50 hours of shot footage, 2000 hours of work, more than 10 years of research. Condensed in 270 pages, 950 licks, 4 hours of video demonstrations. When I decided to write this method my objective was to create the ultimate drum chops guide.

Simply put, reading music is not about reading but is about interpretation. That’s why being a good reader is not about literal execution of what’s written. It’s about adding what’s not written, which is most of what we actually play. Today we are going to use a 16th note drum chart to learn 5 different approaches, which are very helpful in becoming more comfortable and confident about our reading skills.

Let’s start with a very important premise: the best practice is playing music with other musicians, especially with musicians that are better than you. Practicing is an art form in and of itself. It’s not just about the time we put in, it’s about being smart and strategic. As for anything in life, when we want to see results, we need a plan.

Talking about groove, the Fat Back is definitely one of the most important techniques we can study to improve it and even master it. These examples focus on eighth note beats: we are going to practice all possible combinations of 1, 2 and even 3 consecutive Bass Drum hits within a quarter note. The same studies are played first with a straight feel and then with a shuffle feel.

Vinnie is the best: pure genius, energy, instinct, and just the right amount of craziness, are channeled into a unique and instantly recognizable style. A top name in the drumming world for more than 4 decades. The 6 ideas transcribed in this PDF are just a tiny fraction of the giant amount of phrases he gave us.