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Stick Control: Snare Drum Book

$12.99 USD
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Stick Control: Snare Drum Book

Stick Control: Snare Drum Book

For the Snare Drummer

By George Lawrence Stone

Item: 00-32749
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Description
George Lawrence Stone's Stick Control is the original classic, often called the bible of drumming. In 1993, Modern Drummer magazine named it first in the top 25 drumming books of all-time. In the words of the author, this is the ideal book for improving "control, speed, flexibility, touch, rhythm, lightness, delicacy, power, endurance, preciseness of execution, and muscular coordination," with extra attention given to the development of the weak hand. This indispensable book for drummers of all types includes hundreds of basic to advanced rhythms and moves through categories of single-beat combinations, triplets, short roll combinations, flam beats, flam triplets and dotted notes, and short roll progressions.

"It truly is a timeless classic and an essential requirement for every drummer's library."
Drummer Magazine

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Stick Control: Snare Drum Book comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Additional Details
Publisher: Stone Percussion Books, LLC.
Page Count: 48
ISBN10: 1-892764-04-0
ISBN13: 978-1-892764-04-1
UPC: 038081356433
SKU: 00-32749

More about this title

About the Composer: George Lawrence Stone

George Lawrence Stone was a legendary percussionist and educator whose influence on snare drum technique shaped generations of drummers. His systematic approach to building fundamental control transformed snare drumming from a largely improvised craft into a discipline grounded in repetition, precision, and progressive difficulty.

Why we love this

Stick Control remains unmatched as a foundation builder because it isolates technique from musicality, allowing drummers to focus purely on control and consistency before layer-ing interpretation on top. The exercises move logically from simple to complex, making it equally useful for a sixth-grade band percussionist and a college snare soloist. Its 70-year track record speaks loudest: drummers who work through this book develop the hand independence and consistency that separates competent players from strong ones.

What to expect

Working through Stick Control feels like laying brick: repetitive, methodical, and sometimes unglamorous, but undeniably foundational. The rhythmic shapes feel abstract at first because they're designed to isolate technique rather than create music, yet the patterns gradually reveal musical applications that will appear in real repertoire.

Who it's for

This book serves snare drummers at every level, from developing players building fundamental control to advanced students refining weak-hand consistency and exploring complex rhythmic combinations. It's equally valuable in school band settings and private studio instruction.

How to get the most out of it

  • Start with the marked tempo and prioritize evenness over speed. Stone's exercises demand control first; rushing them defeats the purpose.
  • Practice the weak hand patterns in isolation before combining them. Many drummers skip this step and never fully address the imbalance.
  • Use a metronome throughout and vary the tempo in small increments. This builds the adaptability that studio and ensemble work requires.
  • Break each exercise into short sections (4-8 measures) rather than playing full pages. Focused repetition builds better muscle memory than running through everything at once.

How to use it

Use this as the core snare drum curriculum for your percussion section, assigning specific exercise ranges that match your repertoire demands. A student preparing for auditions or solo performance should focus on the relevant sections rather than completing the entire book sequentially.

Skills your students will build

  • Single-hand control and independence
  • Even subdivision at varying tempos
  • Weak-hand development and consistency
  • Rhythmic vocabulary (singles, doubles, triplets, flams, rolls, dotted combinations)
  • Stick height consistency and rebound control
  • Endurance and muscular coordination across complex patterns

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