Bill Bruford - When in Doubt, Roll (No. 6630298) (Paperback)

~ Bill Bruford (Author) "This book is not a drum instruction volume that purports to tell you how to play the drums, nor is it a glowing testament to..." (more)
Key Phrases: snare drum, King Crimson, Heart Of The Sunrise, Dave Stewart (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Designed for the intermediate-level drummer, this book is a collection of 18 of BrufordÕs greatest performances, with suggested exercises and insights from his years as one of the worldÕs foremost drummers. Bill Bruford is best known for his work with Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Al DiMeola, and others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Modern Drummer Publications (May 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793535298
• ISBN-13: 978-0793535293
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,304,992 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Word from the Book's Co-Author, May 16, 2006

By	Michael Bettine (Milwaukee, WI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is in response to "nicklang2" - I am the person who did the transcriptions for the book and also came up with the idea for it. Thanks for the kudos.

Now about those "mistakes"....this book was started out in 1985. The transcriptions were taken off of vinyl LPs (you may have heard of them), as CDs of this material were just a dream. As such, the already arduous task was made even more arduous by having to listen to scratchy vinyl copies of Bill's superb drumming. Thankfully, I had a multi-speed reel-to-reel tape recorder (you may have heard of these too) that allowed me to slow down the tracks to better hear the nuances of Bill's playing. I would listen, I would transcribe, I would send the charts to Bill in England via snail-mail for his comments & approval, which he would then send back to me in the States - you can imagine how long this process took back then. Looking back, it's a wonder this book ever happened.

So please forgive the small mistakes or inconsistencies, as it was a labor of love. Besides, Bill never played things the same way twice. And this was also never meant to be a learn-Bill's-drumming-note-for-note book, it was meant to hopefully explain and illuminate Bill's unique drumming vocabulary.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Learning Notation Backwards, August 6, 2000

By	Kourous Xnasasis (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

If you know Bill's drumming, this book can be a real eye-opener. If you don't, the notated examples can be intimidating -- but they may lead you to buy some challenging and original music.

I'll be honest and say I got this strictly for entertainment. It wound being more useful than I thought. I was never much of a sight-reader, but seeing the parts as I listened to them gave me some insight into drum notation.

Bill's written insight into the music is good enough to make you wish for an autobigraphy - or at least some ongoing music criticism. There are also enough ancedotes to dissuade anyone from wanting to make a living out of playing orginal music! I reccommmend this unconditionally for drummers and "proggies".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, good product, February 18, 2006

By	S. Lehner "Coffee lover" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am not a drummer but admire Bill Bruford's work immensely. I bought this for someone I know, but before giving it up, I read through all of the commentary that precedes each transcription. It is obvious from reading this book (if you couldn't already tell from his music) that Bill Bruford is an intelligent, thoughful musician.