Books for Independence

[timjazzman]

Currently I am working through "Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer" by Jim Chapin. This book is really helping me with different rhythms with my left hand and keeping the swing rhythm going. Its opening up more possibilities for me.
I just thought I'd ask you guys what other books you'd recommend for independence, or is this THE essential one for Jazz Independence?

Thanks

PS
Thanks for the reply on the 12/8 topic. I understand it a whole lot more, I think I'll just count it as two 6/8 bars.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 15, 2005 02:15 PM: Message edited by: timwecklfan ]</font>

[tnsolt]

John Riley's The Art of Bop Drumming is said to be superior to Chapin's. I just got it a couple days ago and it explains in more detail the theories behind swing drumming rather than just giving the reader a bunch of exercises.

Though having said that Chapin's book is still a damn good source for swing independence.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 15, 2005 02:22 PM: Message edited by: shockediddle ]</font>

[matricks]

Syncopation, of course, is a good place to start when trying to get used to different 8th note melodies being played against the time being kept on the rest of the set.

[Avi_drums]

Create your own exercises. Take a 3 limb constant pattern (1 or two bars) and read with the 4th limb.

[benrand]

One of the sickest things I've ever seen was Danny Gottlieb going through New Breed from memory, singing the notes while playing this crazy beat. It seemed as if every limb was in opposition to all others and the singing part was against those too. I think that if you want to learn independence, learning how to sing the notes out of NB or Syncopation while playing even simple beats works.

That book is brutal.

[hanayalator]

Syncopation! Page 38 (37 in the older books). It's just a page of various syncopated rhythms. You can come up with hundreds of different combinations to work on. And Riley's Art of Bop and Beyond Bop drumming have some great stuff.

[troutbrooke]

Gary Chaffee's volume IV - Technique

[Mr. Acrolite]

Marv Dahlgren has a great independence book out, that takes the Chapin stuff up a notch by adding lots more left foot work. I saw him play this stuff live at a clinic many years ago, and he ripped it up, bigtime - and this is a guy known as a symphonic percussionist. Great stuff.


Mr. A.

[Vdrummer]

I'll be an iconoclast and advise against using Syncopation. The book has bass drum notes written on quarter notes, may deceive you into thinking you can actually read the rhythms, when you may just be aligning them either with or between beats. Most students I've gotten who've done that page/book can't read stuff music from other books.

Modern Text Reading, by Bellson and Breines, has a variety of rhythms without bass drum notes written underneath. The Chapin book is fine for coordination now, but I echo the advice to use John Riley's book. Bobby Gabrielle's Chart Reading book is great for your reading and interpretation too. 4-way coordination (Dahlgren & Fine) is an interesting book, but in my opinion, too open-ended for what you need.

[matricks]

Then i have to jump BACK in [img]wink.gif[/img] and say that, indeed, syncopation does lack in the area of improving your reading (past a certain point) because of the quarters that give a cushion to whomever is reading it.

HOWEVER, in terms of working on independence (and not reading) it would work fine as a starting point. Since he mentions he wants it for independence studies, then i don't think it would be a problem [img]biggrin.gif[/img]