Inspiration comes in many forms such as thumping groove, the feel of a new pair of sticks, the sound of a roaring crowd and of course images of our drum heroes. I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of my copy at the door like I was 5 years old on Christmas eve. Jules Follett, Publisher and Author has put together a must have compendium of drumming that will no doubt go down in history as one of the great inspirations of the century. While it is not a book of exercises and charts, it is a look into the life of the “A-list” and working drummers.

It is just as important to know the background of each drummer as it is to study their licks. Each drummer has a short bio and great photos(Lissa Wales). Before you dig in to Stick n Skins clear your schedule and grab a beverage becasue once you start, it’s hard to stop!

It is a part of life to know where we’ve been in order to know where we are going.

Here are a few images of the book for you. I recommend that you get your hands on a copy and read it cover to cover.

Lackowski’s goal has always been to provide the reader with an accelerated path of discovery within a particular genre. It all started with his first book, On the Beaten Path: The Drummers Guide to Musical Styles and the Legends Who Defined Them” which earned #1 Educational book 2008 Modern Drummer Magazine, #1 Book 2008 Drum Magazine. I am also pleased to report that Lackowski’s second book, “On the Beaten Path: Progressive Rock” has also taken honors as the 2009 Best Educational Book, Modern Drummer Magazine!

Lackowski and Alfred Publications knew better than to change the format for the latest O.B.P.-Metal; and for those who have enjoyed the book layout in this series, this latest installment stays true to form.

As with Lackowski’s previous releases, O.B.T.-Metal is more than just a book; it is a historical time-line that details the drummers whose individual technique have impacted the metal genre’s evolution. You will experience metal greats such as Chris Adler, Lars Ulrich, and Jason Bittner, to name a few.

In terms of the nuts and bolts of playing the featured metal classics, this is where Lackowski shines with his ability to break down the transcriptions into logical steps that serve as the building blocks to ultimately becoming proficient in this musical style. He also organizes each drummer’s work from beginner to intermediate to advanced level; however you may find some of the advanced level to be easier than intermediate level, as it’s more of a personal thing than a rule. Either way, Lackowski’s strength is putting forth a road map to tackle each bombastic groove and fill.

As always, the On the Beaten Path – Metal is accompanied with a CD where most, if not all, tracks are played proficiently by Rich himself; and without any drum machine assistance that I could tell.

I highly recommend Rich Lackowski’s “On the Beaten Path: Metal – The Drummers Guide to the Genre and the Legends who defined it”. This is a well thought out project that not only explains the mechanics required to perform the selected works, but provides a map to understanding the history of metal drumming. It showcases the many (not all) uniquely gifted artists and their contributions to the genre, and offers the inspiration to further continue your own pathway of discovery.

A student of Dave Calarco and the master Joe Morello as well as attending the Drummers Collective in NYC, Pete Sweeney has been a professional musician for close to thirty years. When it comes to experience Sweeney has plenty playing with the likes of legendary guitarist Larry Coryell as well as famed Police veteran, Andy Summers.

Few instructional books are dedicated to the notion of the drum fill, however in his book, “Drummer’s Guide to Fills”, Pete Sweeney takes the time to examine and differentiate how and in what context the drum fill is to be applied. The first few chapters’ focus and notation terminology; and hand/foot coordination studies. I would suggest that is where the reader’s initial focus should be; otherwise you’ll struggle with dynamics and keeping the count later on.

Subsequent chapters focus on Groove fills, Accents, Sixteenth note fills, three beat Triplet fills, Jazz fills, and advanced fills that include four stroke ruffs, six stroke rolls, common rudiments used around the set, and odd groupings.

All the while Pete Sweeney provides the exercises and ideas aimed at improving vocabulary and dexterities that are the building blocks to drum fill development. “Drummer’s Guide to Fills” also is accompanied by a CD that solidly demonstrates the musical examples.

“Drummers Guide to Fills” will get you on the proper track as to how you think about fills, and Sweeney does a very good job of eliminating much of the confusion that commonly surrounds this issue.

I would also recommend the predecessor to “Drummers Guide to Fills”, which is Pete Sweeney’s book entitled “The Versatile Drummer”, which focuses on various styles of drumming that the serious drummer is expected to know. Remember, your chops won’t mean a thing without the ability groove in various styles, and keep the time in check.

Ten years since the release of Zoro’s first blockbuster book, “The Commandments of R&B Drumming: A Comprehensive Guide to Soul, Funk and Hip-Hop”, which focused on the 1960’s to 90’s influences of these genre’s. This time around Zoro has teamed up with Daniel Glass, a world class drummer and author in his own right, founding member and touring the globe with ultra swing band, Royal Crown Revue, and also wrote “The Ultimate History of Rock & Roll Drumming:1948 to 2000”.

This time around Zoro and Glass set their sites on the ultra cool swing period of the 1940’s and 50’s. With the utmost respect and passion for the era, Zoro and Glass set out to reveal the history of this time period and to explain how the swing era is the foundation of today’s grooves.

The challenge for both in putting this book together is that some of the figures of that era are no longer living. Daniel Glass, being passionate explorer of this time period, fortunately had conducted many interviews while these figures were still alive. Otherwise many of these stories would have not been told.

As its predecessor, The Commandments of Early Rhythm and Blues Drumming is laid out beautifully and includes clear definitions of terms, the hits of the era, and the figures that made them famous. What I found very interesting was all of the different forms of R&B that grew out of different regions of America, for example, Texas and West Coast shuffles. Whether the style is Bebop or Boogie-Woogie, or Faux Latin Rhythms, common denominators exist for each.

This stories told by legends of the style will entertain you, enrich your understanding as to their respective origins, and let us not forget most importantly, this book will teach you how to SWING. The examples both written and played masterfully on the accompanying CD are clear and comprehensive.

A little advice to all of you aspiring drummers out there… You cannot get to where you want to be, until you’ve learned where you’ve been. Today’s Rock drumming is an extension of the American Swing Era, and swinging means that the notes are played in such a way that folks will want to dance to it. Take the time to learn this, it is necessary and will make you a better drummer. The Commandments of Early Rhythm and Blues Drumming will get you to where you need to go.

This gem is brought to you by Rich Lackowski and Alfred Publishing and follows the enormously popular “On the Beaten Path: The Drummer’s Guide to Musical Styles and the Legends Who Defined Them”

Broken down into begginer, intermediate, and advanced levels, Rick Lackowski always starts out with a concise musician biography and an overview of the hardware used by each. Lackowski then tackles on average three songs from each artist, and with legends featured such as Gavin Harrison, Danny Carey, Neil Peart, Carl Palmer to name a few, get ready for many hours of fun!

This is where Lackowski shines! He has a gift that enables him to break down the core elements of a musical piece and translate those ideas into easily understandable written notation. In a sense, he spoon feeds the elements so that you not only understand the notation, but rather the emphasis becomes on the feel of how the piece is played. This becomes especially important when he explores various polyrythms featured in this book.

Another big plus is the CD at Rich Lackowski includes, where most of the examples are recorded by Rich himself. This is not one of those lame drum machine recordings either. Lackowski records the parts of the studies necessary to give you an audial sense of what your looking at. He stays true to form and proves also that he is a very talented musician and instructor.

Here’s the bottom line; most drummers will readily admit that they devloped their individual styles by adopting the creative techniques of others and this book provides a short cut as it offers a well rounded exposure within a particaular genre. This enables the drummer to add some new perspectives and techniques to their respective arsenal, that they themselves can use as a spring board to create their own individuality. You will also be quite surprised when Lackowski demonstrates that what always sounded difficult, may be downright easy.

On the Beaten Path: Progressive Rock is a must for anybody who wants to get on the inside track to understanding their heroes.

By Josh Gorska
JoGo Publications 2006

Josh Gorska, a Chicago working drummer and educator for the passed 17 years, has compiled an extensive collection of his most effective and favorite instructional worksheets, used by he and his students for many years.

Drumset Mechanics offers the reader a logical flow of lesson plans, each designed to build upon the previous. From note reading, rudimental studies and snare drum dynamics to world music, clave variations, Jazz and Latin systems, this 123 page book is packed with something for everyone, for both, the beginner and the intermediate/advanced musician. Another plus is that each lesson begins with a few paragraphs that generally emphasize the notation count, the dynamics, and the associated context (feel) in which the lesson is designed.

Although not a complete substitute private instruction, Drumset Mechanics can offer the reader a reasonable level of assurance that he or she is covering the various core aspects that make a drummer whole. What I like about this book is that it is well written with clear notation, and the lesson flow is reminiscent of weekly instruction. To avoid burn out, Gorska takes care not to focus on any one element for too long. Drumset Mechanics is not about making you an expert in a particular area, it’s about the aspects that make a drummer well rounded.

As a tool for the instructor; unless your drum teacher has great follow-up from week to week, this is a very good book to keep you both on track, and moving forward. There is also dedicated space with each lesson for the student / instructor to write down their ideas and interpretations. Drumset Mechanics, as a composition of ideas and proven lesson plans in a progressive flow, offers the student and teacher a very solid overall value.