Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #366952 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Customer Reviews

Buy this for the historical value alone.
I bought this book after seeing Zoro on the 2005 MD festival. What a groove. This is a great book for building a background of knowledge that is essential for any drummer looking to become a great groover. Get it and download every song or record mentioned in here; and listen. Zoro has dug up all the info on all the great players of R&B, motown, funk, soul, hip hop, etc. All great musicians are walking, talking encyclopedias of great recorded music and great players. This is the book for the drummer who understands he/she needs a history lesson as much as a drum lesson to find that magic pocket in their playing. The exercises outlined in the book are also quite valuable.

5 Stars aren't near enough! How about 10!!!
Zoro, who is well respected in the drumming community, takes you through the evolution of R&B music with information about the drummers who laid down the groove, discographies of great albums, and lists of must-know tunes for the working drummer. The Chapters take you through the evolution of feels with lots of groove exercises and transcriptions of tunes typical of the feel/style.

Not only does Zoro teach you the grooves, but he presents great exercises for developing independence, especially to get those happy, stanky feet on the bass and hats. The progression of the lessons was so straightforward that I actually taught myself to read while studying this book.

The best part is that the Commandments of R&B Drumming is FUN. You will not find a more entertaining book anywhere on drumming. Zoro loves this music and it shows in his writing. Since I finished it, I still like to go back and breeze through the exercises just to dig on the grooves.

Funky and Worth the Price!
If you have an inkling of interest in funk and soul drumming, or just wonder who was that amazing drummer on that old soul hit, this is the book for you. Zoro's love of this music is infectious and makes it a joy to read. His transcriptions are dynamite and answer many questions of "How did they do that" for many great songs. The CD is a great tool to help you practice these grooves and his lists of recommended music have turned me on to some drummers I wasn't already familiar with. Once you have this book, the next step is to get the DVD which has him performing all this great music. ...