All-American Drummer
by Charles Wilcoxon
Difficulty: Average
A great book to practice your rudimental drumming and sight reading by the master of rudiments himself...Charles Wilcoxon!
Modern School for Snare Drum
by Morris Goldenberg
Difficulty: Average
The complete guide to all membraphonic percussive endeavors. Lots of rhythmic reading for snare in a plethora of meters and a comprehensive music sampling of auxiliary percussion instruments with proper techniques and practices.
Musical Studies for the Intermediate Snare Drummer
by Garwood Whaley
Difficulty: Average
Wow! An amazing collection of one page etudes for snare drum in perhaps the MOST sequential progression of any method! The opening etude contains only quarter, eighth and sixteenth note basic rhythms, along with minimal dynamic and meter changes. However, by the last etude, both simple and compound rhythms and meters are found along with a multitude of rudiments and dynamic changes.
Podemski's Standard Snare Drum Method
by Benjamin Podemski
Difficulty: Challenging
A great collection of 53 one page etudes for snare drum that work the player through various rhythms, meters, rudiments, dynamics and more!
Six Unaccompained Solos for Snare Drum
by Michael Colgrass
Difficulty: Challenging
As its title suggests, this is a collection of 6 advanced snare drum solos. Each solo is unique and uses both conventional and unconventional techniques and playing areas. This is a great addition to any advanced percussionists method arsenal.
Stick Control
by George Lawrence Stone
Difficulty: Average
The original inspiration for George Stone's Mallet Control is found here in his Stick Control book. This is a short book of sequential exercises designed to work the student's sticking and rhythmic abilities. You will find this book not very challenging, yet very rewarding.
Syncopation for the Modern Drummer
by Ted Reed
Difficulty: Easy Reading
The goal of this book is to first introduce basic music reading skill sand then to explore many of the most common syncopation rhythms found in today's music. It is intended to be used both on snare drum and drum set! Dual purpose!
4 Mallet Primer
by Neil Grover
Difficulty: Easy Reading
A good collection of easy to medium level etudes and one page pieces to help develop basic 4 mallet technique and skills. There are many familiar tunes like Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony and March from the Nutcracker suite.
A Fresh Approach to Mallet Percussion
by Mark Wessels
Difficulty: Easy Reading
A great book for the beginning mallet percussionist, with use of oversize notes, staves, etc. This can also be a great sight reading book for an intermediate or advanced mallet student. Lastly, there is also a 9 page supplement for timpani.
Fundamental Method for Mallets
by Mitchell Peters
Difficulty: Average
One of the most comprehensive, easy to follow/understand and enjoyable mallet methods on the market. This book covers all mallet grips, both 2 and 4 mallet, theory and more!
Mallet Control
by George Lawrence Stone
Difficulty: Challenging
Make no mistake about it, this book's sole purpose is to train your two mallet technique and control to simply be the best. It is methodical, sequential and challenging.
Method of Movement for Marimba
by Leigh Howard Stevens
Difficulty: Average
The ultimate guide to Steven's 4 mallet technique written by the man who invented it! This book contains almost 600 exercises specifically designed to make you into a 4 mallet wizard! I'm listing this as "average" level of difficulty, but it definitely goes to very advanced.
Modern Mallet Method Vol. 1
by Phil Kraus
Difficulty: Average
A book chaulk full of tecnique, theory and harmony...or at least that's what the cover says!
Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba & Vibraphone
by Morris Goldenberg
Difficulty: Average
Writing a comprehensive guide to snare drum just wasn't enough for Morris Goldenberg, so he took he duplicated his snare drum method design for mallets. This is a very thorough method with lots of two mallet exercises, scale exercises and etudes and orchestral excerpts.
Percussion Keyboard Technic
by Thomas McMillan
Difficulty: Average
While this may be an old method for mallet technique training, it still has lots of valuable information and exercises.
The Vibes Real Book
by Arthur Lipner
Difficulty: Challenging
A wonderful book for the aspiring jazz vibest. This book has it all, theory, exercises and practical applications through real time-tested tunes!
A Funky Primer
by Charles Dowd
Difficulty: Average
A perfect book for the intermediate drum set artist who needs and wants to further develop his/her rock/funk drumming styles. This book features sequential exercises in a progressive format working on such topics as "limb independence," "sticking" and "double bass drum."
Alfred's Beginning Drumset Method
by Sandy Feldstein & Dave Black
Difficulty: Easy Reading
A wonderful starter drum set book for the budding young percussionist. This book is laid out well and the exercises work progressively. The only downside to this method is its lack of swing/jazz exercises/training. While it does work on that style of drumming, it is overshadowed by the abundance of rock style.
The Art of Bop Drumming
by John Riley
Difficulty: Challenging
This book features a play-along CD that is very useful to the student. Written by one of the authorities of bop, jazz and swing styles, John Riley covers everything from comping to listening and song structure. This is a pretty advanced book and should only be attempted by the intermediate drum set player looking to learn A LOT about the aforementioned styles and MORE!
Alfred Drumset Method, Book II
by Sandy Feldstein & Dave Blacks
Difficulty: Average
This book features a play-along CD that is very useful to the student. Written by one of the authorities of bop, jazz and swing styles, John Riley covers everything from comping to listening and song structure. This is a pretty advanced book and should only be attempted by the intermediate drum set player looking to learn A LOT about the aforementioned styles and MORE!
Groove Essentials
by Tommy Igoe
Difficulty: Average - Challenging
This book features a play-along CD that is very useful to the student. Written by one of the authorities of bop, jazz and swing styles, John Riley covers everything from comping to listening and song structure. This is a pretty advanced book and should only be attempted by the intermediate drum set player looking to learn A LOT about the aforementioned styles and MORE!
85 Ubungen fur Pauken
by Heinrich Knauer
Difficulty: Average
Don't worry, Mr. N hasn't lost his ability to spell. The title of this book is in German, since that is where its author lives and had the book published. This is a simple book of either 2 or 3 drum etudes designed to work on various timpani techniques.
Exercises, Etudes and Solos for the Timpani
by Raynor Carroll
Difficulty: Average
This book should serve as one of many sources available to the student in learning technique on the timpani. The purpose of this book is to provide material for the student which can be used in various styles and techniques to develop a strong foundation on the timpani. It is one of the best books for timpani instruction given its inclusion of exercises, etudes and solos. What more could you ask for?
Modern Method for Tympani
by Saul Goodman
Difficulty: Average
The purpose of this book is to present in a progressive sequence, the materials which are necessary for the training and development of the modern tympanist. And best yet...it was written by the former principal tympanist with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra!