Book 2 - The Easy Way To Advance Your Drumming

..for those who have progressed and want to become a good (or even exceptional) player.

Contents

Welcome - Record of your accomplishments - Tips on practicing -Tips on tuning & drum care

The book and CD contains the following pages

Feet playing eighths - Give it a rest mate - Leave it out  - Roll with it - Groovin’ in the gap

It’s a drag (and a flam and a ruff) - Press on with a press roll - Tom, use your head

Syncopated sixteenths - 1/16th bass drum variations - Opening time - Spare me a quarter

Playing with Paradiddles - Bossa Nova Beat - Triplet tricks - Get into the swing thing

… and finally, four recorded pieces that the student can play along with, utilising all he has learned.

“Chucca Rock” – “Be nice to the Bossa” – “Funky Socks” – “A Swing and a Prayer”

Welcome!

This second book is for the drummer who has already progressed from a beginner and has decided to become a good (or even exceptional) player rather than a basic drummer. If you look through this book and it seems a bit tricky for you at this stage, may I suggest that you work through my previous book The Really Easy Way To Play The Drums - Book One. This will prepare you with all of the skills you will need to move onto this stage and will give you a solid foundation to make easy progress on this book.

If you are ready for this book now, then I would like to say CONGRATULATIONS - You have proved to yourself that you have what it takes to become a really good drummer. You have not given up when it gets difficult, in the early stages of learning to play the drums. You have shown you have the self-discipline, the focus and the patience that is required to develop your drumming skills to a higher level - Well done.

People often ask me how many hours they will need to practise in order to become really good. This is for each of you to decide for your selves. The amount of commitment, the amount of time, energy and practise is up to you. I will say however, that if your goal is to become really good and maybe even try to make drumming your profession, you are looking at practise lasting for hours rather than minutes each day for a number of years. Don’t be put off by this, take each step one day at a time and reward yourself at every stage you accomplish. Remember that a journey of 1,000 miles is started with the very first step. That is the hardest part, taking that first step.

You should also remember that everyone who has become really good at playing the drums has had to go through the same process. Have faith in yourself and don’t ever doubt your abilities.  I will succeed - is the phrase you should repeat to yourself on your journey.

I am honoured to have your company on this journey of discovery and I have tried my very best to make this book a useful guide and tool to help you on your way. If you put in the required dedication and thorough practise on the exercises and pieces in this book, you will develop your skills considerably and be on the way to becoming the great drummer that you imagined you are capable of being.

Feel free to work on the exercises in any order you like. All the exercises are written as a single bar with a 1 bar example on the CD. Repeat each of these as many times as you need to be able to play them smoothly and confidently and practise them slowly at first, then build up the speed. If something seems too difficult at the moment, leave it try something else and then come back to it later. It may seem clearer at another time.

O.K. Let’s get to work…

Check out this Vic Firth article

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