Reddit reviews Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer (Ted Reed Publications)
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Voted second on Modern Drummer's list of 25 Greatest Drum Books in 1993Progressive Steps to Syncopation is one of the most versatile and practical works ever written for drumsCreated exclusively to address syncopation, these drum lessons have earned their place as a standard tool for teaching beginning drummers syncopation and strengthening reading skillsThis instructional book includes many accented eighths, dotted eighths and sixteenths, eighth-note triplets and sixteenth notes for extended solosIn addition, teachers can develop many of their own examples from it
Hey there! I'd like to consider myself a pretty experienced drummer, so hopefully I can be of some help to get you started.
If you aren't too familiar with reading music, I would highly recommend getting Syncopation for the Modern Drummer . It's a great starting book for reading music and familiarizing yourself with common snare & bass drum patterns that can be applied to the drum set.
If you want to learn more how to play the complete drum set, which I'm guessing you'd like to do, check out The Drumset Musician . It provides a basic intro to coordination and ability to use all your limbs separately. (One of my biggest struggles when starting out was forcing my hands and feet to not do the same thing at the same time on the drum set)
Other than those books, YouTube will definitely be your best friend, so don't be afraid to use it!
Best of luck to you, and I hope you end up enjoying the drums as much as I do!
You need to start counting rhythms. You don't need a guitar to do this necessarily. There are a number of books with written out rhythms to practice, such as Louis Bellson's Modern Reading Text in 4/4 For All Instruments, Ted Reed's Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer, and Gary Hess's Encyclopedia of Reading Rhythms. There are numerous ways to practice the rhythms in these books - counting the rhythm while clapping a steady pulse, counting a steady pulse while clapping the rhythm, tapping a steady pulse with your left hand while clapping the rhythm with your right while also counting, and so on. When I say "count" I mean count out loud. Your goal is to learn to keep your place in measures while accurately executing and eventually feeling rhythms.
You can also do these steps with a guitar in your hand. Just pick a chord - maybe one you're trying to work into your repertoire - and play the written rhythm with that chord while you're counting.
This will probably seem awkward and "unmusical" when you first start, but trust me when I tell you this is going to radically improve your rhythmic vocabulary and time feel over the long haul. This is the kind of thing band and orchestra kids learn as a matter of course and most guitarists don't get because we don't learn to read in ensembles.
Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer - Ted Reed
This is still THE book for drummers on all levels.
If you can spare the money I most definitely recommend finding a teacher. You will want to start with rudiments (they can be boring, but you'll be glad you did them in the long haul) and while you can pick them up from books, having a teacher giving feedback helps a lot. You don't have to stay with a teacher on the long-term, if you make it clear that you just want a solid base most teachers know what you mean and want.
If you don't have that money, these are three books I highly recommend to anybody who wants to play any percussion instrument:
http://www.amazon.com/Stick-Control-For-Snare-Drummer/dp/1892764040/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
Description: This book is full of rudiments. Like ctrocks said: This book is evil. You will most likely both grow to hate and love it. Hate it for both how boring rudiments can get (to me, at least) and how hard they get. But love it for the results and seeing how all those rudiments advance your playing immensely. I suggest picking this up as soon as possible.
http://www.amazon.com/Accents-Rebounds-For-Snare-Drummer/dp/1892764067/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343162586&sr=8-1&keywords=Accents+and+Rebounds
Description: The 'sequel' to Stick Control. This book adds accents and even more difficult rhythms. I would suggest picking this up at an intermediate level.
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953/ref=cm_lmf_tit_5
Description: Don't let this book fool you. It all starts out really simple. But this is one of those books that really lays down a foundation you will be very grateful for. And when you're getting to a more advanced level, you will see how you can translate a lot of these syncopated rhythms to the entire drumkit. I suggest picking this up as soon as possible.
http://www.amazon.com/4-Way-Coordination-Development-Complete-Independence/dp/0769233708/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c
Description: This book is very well named. You will want to grab this book after you got the basics down, imo. You want to work on the independence of your limbs as soon as possible, but not too soon. Yet again: rudiments. But now rudiments that require all limbs.
http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Techniques-For-Modern-Drummer/dp/0757995403
Description: We're starting to get into the bigger leagues with this book. I honestly don't quite know how to describe this book except for the word: challenging. Challenging in a very, very good way. I recommend picking this up once you're starting to get into a more advanced stage.
These books are for the basics, imo and in the opinion of many fellow drummers as far as I know. But don't forget: the books are merely tools. You don't want to be only playing rudiments, you'll go crazy. I tended to go for a trade: every half out of rudiments rewards me with a half our of putting on tracks and rocking out. Resulting in one-hour sessions a day. Hope this helps!
Edit: Feeling bored so added more books and descriptions.
Very basic beginner tips:
You're spot on with picking up sticks and a pad first (I should also mention a metronome because drumming is ALL about keeping time, but this is bare basics so for the sake of my bad typing skills and your wallet I'm going to omit it, but know this HAS TO BE YOUR NEXT PURCHASE (also there's dozens of free metronome apps FYI)).
This is all you will need to begin drumming and it shouldn't cost you more than $30. As far as for what kinds/brands, just buy two matching sticks that feel comfortable in your hands and a pad that's 'bouncy'. (Don't worry about wood types or tips for the drum sticks yet, you're still a far ways away from that being a concern)
Now that you have sticks and a pad, the next move is to learn how to hold them. This is going to be hard without any visuals, so bear with me here lol. Hold your right hand forward as if you were to accept a handshake. With your left hand, place the stick in the center your palm so that the blunt end of the stick is facing the ground. Now close your fingers around it to create a fist. Adjust the height of the stick in your fist so that only 1 inch of the blunt end is protruding(sp?) from the bottom of your fist. At this point, it should seem like your holding the drum stick the same way that you might hold a hammer; you're close but there's two more VERY IMPORTANT steps. Next, adjust your thumb so that it rests on the shaft of the stick. (Imagine that with your fist you're trying to now give someone a thumbs-up and that your stick is just a big extension of that thumbs-up, that what this should all look like) Finally, while maintaining this hand position, turn your wrist 90 degrees so that your palm and stick are both facing the ground.
Now repeat with your left hand.
If done correctly, you should be making a 'V' shape with your sticks. As well, if done correctly, you should be able to hold both stick with only your thumb and fore-finger. (Just to cover all bases, your middle, ring and pinky fingers are simply there for minor support, most grip strength and stick control comes from finding the fulcrum (or balancing sweet spot) of the stick and pinching it with your thumb and fore finger)
Confused yet? Good! Just a few more things and I'll feel like I'm really doing you justice here lol:
Just start off at first by trying to get your sticks to hit the pad and bounce back at you. Don't 'bury' them into the pad; make them work for you, not against you. Don't worry about speed, intensity or consistency just yet, it will all come in time.
Obviously, alternate your hands. You'll find that you have a dominant hand (99.99% chance it's your writing hand) but don't forget that, unless you plan on starting a Def Lepard cover band, your going to need both hands, so give them both the appropriate amounts of attention they deserve!
Once you got both hands hitting with equal confidence, just go back and forth with your right and left hand and try to focus on making them both sound, look, and feel as even as possible.
New drummer LPT's:
-Buy a metronome ASAP.
-Forget about speed, it WILL come naturally.
-Buy, download, torrent, steal, GET this book and go through it. It is the golden standard for pre-drumkit drumming. If you master this book, you have mastered the concept of drumming.
-Hold off on a drumkit. They're big and expensive; you'll really want to make sure that you REALLY want to commit to drumming first.
-Finally, YOUTUBE will teach you all this and more for FREE!
Good luck, sorry for the novel but I really hope this helps.
Sources: drumming 12 years, currently professional touring drummer, tried to teach a friend how-to a while ago and he's... not terrible :P
Stick control is a great book. another good one for developing Independence in your hands and feet is this one
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953/ref=sr_1_cc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1293738221&sr=1-3-catcorr
I've been going through Syncopation for the Modern Drummer to come up with melodies that use syncoption. It has like every permutation of syncopation you could imagine. I think it was written with a jazz drummer in mind, but you can use the ideas for type of music.
The Art of Bop Dumming by Jon Riley
Progressive Steps to Syncopation by Ted Reed
Jazz Drum Studio by John Pickering
Buy any or all three of these. Perfect place to start. And start listening to a lot of jazz. Good luck, dude. Jazz is great.
That is a fantastic book. If no one has mentioned you should practise those patterns between all your limbs. If you get a chance, check out this book too: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0882847953
Definitely something used, don’t buy new. You can get a decent used set with stands/cymbals for probably $300-500 that will be fine for a first kit for someone with little-to-no drumming experience. Maybe even cheaper.
Edit: a good book
my favorite book was "Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer"
It's been probably 10+ years since I bought that book, and I'll still pull it off the shelf and play through pages.
Another really fun thing to do is to go through the Syncopation book and play the quarter note and eighth note pages with just your left hand and kick drum while playing jazz time with your right hand and hi hat
For (3), I'd also say this.
Syncopation and Stick Control are books you will never grow out of and are a must have for any drummer in my opinion. You can use these exercises around the kit as well as implementing feet.
If you want something like drum set notes it very much depends on what genre you are interested in.
Unfortunately it's not very cash-valuable, especially if you're in the US. Maybe $75-$100 to the right buyer. If you're after a cheap kit, get this cleaned up (Outside with a rag and some Steelo/whatever metal cleaner you can get your hands on) and go to a music shop, and buy a batter and a resonant head, snare wires and a snare stand. Look up how to put on heads and tune a snare drum online, or ask any other drummers you know. It'll be a great beginner snare - much better than what you'd get with a normal budget kit - and honestly, it's not valuable enough to worry about ruining it.
EDIT: Also, for a beginner percussionist, a snare is really all you need to start out. Look into books like Syncopation and Stick Control, they're just big sets of different snare drum exercises to teach you basic stick control.
Rudiments, and a metronome are great suggestions.
Id recommend getting going on some sight reading too.
Here are a couple great books I used starting out:
Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer -I still use this one regularly 20 years later. It's a classic.
The Art of Bop Drumming
Here's a great list from Modern Drummer of some other good instructional books. YouTube is great, but don't forget the basics.
https://www.moderndrummer.com/2013/04/25-timeless-drum-books/
I guess a great place to start would be the Vic Firth website. For each of the 40 basic rudiment it has a bronze, silver, and gold challenge. Treat it like a game, where you're trying to get that third star for each level.
I like to stick some tunes on and play (for example) 16 bars of paradiddles, then doubles, then singles in time with the music.. It's important you be able to seamlessly move between rudiments while keeping tempo and dynamic constant.
My book of the moment is Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer by Ted Reed. For £1.50 it's a steal, and really can help you get started.
Ah memories. Yep I started with How to Play rock'n'roll drums, Syncopation and this book way back in the early 90's. Then later on went to Advanced Techniques, Future Sounds and The New Breed for different permutations and limb independence. And 'trying' to pick apart and play Dave Weckl's Island Magic.
Does anyone else remember those drum solos like calypso eclipsed and aint it rich?
I've been a drummer since I was 8. Quite rusty right now as a lot of things have kept me from practicing (moving to apartments for years, etc.). Honestly, it's never too late to start. Are you going to be playing Carnegie Hall in a year? Wildly unlikely. But as long as your expectations are grounded in reality, that learning anything takes time and practice, you should be good.
As for practice and sense of tempo/timing: it is imperative that you buy a good metronome and practice with it regularly. You don't necessarily need a Dr. Beat, though I have one, and it is useful at times. But you do need some kind of click to play off of.
Can you read music? If so, there are some really good technique books out there that I'd recommend that are classics. Most people hate grinding technique, but I find it oddly relaxing. Here's some good books:
The first two books are probably where you should start. With all of these, start the metronome at molasses level slow - like 60 bpm or maybe even slower if you're not accurate at that speed. Get comfortable with that speed - maybe 15-30 mins at that speed without any mistakes. Then bump the timing up slightly 2-4 bpm and repeat. At no point should you be tensing up. If you are, you need to stop immediately, shake out your arms, and back down the tempo a bit.
Make sure that you're making more use of your fingers than your wrists. Wrists can be good to start the stroke, but your fingers should be doing a lot of the work.
There's a lot of other technique stuff that you can do, but the above alone could take you 5-10 years of solid daily practice if you're being thorough.
Good luck!
Grab this book. It's a book for drummers, but literally just tap the rhythms on different knees. It's basically the exact isolation of what you're asking for.
I don’t have this one but people seem to bring it up often.
Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer (Ted Reed Publications) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0882847953/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rrb3DbBMXZRVW
You can work on your syncopation while your at it.
I would highly recommend the book "Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer" by Ted Reed. Phenomenal book that can teach you a lot and can be done with just a practice pad and sticks. It's easy to find at any music store and there may be some PDFs on the interwebs somewhere...
If you aren't looking to join a band or take it too seriously browse through some YouTube videos, pick up a book or two and just have fun with it! Once you find out if it's something you really love doing then you can invest in lessons/a drumkit.
https://www.amazon.ca/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953
You want to build a base of knowledge when it comes to creating rhythm? Start with this book. Order it now. https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer-Publications/dp/0882847953
Marching or Concert Snare?
Either way, buy this book and work through it, varying the stickings and tempos. Also, learn these rudiments. The absolute best thing you could do is get a teacher.
As far as concert vs. marching. They are very similar, but concert snare is much more subtle. Concert snare utilizes a lot more buzz rolls whereas marching snare uses open rolls or diddles.
Buy this book and a metronome. It will help you with reading rhythm. Afterwards, then you can try to tackle the staff.
Firstly, get used to playing swing with the right hand while keeping 2's and 4's steady with your left foot. Once you've got that down, grab a book like Syncopation and practice playing the rhythms on the snare while keeping your right hand and left foot as solid as a rock doing the same thing as before.
I used an Erskine book that does exactly this, but also goes into hand-foot combos, taking it to the next level. It also goes into triplets and such, but that's for when you're good with the basic patterns.
This sets you up for being able to comp using any rhythms you want but keeping your left foot steady on the up beats, essentially the core of jazz drumming.
This is a really condensed explanation, but I hope it helps.
Good Resources to Use
Buy this book.http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0882847953/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?pc_redir=T1
I'm a drummer learning guitar and this book is an excellent source for rhythmic variations.
Buy this and a metronome.
Read it.
Breathe it.
Sleep it.
Your welcome. This one as well is awesome. Gotta love the turn of the century black and white but that's where all the bad asses came from.
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y
That should read Stick Control and Syncopation for the modern drummer. I believe these are what the OP was referring to.
http://www.amazon.com/Stick-Control-For-Snare-Drummer/dp/1892764040/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344616777&sr=8-1&keywords=stick+control
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344616777&sr=8-2&keywords=stick+control
The biggest thing I can think of is for you is to practice musically and not just straight forward notes. Throw accents in, change up the dynamics.
Here is a prime example from Jojo Mayer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTM7khtBeXc
I can also suggest to you some books.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1892764040/temancom
This is possibly the best drum instruction book on the market, it will do wonders for your playing.
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953
And this book too, work your way through these books and you can do anything.
Don't be too worried about it. In 8th grade they're not expecting you to be some kind of master.
If this is something you're serious about, pick up this book: http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1377065599&sr=8-6&keywords=snare+drumming
It's a fantastic introduction once you get the basics of how to read notes. It starts off fairly simple and gradually moves into more intense exercises but with some imagination and possibly a good teacher's guidance it can take you very far.
Also, get a metronome and use it! Start practicing with good habits now and they won't be a hinderance to change later on. Look up lessons on youtube, check out drumming sites online, it's an amazing time to learn music with so many free resources online.
read from this and set it to scales, or anything you'd like
https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer-Publications/dp/0882847953
Get this book, and never stop learning
Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer (Ted Reed Publications) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0882847953/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_K4FDCb9D1W7YC
Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer by Jim Chapin and Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer by Ted Reed
Stick Control and Syncopation for the Modern Drummer
Two of the greatest.
I started out playing drums and this book is one of the most useful tools I was ever given. Since I started playing guitar I have used it to help build my strumming and picking dexterity. It might help you.
https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer-Publications/dp/0882847953
Burn it in. This book is key:
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953
There’s a legendary book about this exact subject, it’s essential for any drummer to spend time with it. What a lot of people like to do is take the rhythms from the book and orchestrate them around the drums for some really fun sounding licks and exercises.
I'm playing guitar, but my teacher recommended this for rhythm work:
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953
2 practice pads and 2 sets of sticks (so you can play with him)
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953.
The standard recommendation is to find an instructor. I would see if you can find a local high-school kid who is a good drummer and would give lessons. Lessons through a music store can be hard on the wallet. You'll be able to pay for those a little later.
Yep, that's the stick control book. I believe the Syncopation book refers to this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953
Read rhythms everyday, it doesn't matter what they are or what book they're from, just read them. Take it slow and sync up with a metronome so you can learn what notes line up and what don't. This a great book by Ted Reed called 'Syncopation' (jazz drummers will know what I'm talking about). There's a section near the back that is considered the bible for learning coordination, but I think it will also help your situation. I think it starts on page thirty-eight or forty and it goes through lessons one until eight. Put a metronome on and shed that stuff everyday and you'll develop some great rhythmic vocabulary as well as better yourself at reading and performing more complex rhythms. Check out this [link]http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410966323&sr=8-1&keywords=Ted+Reed%27s+syncopation) for the book!
Happy shedding!
Edit: Well... the link thing didn't work out, but you get what I mean.
Ted Reed's Syncopation is a classic book:
https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer-Publications/dp/0882847953/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TMB5JKB4B4EBBBSM4QX7
You can play with your palms on your lap and tap your foot to learn these rhythms and it will help your playing. Download a free metronome for your phone or go to metronome online.
I'm not sure about your skill level so it's hard to make a general suggestion, but I've found that Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer is great set of exercises for all skill levels
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Steps-Syncopation-Modern-Drummer/dp/0882847953