Edition: Paperback Book & Online Video, Drums

Description: 46 Pages

In this, the first drum book he has written, music legend Steve Gadd presents a series of rudimental passages inspired by his experience in drum corps and his love of the rudiments. Each of the etudes is based on a classic or contemporary rudiment, or on Steve's personal variations. He takes the phrases and then displaces them to begin on different subdivisions of the beat, thereby creating new, challenging patterns from the basic sticking. All of the solos are written in musical phrases that reinforce the player's understanding of the importance of phrasing as a key element of musicianship.

The book has been painstakingly hand-engraved at Steve's request, to bring a comfortable and classic look to the pages. The layout of each page was also designed specifically by Gadd to create an easy yet musical flow to the reading. These features are reflective of a man who has read thousands of charts in the studio on some of the most important recordings of our time.

Accompanying the book is a full set of videos with Steve demonstrating each etude using the method he used to write the book: Playing with his rubber-tip practice sticks on a piece of wood. Even in this situation, Gadd's legendary groove and musicality shine through. Drum set, drum corps, and classical drummers will find an instant classic in these pages, with elements that will improve your technical ability, musical phrasing, groove, and your rhythmic vocabulary using the challenging technique of displacement that Steve bases the book upon.

STEVE GADD is one of the all-time legends of drumming, having appeared on thousands of recordings in every major style in which the drumset is played, with artists who comprise a literal who's-who of contemporary recording artists, including Chick Corea, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Eric Clapton, Frank Sinatra, Al DiMeola, Al Jarreau, Stanley Clarke, Chuck Mangione. He is also an established producer and bandleader of the Gadd Gang and the Steve Gadd Band.

Endorsements:

"Steve Gadd's Gaddiments is an instant classic from my perspective. Steve has written well-conceived and useful sticking combinations that are challenging, sound good and feel great to play. Because the book was written by Steve Gadd, whose background and approach includes rudimental stickings steeped in many years of musical experience, the examples have symmetry, motivic development, a logical flow and a natural feel. If you take your time with the material, start slow, and play the examples with smooth motions, you can improve your technique, vocabulary and musicianship. Plus, the notation is easy to read, and the “big band chart” look is hip. The examples are applicable in many different ways: I started on the practice pad, moved to the snare drum doubling the accents with the bass drum, then played the stickings between two toms for interesting melodies, and finally orchestrated them on the kit playing the examples on the snare with accents on the toms or cymbals, doubled with the bass drum. These are excellent etudes for developing symmetry on the kit."–Steve Smith (Journey, Vital Information)