Here is an excerpt from Mat’s new book. It looks simple at first glance, but it’s not. Several of the exercises tripped me up.
Read moreSmoothing Out the Long Roll
Mat Marucci's performing credits include jazz greats Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, James Moody, Eddie Harris, Buddy De Franco, Les McCann, Pharoah Sanders, and John Tchicai among others and has numerous critically acclaimed recordings to his credit as both leader and sideman.
Mat is the author of several books on drumming and has written numerous articles on drumming for Modern Drummer and Downbeat magazines. He is an endorser for Zildjian, Vic Firth, Remo and formerly both Gretsch and Mapex.
Mat's latest books with Mel Bay Publications are 'Mastering The Snare Drum' and 'Essential Snare Drum Exercises' (both reviewed on Not So Modern Drummer) and 'Jazz Drumming Essentials....And More.' His music and discography can found at Spotify.com and Reverbnation.com and can be heard on most streaming platforms.
Daily Rudiments
Not every drummer is expected to be a rudimental expert but familiarity with all forty rudiments is highly recommended for each of us. And it isn’t as big a chore as you might think.
Read moreGoing Forward...Or Is It Backwards?
I’m in a drum shop owned by an excellent drummer and good friend of mine. My friend’s son was also a drummer and walked into the store. He went to a practice pad and told his father, “Check-out the new lick I worked-out” and proceeded to demonstrate it on the pad. The father said, “Yeah. That’s a flam paradiddle-diddle” or some similar sounding drum rudiment. The son said incredulously, “There’s a rudiment like this?!?.”
Read moreReview - Essential Snare Drum Exercises and Mastering The Snare Drum by Mat Marrucci
The first thing that struck me about Mastering the Snare Drum was the
sheer weight of the thing. In a little over 100 pages, the book covers
just about everything a snare drummer would need.