Percussion360

Percussion360 is a set of four drum tutor books, all available to purchase as PDFs ready to print or view on your device. They are intended to provide a gradual progression from the very basics of playing drums and reading percussion music through to covering a full introduction to the knowledge required to play in a band or orchestra.

I wanted a book that would be a good reference for my students and that would also present a gradual learning curve right from the very first steps. I also wanted to have enough exercises on each topic for the pupil to fully get to grips with each new concept, and it was important to cover musical notation as required to play modern percussion parts in a band or orchestra. I couldn’t find a book that fulfilled my criteria, and decided to write the book you hold in your hands.

This book is made up of eight parts, each of which introduces several topics, and has associated exercises to then explore the concept in more depth. Most of the parts cover a variety of topics including musical notation, drum technique and rudiments, and common percussion instruments. Each one ends with a study, a longer piece of music which makes use of the concepts learned so far.

The book is not intended to be a “teach yourself” course, but is designed as a set of graded exercises for use during lessons and practice. It is also designed as a book to refer back to when needed.

Volume One is only the beginning, starting with the snare drum and then adding the cymbal before moving onto other parts of the drum kit. By the end of it, you should be able to play quite complex snare drum parts, basic kit rhythms and fills, and have been introduced to several different drum rudiments. Volume Two builds on what is learned here and looks at new rhythms, new rudiments and more detailed musical notation.

Percussion360

Volume 1 Sample - This sample is the entirety of Part 1 of Volume 1 of Percussion 360

Volume 2 Sample - Double Strokes around the Kit

Volume 4 Sample - Cowbell As Ride

Online Drummer Studies - Five longer studies prepared for OnlineDrummer.com

Percussion360

Tim Sawyer expressed an interest in music at an early age, and was soon playing Piano and Cornet. In the early 80's he had a spare lesson at Music Centre on a Saturday morning, and because it was free to add another lesson to fill in the gap, joined the percussion class. He never looked back, and in the mid 80's became a founder member of the Rothwell Temperance Junior Band. Over the years Piano and Cornet dropped off the radar so that he could concentrate on percussion.

Tim was part of the meteoric rise of the Rothwell Temperance Band from humble junior band, then B band, that rose up through the sections year on year. The band reached the top section of brass band contesting in 1999, and eventually went on to eclipse their original senior band and solidify their position at the top, regularly contesting against some of the best brass bands in the world and winning the Championship Section of the Yorkshire Area in 2009.

A strong believer in well-organised percussion, Tim has spent many an hour re-arranging percussion parts to make them easier to play, and tailoring them to the available personnel. He turned his attention to drum tuition, and needed a book for his pupils. After looking around, there was nothing that fitted his requirements so he decided to write Percussion360.

This book series comprises a gradual progression from material suitable for the very beginner through to more advanced topics. The books are intended to cover the information that is required to understand and play percussion with a group or band, and to this end they cover both standard drum kit technique and rhythms, plus standard percussion instruments that everyone should be familiar with.

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Index to Book Sections