In his memoirs lifelong drummer Mike Rubery entertains us with tales of his early upbringing in Canwell, Sutton Coldfield through his National Service years, including atomic bomb testing on Christmas Island, and on to his hectic life on the professional showbiz scene from the 1960s onward. His life story is told in his own original way interspersed with jokes, anecdotes and more celebrity stories than you can shake a drumstick at - from saving Billy Fury from jumping out of a window to appearing in Crossroads and being Larry Grayson's fall guy. Mike even offers advice on how to survive on board a cruise ship while playing drums in a force 10 gale!

(Book). This book by Bass Drum Control (06620020) author Colin Bailey is written for drummers with limited experience in playing jazz and the kind of soloing it requires. Colin helps drummers become more comfortable with phrasing drum solos, and teaches stock phrases (licks) around which to build effective solos. The CD features tracks of Colin playing and soloing with guitar and bass, then the same tracks with no drum parts so drummers can play along. Also available by Bailey: Bass Drum Control Solos (06620068).

(Harmonica). The songbook no harmonica player should be without Features 45 pop, rock, Broadway, movie hits and standards: Brown Eyed Girl * Daydream Believer * Dust in the Wind * Edelweiss * Heart and Soul * Imagine * Let It Be * Maggie May * Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head * Stand by Me * We Will Rock You * What a Wonderful World * Yellow Submarine * You Are My Sunshine * Your Cheatin' Heart * and more.

(Percussion). This is the book on hand development and drumstick control. Master Studies focuses on these important aspects: accent studies, buzz-roll exercises, single and double-stroke patterns, control studies, flam patterns, dynamic development, endurance studies, and much more

Patterns is one of the most comprehensive drum methods available. Covering a wide range of materials, the books can be used in any order, or in any combination with one another. They are a must for developing the kinds of skills necessary for drum set performance.
Time-Functioning Patterns includes materials dealing with rock cymbal ostinatos, jazz independence, and the new linear phrasing concept that Gary developed.

(Percussion). Represents a new-generation play-along package and a quantum leap over anything else previously available in this vein with over 6 hours of music, including 47 grooves and feels from all over the world most in two tempos 88 tracks in all, truly professional sketch charts and incisive text by Tommy. An interactive groove experience for all level drummers with rhythm tracks that feature some of New York City's top musicians. Works in conjunction with the best-selling Grove Essentials DVD. For beginning drummers: simple rock beats with a real band feel; for intermediate drummers: syncopated, 16th-note grooves as well as jazz/swing feels; for advanced drummers: challenging world grooves, as well as jazz shuffles, jazz waltzes and R&B feels. Additionally, you'll find 3 "Global Tour" tracks that are 15-minute journeys through all the grooves and feels you've learned. The CD features all of the rhythm tracks in MP3 format, so that they can be downloaded into your computer (MAC or PC) and moved to your iPod, or any portable MP3 player. The disc is also playable in all MP3-capable CD and DVD players.

This collection of eight 'lectures' by internationally acclaimed pianist, Graham Johnson, is based on a series of concert talks given at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as part of the Benjamin Britten festival in 2001. The focus of the book is on Britten's songs, starting with his earliest compositions in the genre. Graham Johnson suggests that the nature of Britten's creativity is especially apparent in his setting of poetry, that he becomes the poet's alter-ego. A chapter on Britten's settings of Auden and Eliot explores the particular influences these writers brought to bear at opposite poles of the composer's life. The inspiration of fellow musicians is also discussed, with a chapter devoted to Britten's time in Russia and his friendship with the Rostropovitch family. Closer to home, the book places in context Britten's folksong settings, illustrating how he subverted the English folksong tradition by refusing to accept previous definitions of what constituted national loyalty. Drawing on letters and diaries, and featuring a number of previously unpublished photographs, this book illuminates aspects of Britten's songs from the personal perspective of the pianist who worked closely with Peter Pears after Benjamin Britten was unable to perform through illness. Johnson worked with Pears on learning the role of Aschenbach in 'Death in Venice' and was official pianist for the first master class given by Peter Pears at Snape in 1972.