Plenty of grooves and drum exercises

The author of the Modern Groove Drum BookTimo Ickenroth, runs his own drum school called New Groove Factory near Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate. In the individual chapters of his teaching material, he explains musical terms and note values. He puts their practical implementation on paper in the form of reading exercises for the snare drum as well as grooves and fills for the drumset. Gradually, the topics become more comprehensive: rudiments, the Moeller technique, ghost notes, six-eighths time, triplets and shuffles as well as linear fill-ins find their way into the following chapters. The author's useful tips include practicing with a metronome, counting aloud, appropriate hand movements and the use of fusostinati. These practice tips are explained in detail and are not too extensive.

Timo Ickenroth's drum course mainly includes basic rhythms and fill-ins in the styles of rock and pop. Of course, the swing rhythm is also included. The exercises in this chapter are based on quarter and eighth notes and are reminiscent of old master Ted Reed. The Modern Groove Drum Book consists of almost a third of rudiments and reading exercises for the snare drum. Some of these are designed as full-page etudes and should be transferred to the set after thorough study.

The 240-page book is logically structured and can be used for self-study. At the end of the course, the author has included an extensive bibliography with further studies.

Timo Ickenroth, Modern Groove Drum Book, Rock, Pop and Jazz, AMA 610431, with CD, € 24.95, AMA-Verlag, Brühl 2011