Charting the Course, Drum Set Book 1: Drumset Method Book

These charts swing with accessible energy across funk, blues, and straight-ahead feels. Each tune has its own character, from the groove pocket of Steam Punk Funk to the standard changes of Avalon, so your ensemble develops range without getting bogged down in complexity.

Young drummers in grade 2-2.5 jazz groups who need structure for learning to improvise without it feeling prescriptive. This works equally well for drummers tackling their first real solo section and for rhythm section players building confidence in jazz fundamentals.

• Lock the kick drum with the bass player before anything else; use the play-along tracks during sectionals to establish that pocket as your foundation.
• Study the transcribed solos as arrangements, not just as notes to copy; notice how the recorded drummer voices the kit through different sections of each tune.
• Approach the mini-clinic changes as a roadmap, not a restriction; once you understand the harmonic landscape, you have permission to explore beyond the suggested scales.
• Rotate between the suggested solos and transcribed ones in rehearsal; this bridges the gap between guided learning and independent improvisation.

Ideal for winter jazz workshops or a spring concert focused on student solos; the play-along tracks let you program this flexibly across multiple ensemble rotations. Assign one tune per week over six weeks as your rhythm section's deep learning, building toward performances where drummers can trade choruses with confidence.

• Improvising over jazz changes with harmonic awareness
• Accompanying and locking with bass players
• Reading chord symbols and understanding their voice-leading
• Developing comping patterns and dynamic variety
• Transcribing and learning from recorded solos
• Playing consistent time feel across different jazz styles (funk, swing, blues)