What is "The New Breed" book for?

I don't know about anybody else but it got me used to reading black ink and making it groove. After a few days with just the first few systems, reading a college big band chart didn't seem so daunting as it once did. And if I may give my theory on reading drum music, the whole point is really not so much to nail the notes, but to be able to stay where everybody else is in the chart. Training yourself to read really hard stuff suddenly makes the actual music you'd be reading really an easy exercise and you can concentrate on making music.
 
What the intro reads is it's meant to help develop creativity for on the fly drum part writing. Written by a professional studio drummer who worked on many different music types and had to be flexible. Develops coordination, musicality, reading ability, and confidence through the use of systems. I personally have gained in the creativity and coordination department since I got the book. I also recommend Marvin Dahlgren - 4 Way Coordination. Great books to develop yourself as a drummer.
 
It's mainly an advanced coordination book. It starts pretty slow although it isn't beginner's stuff, and some of the combinations are pretty challenging.
One of the main points is to develop ambidexterity. Also the author, Gary Chester, was an advocate of singing the different parts as you play them, in order to better internalize. I would say one of the challenges is to make the exercises sound musical...
Published at the start of the 80s, if I can remember well, the book became more famous when Dave Weckl stated having been studying with Gary Chester.

Cheers
Alain
 
i'm currently working on that book ... it is a cause of frustration and anger .. then a great feeling of accomplishment. great coordination book. I skipped to systems 30 and up because the reading is for the left foot and its extra hard and irritating.
 
definitely makes reading gigs "easier" after grinding thru the New Breed stuff. i also love how the singing as the "5th limb" really solidifies everything. its a huge accomplishment when you get it happening. pushes the envelope w/ left-brain-right-brain stuff.
 
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