Drum books – Practicing Drummer

The Rudimental Blueprint

I’m a big fan of drum books, especially snare drum methods. Every morning before the rest of the house wakes up, I spend time on the practice pad, so I’m always on the hunt for new material.

I got a copy of The Rudimental Blueprint about a month ago and I’ve really enjoyed working out of it for the last few weeks.

The Legacy of Chuck Burrows

What really resonated with me about this book is the legacy aspect. It draws heavily from the compositions and teaching philosophy of Chuck Burrows, whose influence on percussion education runs deep.

I love it when students carry on the influence of their teachers and do it in such a thoughtful way.

The approach here reflects a long-term view of development: build fundamentals carefully, reinforce them musically, and don’t rush the process.

Over 100 Solos and Duets

There are over 100 solos and duets in the book. Each piece focuses on specific concepts without sounding like mechanical exercises.

Each solo includes a QR code that links to videos to use as guidance or to perform the duets. The duet aspect forces you to listen in a different way while playing and gives you a performance goal to work toward.

Here’s the only freely available video example I could find on YouTube, but there are others in the linked PDF below.

Sample Pages

Jeff (the author) was kind enough to send me some sample pages to share. Here’s a free PDF with six pages from the book, giving you 6 solos (or 3 duets) to check out. Each page has the QR code so you can check out the videos as well.

Spiral Binding

This might seem trivial to call out, but as someone who still likes physical books, there’s nothing better than spiral binding. It makes books so much easier to handle. More publishers should offer spiral-bound books.

Where to Get the Book

The book is pretty widely available in print and digital:

If you check it out, I’d be interested to know what you think. Happy practicing!

The Art of Playing with Brushes

I’ve been working on my brush playing and rediscovered this absolute treasure from Hudson Music. It’s fantastic.

The Art of Playing with Brushes (instant video / DVD) is an amazing resource with over 7 hours(!) of footage that features:

Billy Hart
Eddie Locke
Joe Morello
Charlie Persip
Ben Riley
Adam Nussbaum
Steve Smith

What makes this so unique is that you’re not just watching a single instructor explain patterns—you’re seeing multiple masters demonstrate their personal approaches, all playing to the same set of backing tracks.

The backing tracks are included, and they’re some of the best I’ve encountered for practicing—whether with brushes or sticks. Tempos range from 40–320 bpm, with a couple of them in 3/4 and a few Latin tracks as well.

Here’s a sample that features Billy Hart:

I can’t recommend this highly enough! If you haven’t checked it out and you’re a jazz drummer, I’d say it’s a must-watch.

It’s available as an instant video from Hudson Music or on DVD.

Podcast – Ron Tierno

This episode is available in most places that you listen to podcasts.

Recorded June 2025

Ron Tierno’s name first came up in my interview with Hank Allen-Barfield, who mentioned studying The Melodic Snare Drummer—a book by Ron—while working with Billy Drummond at Juilliard. I ordered the book right away and loved the concept so much that I wanted to talk to Ron. I really had fun getting to know him and learning more about the book.

Ron has spent his entire career based in New York, where he did some recording and worked extensively as a Broadway musician. He played on the first national tour of CATS and later joined the show’s long-running Broadway production.

These days, Ron teaches out of Good Hands Drum Shop in Manhattan and continues to take on some freelance gigs. For the past decade, he’s also performed in holiday concerts with the Boston Pops. While he still enjoys playing, Ron now primarily identifies as a Broadway veteran and educator, drawing on his decades of experience.

www.rontierno.com

Ron’s Broadway Drumming 101 interview

Ron’s Books

The Melodic Snare Drummer

The Hip-Hop Snare Drummer

The Swingin’ Snare Drummer

Good Hands Drum Shop in New York City

goodhandsdrumshop.com

Category: Drum books