Snare Drum Methods Update: Etudes are Finished!

I am so close to this thing being done! I have small details to iron out this week and then I will be done. This is a very exciting time for me and I cannot wait to finally finish this.

What am I Doing?

I am creating a compilation of 10 original etudes for a beginning to intermediate snare drummer. The goal of this book is to assist band directors and private instructors teach their intro level students. The reason I want to pursue this is that when I was in the early stages of my career I relied solely on YouTube videos, Drum Forums, and a lot of method books. When I got my first full-time teaching job at a high school in south Tucson, I noticed 2 things that were not working right and affected their education. Their band director, who is truly a great musician and teacher, probably one of the best in the world, did not know how to play percussion. When I first came up with this idea it was with that program in mind. The one thing I wanted to do was help programs like that who have incredible directors, and all they need is the right tool.

Update

This week I wrote 2 rudimental etudes to finish the composition portion of this project. My favorite part about writing rudimental etudes is that I get to play them to popular music which is a lot of fun. I also started writing about them this week and I am not quite done with that but that will probably be done very soon. The most important thing I talk about is the difference in Rudimental drumming vs. concert drumming. I’ll talk about that later, but it is a big difference and being able to separate that is important at an early stage.

Next week

I will be completely done with everything. No joke, everything will be done! I will have all the excerpts done, as well as every explanation and write up for the compositions. This will not be easy, but It will happen. I am at 64 pages and I am expecting about 10 more pages before I am completed so that means I have 10 pages to write.

Rudimental Drumming

So this style of drumming is the style that marching band drummers would use. It is a very precise and rhythmic style of drumming. The way most people write or understand these pieces is by studying the Percussive Arts Society 40 Rudiment Chart. The rudiment chart is like scales for a snare drum. This is not a 100% correct way of looking at it, but it is a good way to begin practicing. So, composers put these rudiments together in different ways to make rudimental solos. This style is different for a few reasons and I think the biggest reason is due to the equipment. Usually, for concert snare drum playing, you use thin sticks with a shorter drum, but for rudimental drumming, you usually use a field drum which is deeper and bigger sticks. That alone separates the two styles because of the timbre. I’ll attach a concert etude and a rudimental etude to show you the different ways they are written.

Etude 5(Concert Etude)

Etude 10(Rudimental Etude)

Download them and give them a go! The rudimental etude was written using a similar structure to a song I have been listening to a lot lately. I’m not going to tell you what it is because I want you to come up with your own way of learning this.

More stuff?

Well, my high schools competed this weekend at the state championship and they did pretty well. Sabino HS took home 6th place, and Sahuarita HS Took home 1st place, so overall it was a very successful weekend for both programs. That’s it though. I have mostly been working on this and solo repertoire.