Drum Playing for the Experienced Drummer

Advanced Headquarters

If you've already got a good deal of drum playing experience under your belt, then this page is your one-stop spot for resources to further hone your skills. My dad and I have compiled all of our more challenging drum charts, video lessons, books, and articles here to give you easy access.

These are tools you can count on, from a professional drummer who has banged around a bit before. My dad, who is the well of drumming knowledge you'll find here, is a professional drummer of over 40 years. He has been teaching drums for nearly 40 years, has toured with bands such as The Who and Paul Revere and the Raiders, and has written close to a dozen drum instructional books for Mel Bay Publications.

He would never be this straightforward with his credentials himself, I know him, but that's why I make it my job to make sure you know just how good of hands you are in when you're checking out these lessons. So enjoy, and let me know how this page contributes to your overall drum playing experience on CRDC.

Drum Books

If you want to hone your drum playing skills, it is important to have the right resources at your disposal. Here are a few of my dad's books that can really provide you, an experienced drummer, with valuable drum playing tools to assist you on your path to becoming a great drummer.

Fusion Drum Styles by James Morton Covers a wealth of coordination studies in a variety of styles, including funk, reggae, Latin, fusion, and a number of odd-meter studies.(See more...)

Killer Fillers by James Morton A carefully-selected and well-written collection of outstanding drum breaks. Each break develops coordination independence or ear training. This book has a bunch of great exercies. (See more...)

Advanced Drum Music

Here we've gone through the entire sheet music library and sorted out all the songs that are most conducive to practicing and honing your drum playing skills for those of you who already have some experience under your belts.

I have no doubt you'll enjoy these advanced drum grooves, as well as the prices that go along with them! They are full, high-quality transcriptions drawn from some of the best classic rock songs in history, and nobody beats our low prices and large selection.

Click on the music stand below to check out all the advanced songs.

See All The Advanced Drum Charts

Or if you're feeling really committed to grooving and want to save some money, check out the Advanced Chart Book package deals we have.

Advanced Drum Music 5 Songs

Advanced Drum Music 10 Songs

Advanced Drum Music 15 Songs

Videos - Advanced Drum Lessons

Sometimes having the ability to see a pattern being played is the best way to learn it. In this section we have compiled all the video drum lessons we have (and the list is continuously growing) that are catered toward the more experienced drummer. These lessons break down challenging beats and more complex patterns into step-by-step instructions to make them easier to learn. Enjoy!

Steve Gadd Beat - Two Ride Surfaces

How To Play The Bossa Nova - Clave Rim Clicks and Brushes

Double Bass Drum Simulation

Articles - Honing Your Skills

One of the best ways to improve your skills and mature as a drummer is to draw on the wisdom and experience of others, people who have already been there and done that themselves. From useful basic knowledge to technical tips and inspiring stories, these articles will give you the jump start you need mentally to sharpen your current drum playing skills.

Reading and Playing Sheet Music

Reading Drum Music
Beginners new to drumming will benefit from learning about keeping good time, feel, and form....

Using Drum Charts To Get Over The Hump To Success
Michael was a solid drummer and a veteran of the Top-40 band circuit. When he came to me for lessons, I was a bit surprised...

Inspiration

The Night My Career Changed -- Mental Attitude
Let's go back three decades to an Italian restaurant/club called Lorenzo's. I'm a young energetic drummer, and I'm playing a nice cushy job six nights a week. The gig lasted over three years....

Self-Analysis at Lorenzo's -- Playing Relaxed
It was a Saturday night, and the place was jumping: lots of dancing, the room was full of smoke (this was the '70s), and drinking and carousing.... Honest self-analysis is one of the best things you can do your yourself, and when I was a young drummer, my way of doing that was....

Hone Your Skills -- Minimizing Weaknesses and Maximizing Strengths
...if you're at all serious about drumming, your goal should quite obviously be to minimize your weaknesses and have as many strengths as possible....

Drumming Is Dancing -- Inspiration from a Martiniquen Shirt
My wife and I were on the island of Martinique (where the merengue dance originated) more than 25 years ago, when we came upon this shirt...I asked the shopowner what the inscription (tambou ka dansˇ) meant...

Sound

The Properties Of Sound
It was a dark and stormy night. Suppose you heard a sound in the middle of the night that was later connected to a crime. A detective comes to interview you...

The Importance Of Vocalizing -- Engaging Multiple Senses
In 1979, the great violinist Isaac Stern visited China, to perform and give master classes. A young violinist was struggling through a musical passage...