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:

• Amazon (US)
• Amazon (Canada)
• Hudson Music (eBook)

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