The New Basics: Rock Drums: Drumset Book & CD

This method flips the script on how beginners learn drums. Rather than trudging through notation and grip exercises before touching actual music, students play authentic rock beats and fills from the opening pages, building confidence and technique simultaneously. The included CD removes the barrier of needing accompaniment, letting drummers at any school or home setting hear exactly what they're working toward.

Immediate gratification wrapped in solid pedagogy. Within the first few pages, drummers are playing recognizable rock grooves and hearing themselves on the included CD, which feels like performing from day one. The energy is infectious, this is what playing drums should feel like, not a chore masquerading as music education.

Beginning drummers aged 8 and up who need a method that meets them where they are musically, excited about rock but not yet literate in standard percussion pedagogy. This works equally well for self-taught students and those in a school setting where drum instruction may be limited.

• Start with the drum setup and tuning section before opening to the first beat. A properly tuned kit sounds better and keeps students motivated to practice.
• Loop the backing tracks on the CD for individual grooves; let students solo-practice one beat until it locks, then move forward.
• Reference the techniques of established drummers mentioned in the book when a student hits a rough passage. Knowing that the fill they're learning comes from real players makes it click differently.
• Have students play along with the CD before performing beats in ensemble settings. Hearing the proper tempo and pocket makes the transition to group playing cleaner.

Use this as your foundational text for any beginning drumset program, especially in schools where percussion students enter with rock and pop as their primary musical reference points. It works well as a standalone method or as preparation before transitioning students into more traditional snare drum study or full ensemble work. Pair it with early ensemble pieces that use simple rock grooves to reinforce what students are learning in the method.

• Reading basic rhythmic notation and drum notation symbols
• Executing standard rock beats and 8th-note feels
• Playing fills with proper technique and control
• Drum tuning and kit setup and maintenance
• Developing independence between hands and feet on the drumset
• Listening to backing tracks and playing in time with accompaniment
• Rock drumming vocabulary and groove terminology