Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I recently took up drums and bought this book along with a few others. I decided I was working from too many books at one time so switched to this one exclusively since it seems to cover it all. One thing I do not like is the CD tracks start the exercises without a lead in..So it's kinda hard to get the exercises started out correctly until you play it a few times and count from the last word of eric's sentence to the beginning of the exercise, it's usually 4 but not always. Also I think I found a mistake on Etude#1 between the book and the CD. The 9th measure in the book starts with 3 quarter notes, but the CD plays it as 1 Quarter note and then an 8th note. Basically the CD seems to play the 10th measure instead of the 9th. Can somone verify this?? This is very frustrating if I am correct. This is as far as I have gotten so far, sure hope there are no more mistakes...especially in the more difficult sections or else I will pull what hair I have left out.. Otherwise it has been a very good book so far.

Years ago, I walked in to a bookstore with a friend and had planned on not buying anything. When I saw this book, my plan changed!

I got the book, and it has a ton of great drumming information! Very impressive!

The book is excellent. It has very thorough and well written instructions for beginners. Only regret is that I bought the Kindle version and I missed out on the accompanying CD. Tried to look for a download link but no luck. This book is so good that I will probably buy it again in print to get the CD.

I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about writing music for drums and have found it very useful. I am sure someone wishing to learn to play drums would find it a really helpful tool. My only problems are that it could've done with more editing checks to make sure that the text and images matched and made sense.

I really like this book. Eric started from the beginning (even the stick-holding is nicely described) and got step-by-step to more complicated grooves and rhythms. CD exemplares are pretty well played (sometimes the tempo is a bit too fast). The book contains very good exercises for rookies and for advanced players too. I recommend this as a comprehensive book on drumming.

This book was very useful and comprehensive for setting up and playing drums. It had been a bit too many years since I last played. This was a great refresher and brought me up to speed

It's a nice book, but things there are really for beginners. If you need detailed description of arm motions, proper grip, variaty of exersizes, thank you should look for another book. Nevertheless, this book serves pretty well for those who just took the sticks into their shaking hands. The language is very vivid and bright!