Snare drum method recommendations.

[Miki C.]

I know I always repeat myself over this, but as a complementary book I'd throw in Gary Chaffee's Sticking Patterns book. You can always use it gradually in addition to what your students are doing so they get strong and clean accent articulation.

The polyrhythm /modulation books is absurd, I've met few people who have played through it's entirety.

Pretty unbelievable stuff , i ve had the book 4 months now and im just finishing the quintuplet page (24) im really trying to burn this shit into my muscle memory so im spending a lot of time on each section, i plan on playing trough the whole thing or at least trying too even if it takes me a few years although ive been told now that it comes with a CD its really a lot of help, i know peeps who had the book before it came with a cd and they just gave up on it

im a firm believer in order to figure vinnie out you have too be able understand the rythem and meter book lol

[Jeremy Smirnoff]

I am really interested in Gary's book. Can anyone provide more insight into the specific areas it covers?

[Odd-Arne Oseberg]

I use Gary's books for my own practice.

Didn't really need the technique book, since there was nothing new, but it's good to get for inspiration just in case.

The meter and patterns book basically gives you linear 16th note bassdrum possibilities(first fat back, then he moves the snare drum and then the 4-way stuff) you can combine with any ostinato and use in a lot of diferent ways. Then the same thing with tripplets for jazz and shuffle work.

The polyrhythm book is basically a bunch of rhytmically challenging reading texts and suggestions on how to work with them.

Sticking patterns is the linear groove and fill book.

On the cd's and DVD's he goes through all sorts of ways to work and be creative with the material, which is potentially endless.

The linear book is some progressive exercises to getting started with linear playing. Good basic Groove/time workouts.

Combined with some new breed/syncopation type stuff and some good snare drum exercises this is sort of all you need for progressive basic skills.

Offcourse for music and style you need a lot more.

[YamahaPlayer]

While in no means a beginner text, it is very progressive and monstrous. If you can find a copy of "Slammin' Hybrids" that'll be about the last snare text you'll ever need as an advanced player.

I am really interested in Gary's book. Can anyone provide more insight into the specific areas it covers?

If you ordered all 4 of the 'Patterns' series it'd be enough to challenge you for years. It's not so much stuff like learning grooves or styles but are far more conceptually based texts.
That is to say anything in them can be applied to any style of playing.

Gary was also, I would say a pioneer in making the linear concepts more approachable or understandable, though now you can find many many books on linear styles. His again are more conceptual, he's just showing you possibilities and the concept for generating them. Once you've reached that point of understanding, you are effectively teaching yourself.

The descriptions of the books on say Amazon or his own site pretty much cover what they deal with. The books are VERY dense however. And as mentioned the Polyrhythm book gets into some very out there stuff, most of it's not really musically relevant to most gigs, but having a firm grasp on those concepts and rhythms just boosts everything else.

Most people won't notice the difference of two 16ths and a 16th note triplet VS a 16th note quintuplet. But having the skill to flex the note values in your hands only expands your vocabulary as a drummer.

[Odd-Arne Oseberg]

Thanks again guys.

I've ordered a copy of everything recommended so far.