The Everything Drums Book: From Tuning and Timing to Fills and Solos-All You Need to Keep the Beat (Everything Series) (Paperback)

by Eric Starr (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
As any musician will tell you, the drummer is the backbone of a group. Today’s drummers are no longer hidden away behind the frontman or lead guitarist. They have come to the forefront and are now being recognized for their individual talent.

You can continue in the tradition of the drumming greats with The Everything® Drums Book with CD, a straightforward, step-by-step introduction to playing drums with inspiration and style. You’ll be given lessons in tuning, timing, and hand technique, while developing a unique style all your own. In addition to the fundamentals of drumming, you’ll learn how to play in various styles, including rock, blues, jazz, R&B, Latin, and Caribbean. Numerous practice exercises help you put your knowledge to work, while the audio examples help train your ear.

The Everything® Drums Book with CD also includes:
·An equipment buyer’s guide
·A music reading tutorial
·Instruction for playing with brushes and mallets
·Tips for maintaining equipment
·Guidance on fills and solos

Whether you’re a fan of Keith Moon, Steve Gadd, Stewart Copeland, Buddy Rich, Neil Peart, or Tito Puente, The Everything® Drums Book with CD gives you all the tools you need to keep the beat.

About the Author
Eric Starr, a longtime professional drummer, has studied with the legendary Joe Morello and received a bachelor of music and English from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Mr. Starr has worked with many top engineers, producers, and musicians, including Harvey Jay Goldberg, Jeffrey Lesser, Kenny Ascher, The Chieftains, Dominic Miller, Iain Bellamy, and members of 10,000 Maniacs. Currently, Mr. Starr performs with his own jazz group and writes for Modern Drummer magazine. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580628869
• ISBN-13: 978-1580628860
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #722,749 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, May 24, 2005

By	M. C. Loughmiller (New Bern, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is absolutely astonishing! I recently got the urge to learn drumming, but I live in a rather isolated location. I was lucky enough to find myself a teacher - unfortunately, he changed jobs and I was forced to fend for myself after only two "real" drum lessons. I spent half a paycheck on various teach-yourself books, and this book was by FAR the best investment of them all. Everything Drums is perfect for the complete beginner - it includes all the standard topics you'd expect (how to buy drums and what to do if you can't, how to hold a stick, how to put your kit together, how to hit the drum with the stick, ad infinitum) in a very clear, plain-english manner. The author doesn't assume the book is something you'll only use in between lessons - with a real life instructor to clarify - but rather treats it as a complete course for someone who's never even touched a drumstick before in his or her life. It even includes ways to evaluate your own progress - something that I personally feel is very, very hard to do without an instuctor. Very highly recommended!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honest companion, March 1, 2006

By	Jesus C. Alba (Spain) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is ideal for beginners, because it starts with the very basics (how drums work) and goes on up to quite advanced rythms. That is, you do not need to know anything about drumming before reading this book, and you will know a lot when you finish it (if you follow the advices that it suggests).

For me, one key which differences this book is honesty: the author does not promise that you will be a pro in two weeks. Instead, it encourages you to keep practicing the basics for as long as you need, so you get a sound basis that allows you to improve yourself.

The book includes a CD with lots of tracks where you can feel the rythms covered (which is an invaluable help for learning how to read drum scores). The CD is well recorded and inspiring, specially the latin rythms section (how tasty!)

I only missed more pictures, specially at the beginning: while the descriptions of how to grip the sticks are precise and imaginative, it would have been much more explanatory to actually show the hand and the stick from different angles. The section only has four close pictures of hands, and no picture of general posture.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank You Eric Starr! This Book Will Be My Drum Bible!, December 18, 2007

By	W. Dent "Life Lover" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I want to add my voice to those who praise this book. I played professionally as a road musician for many years (drummer). Then I followed another path and put down my sticks for over twenty years. Fortunately, when I decided to pick my sticks up again, I found this book at the local library. What a great comfort to have Mr. Starr's insights on the basic elements of playing drums. Many of the things he covers, I knew before picking up his book. Still, there are many things in the book that I never got under my belt the first time around because I was too busy playing. As a much older student of the instrument this time around, I find myself reveling in the details missed before. Through this book, I am teaching myself to read music. It's not that I didn't know how to read before but to sight read is a far different story. I intend to patiently learn how to read like the pros as time has taught me that time is the one thing we do have, at least until we run out of it.

This book is great for the beginner to intermediate levels (I count myself as the latter in most of the things covered though the real secrets of tuning a snare drum is still a revelation to me). Seriously, if you have any interest in playing this instrument seriously, pick up this book. I bought my own copy because I expect to refer to it for a long time. It is written so that you feel as though Mr. Starr is in your corner and you are not going to go through this learning process alone. That my friends, is a very comforting feeling, even for a guy who is just picking it up again after these long years of estrangement.