sensitive to your pedal.
He then goes into detail about single strokes, multiple strokes, fast multiples, doubles, consecutive doubles and "Bonham triplets".
Matt discusses using different parts of the foot, the slide,and gives practicle applications of the system.

The dvd has a FAQ section, and a section on troublshooting.
There is also some other bonus chapters about Matt.

I am a new drummer and this dvd has given me a great game plan to develope my bass drum technique, but I think it would help more than just begginers.
Very good dvd!
 
Hey there,

Does anyone here have any experience with Mike Michalkow's Moeller Technique DVD:

http://www.moellertechnique.com/

I've owned Jim Chapin's Speed, Power, Control, Endurance video for several years, and it's still the best one I've seen for technique. It's helped me more than anything or anyone else. It seems as if I saw that it was supposed to be reissued on DVD with more content. Does anyone know when this is supposed to be out? I love that man.
 
Back
Top