Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer: Drumset Book & Online Audio

This book cuts through the noise by addressing what actually limits most drummers: the coordination gap between hands and feet. The online audio transforms a static exercise collection into a living practice tool, allowing drummers to lock into the exact tempos and feels Chapin intended. You'll watch your students progress measurably because the progression is logical, cumulative, and endlessly applicable.

Working through these exercises reveals how many moving parts your hands and feet can manage simultaneously. There's a physical satisfaction when a pattern that felt impossible at week two clicks into place at week eight, your limbs finally communicating independent ideas at the same time.

This book serves drummers at every level who want to build genuine independence and coordination rather than relying on muscle memory or patterns. Jazz drummers preparing for combos or ensembles benefit immediately, but rock, funk, and fusion drummers will find the independence work transferable to any style. Teachers and serious students both need this; it's the technical foundation that supports everything else.

• Start each practice session with the slowest tempo in the audio to internalize the independence pattern before adding speed.
• Isolate the sticking patterns away from the kit first, using your lap or practice pad to build muscle memory without coordination distractions.
• Record yourself playing along with the audio to identify which limb is breaking independence; this reveals exactly where to focus.
• Return to earlier exercises at faster tempos rather than skipping ahead; the same patterns at new speeds create breakthroughs.

Assign this to any drummer joining a jazz ensemble who needs to catch up on independence basics before full band rehearsals begin. Include it in your private lesson curriculum as the backbone of technical study, working through it alongside repertoire the student is performing. The online audio makes it practical for students practicing at home between lessons.

• Hands and feet independence (right hand, left hand, bass drum operating separately)
• Jazz ride cymbal patterns with walking bass drum
• Sticking techniques and stick control
• Coordination across compound meters and syncopated rhythms
• Rhythmic endurance and power development