This article originally ran on April 26, 2013, on Modern Drummer.
What makes a great drum book? There’s no single answer, as different books have been written to address a wide variety of styles and techniques. But judging by a recent poll in which Modern Drummer readers were asked to name their favorite volumes, a few characteristics stand out.
For starters, many of the books that have stood the test of time and are now considered classics have multiple applications. You can play just what’s on the page and learn a lot, but you can also apply the exercises to different styles and musical situations. Another characteristic of a worthy drum book is its practicality. Good books are not just filled with page after page of mechanical exercises that may or may not relate to what you would play on a gig; they offer usable material that develops musicality along with technical skills. All of the texts cited here fit those criteria.
We compiled the list with the help of information gathered from several sources: the Modern Drummer website, the MD Facebook page, and a poll of the 2011 MD Pro Panel. The books are separated into categories, but due to their versatility some of them could fit into more than one slot. Within each category, the entries are listed in order of their popularity, based on the number of votes each one received from all the sources combined.
Continue reading: 25 Timeless Drum Books
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