Jost Nickel's Groove Book: Drumset Book, MP3 CD & Online Audio

$24.99 USD

Jost Nickel's Groove Book: Drumset Book, MP3 CD & Online Audio

Name: Jost Nickel's Groove Book: Drumset Book, MP3 CD & Online Audio
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-20249US
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

By Jost Nickel

Item: 00-20249US

$24.99

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Jost Nickel is one of the new breed of drummers emerging from Germany. A top session and tour player, like his friends and contemporaries Benny Greb, Marco Minnemann and the newly emerging Anika Nilles (one of Jost’s students), Jost is taking contemporary drumming in new directions. Still, the one thing he understands from playing jazz and fusion with Randy Brecker and Barry Finnerty, funk and dance with Seeed and Mousse T., or hip hop with chart topper Jan Delay, is that The Groove is what it takes to bring the band together, energize the music and make listeners move. With so much expectation on the drummer to provide the groove and set the feel for the band, it is no longer just a matter of what is played, but how it is played. This is the focus of Jost Nickel’s Groove Book. He shows how to design grooves using various orchestrations including splits and switches, ghost notes, snare and bass drum displacements, linear groove concepts and much more. "Players and listeners", says Jost, "gravitate towards the groove because that is the center point. It’s the magnet. Without a great groove there is no feel, no movement, no music. And without being able to play great grooves, drummers will not get great gigs. So my book exists so players can learn and perfect their ability to groove, as well as create their own vocabulary of grooves.” The mp3-CD included and reading text inserted really help to clarify the patterns introduced and then facilitate the creation of the drummer’s own patterns. "This book", adds Jost, "is all about grooves that sound great and are fun to play. Studying this book will also enable a drummer to play with a deeper feel, better time and more creativity. It aims at the enthusiasm drummers - and the musicians they play with - have for great sounding grooves.” In addition to touring and recording, Jost, who studied at Drummers Collective in New York, is a tutor at the highly acclaimed University of Pop in Mannheim and the Music Academy in Hamburg. He made his international debut as a clinician and educator with performances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in America and the Montreal Drum Fest in Canada, as well as with feature articles and workshops in Modern Drummer (USA), Drummer (UK), Drums & Percussion (Germany) and other publications.

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1 Track 175 3 Note Study 3 --:--

2 Track 91 Linear Groove 1 Combination --:--

Track 175 3 Note Study 3

No sample videos found.

Series: Jost Nickel

Publisher: Alfred Music

ISBN10: 3-943638-90-1

ISBN13: 978-3-943638-90-5

UPC: 038081501451

SKU: 00-20249US

More about this title

About the Author: Jost Nickel

Jost Nickel represents a new generation of drummers reshaping contemporary percussion from Germany. His studio and touring work spans unlikely collaborators: jazz fusion with Randy Brecker and Barry Finnerty, funk and electronic music with Seeed and Mousse T., and chart-topping hip hop with Jan Delay, whose records have consistently reached number one in Germany. He studied at the prestigious Drummers Collective in New York and currently teaches at the University of Pop in Mannheim.

Nickel has become a sought-after clinician and educator, presenting at Montreal Drum Fest (2010), PASIC (2012 and 2016), the Meinl Drum Festival (2008, 2012, 2016), and the London Drum Show (2016). Modern Drummer Magazine nominated him Best Clinician in 2016, and he appeared on MusicRadar's list of the 10 best drum clinicians in the world in consecutive years. His writing and workshops have appeared in publications including Modern Drummer, Rhythm & Drums (Japan), Batterie (France), and Drums & Percussion (Germany). Beyond his three books released through Alfred Music, Nickel is known for the clarity and punch of his drum sound, balanced with sophisticated cymbal textures that reflect equal respect for tradition and forward-thinking innovation.

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Why we love this

Nickel cuts through the noise by centering groove as the non-negotiable foundation of contemporary drumming. Rather than overwhelming students with flashy fills or technique divorced from musicality, he teaches groove design as a deliberate craft using specific tools like ghost notes, snare and bass drum displacements, and linear concepts. The included MP3 CD provides reference recordings that make abstract notation tangible, letting drummers hear the pocket before they play it.

What to expect

The book pulls you into Nickel's philosophy that groove is the magnet at the center of every song. You'll encounter grooves that sound deceptively simple at first but reveal layers of orchestration and intentional displacement once you dig deeper. The result is music that has weight, clarity, and the kind of pocket that makes listeners move without thinking about it.

Who it's for

This book serves drummers at intermediate level and beyond who want to move beyond basic patterns and develop authentic grooves that hold a band together. It's equally valuable for drummers working in funk, fusion, contemporary jazz, and pop contexts who understand that feel and pocket are the real currency of professional playing.

How to get the most out of it

Study the recorded examples on the MP3 CD before internalizing the written patterns; hearing Nickel's pocket and articulation sets the standard for how these grooves should feel and sit in the mix.
Work through the orchestration variations methodically rather than jumping to complex fills; the point is to develop a flexible vocabulary, not to rush through patterns.
Use the online audio access to revisit grooves at different tempos, gradually building comfort at speeds where the subdivision feels natural rather than forced.
Focus on consistency and touch when practicing the ghost note concepts; the clarity of the texture matters as much as the rhythmic placement.

How to use it

Assign sections of this book to drummers in your ensemble who need to sharpen their time feel and command of the pocket. The recorded examples work well as listening assignments between rehearsals, helping students internalize groove vocabulary without requiring full band rehearsal time. Intermediate drummers can use specific grooves as the foundation for their own improvisation and fill creation.