Man has been beating on drums from as far back as history records. Drums (membranophones) are an instrument that creates sound when a hand or an object is struck against a stretched membrane. Drums are among the earliest instruments, dating back to 6000 BC. Our individual innate attraction to rhythm began in our mother's womb. Even before birth, we are rhythmic beings. During those first nine months, we are introduced to rhythm - mom's beating heart. This natural, "reassuring," constant beat surrounds us and I believe leaves a sonic imprint on everyone born of woman. Ancient yet contemporary, think of the music you hear every day - on your car radio, in commercials, in movie soundtracks and television - all of it has a BEAT. They produce this beat with drums. One writer said, "Music without drums is foreign to the modern ear." I would say, "If you're not drumming you are missing out of a vital component of life." The ability and desire to drum is alive in all of us. The origin of the word rhythm is Greek meaning "to flow." Drumming gives us a way to feel the beat, the pulse, the groove needed to feel connected and balanced, rather than isolated and out of whack. My emphasis is on hand drumming because with hand drumming, you literally feel the rhythm; you form a tighter bond than the audio route. Hand drumming allows you to go with the flow. There is a rhythm in life and hand drumming will connect & keep you connected. This book explores that connection and other dynamics of hand drumming. Do NOT worry if you are not a drummer - the first page will qualify you for this journey. Also, this book is not about technique; but proposes to be a fuel to cause your passions to burn brighter.

A Journey Off the Beat(en) Path When I was a young boy, the wonderful Gloria Estefan sang the eternal words to me: "Turn the beat around, turn it upside down." I didn't quite know what that meant, until just recently ... it was 4:20 pm on a Wednesday, to be exact, just before tea time (beer o'clock, to some). And so, I started off on my quest to better understand those teasingly elusive words, thus creating this book, Drum Twisters: The Book That Will Make You Smile With ... Frustration I know what you are thinking ... just what is a "Drum Twister," anyway? Well, you take a tongue-twister, but "spoken" in the language of Drum, then tuned all the way down to the key of "thud." In other words, we're collecting drum exercises and throwing them (and caution) into the wind, to see where the pieces land. Then, yours truly picked them all up, and assembled this mess into the book which you are currently holding in your hands. (If you are looking at this on on a screen, then you are just a plain old fancy pants.) We're talking about drumming exercises that are very different from your average lot, which is a good thing, because I'm sure that you are not exactly enamored with playing "in the pocket" ALL of the time ... Hear ye, we are gathered here today because we are bored with hitting things the same way, over and over and over again. We are here simply because we are crying out for something fun, yet challenging. We can no longer accept hitting things on just the 1, 2, 3 and the 4 (Wait, drummers can actually count ... ?) Our hearts hunger to "Turn the beat around, turn it upside down." Ladies and gentlemen, we will be looking at things all topsy-turvy from now on. Please prepare yourself and delve into an alternative (but no eye- liner, please) look at playing the drums. With a polka dot cherry on the top. You should be excited now. Really, you should

Everyone Can Drum is the perfect instructional fun book for kids, family and friends interaction in the world of rhythm and drums that brings all together. Written by Corey Kertzie drummer for Big Leg Emma and Vinnie Amico, drummer for moe. combines their years of experience to put together a book full of information and lessons. A great book for children ages 5 and up. Illustrated by Fred Whitehead.

Mark of Cain is a chamber ensemble work for 2 multi-percussionists. The instrumentation consists of 4 congas and drumset. Based on the 4th Chapter of Genesis, this piece focuses on the mark placed on Cain after he killed Abel. Polyrhythmic figures merge between each performer requiring an enormous amount of dexterity to execute the passages. Level: Extremely Advanced Duration: ca 11 minutes

'How To Practise Drums - A drum education book for beginners, intermediate and advance drummers and a great drum gift' is a drum book aimed at all levels of drummers.

I have put all my drum practise tips together in one handy book. There is no filler and the latest edition (Released Dec 2013) has even more helpful advice included. The kind folks at Rhythm Magazine asked me to write an article on the subject after they read this book and appreciated the value it would bring to all drummers.

I have taken to heart comments that were made on the first edition, expanded on some ideas and even given a detailed break down of a weekly drum practise schedule for beginners, intermediate and advanced drummers.

Though these are just guidelines as you will understand how to create your own custom practise routine once you have read the book. Other topics that are covered include finding more time to practise, the importance of a practise diary and the importance of a drum teacher.

The book also includes links to have direct contact with me so if you have any questions or need help with any part of your drumming please contact me and I'll do my best to help you out.

Below are a few quotes from the happy people who have read my book 'How To Practise Drums - A drum education book for beginners, intermediate and advance drummers and a great drum gift'.

I hope to see you honest reviews once you have read the book.

"Great and concise. Sometimes it takes plain speaking to make you realise the obvious. Cheers Kyle, my boy loves it and it has inspired him to practice more often" Campersmudge (Amazon Review)

..".it condensed the basics of how to approach and organise practice time into a few easy to digest chapters and helped immensely to make practice time more productive. The techniques described here could apply to practising any instrument, and I would recommend it to any aspiring musician." Alan Flint (Amazon Review)

"This is a good book by Kyle with lots of good advice and suggestions about the importance of practising, how to practise and what to practise. Kyle gives straight, direct and to-the-point suggestions and advice in easy to understand language, and doesn't beat around the bush with over descriptive methods or with using big words. He offers his help readily to anyone with further questions about what he writes in his book, and I think that is very nice of him, given his busy schedule. ... it is a good reference piece and also a nice teaching tool for drumming teachers like myself. I hope that Kyle will write more books of this nature on other important subjects in drumming and I will definitely buy all of them " John Silva (Amazon Review)

"I can honestly say that these simple things have helped me further develop my practice routine and I've seen immediate results. Each drummer is unique and different and some things may or may not apply. To have direction and a plan can only benefit you so why not read this book? If you can apply one or 2 things that will help you grow in your playing then wouldn't it be worth it? If you find yourself scattered on what you practice, or playing with no discipline or focus then you need a plan, a plan on "How To Practice Drums" -Ermin Monzon

..".there are many valuable tips to help drummers focus and improve their skill level. This is a practical companion to any routine, providing strong encouragement from an experienced player and educator. Cullen also includes a useful section with some tips to help drummers in the area of networking and marketing." - Andy Williamson

The Synergy Method for Marimba is a method book for mallet keyboard percussion. It predominately focuses on 4 mallet technique and exercises, although there are some 2 mallet exercises as well. In all, there are over 300 exercises. Already this marimba method book is being referred to as "The Encyclopedia of Marimba Exercises." If you enjoyed Stevens' Method of Movement, this will become one of your favorites as well. This is the epitome of keyboard method books; a future bestseller.

This facsimile reprint of Bernard Mason's Drums, Tomtoms and Rattles is the music-oriented companion piece to his Primitive and Pioneer Sports for Recreation Today. Mason shows how to create primitive percussion instruments, particularly those used by Native Americans, making this a good resource for teachers, scout leaders, and anyone else interested in creating their own fun . . .

"It's been a lot of fun getting involved with sourcing the material for this special project. Finding some of my art work that had been hidden away for several decades was amazing and brought back many memories. I've used some quotes here from my auto-biography 'Hellraiser' (John Blake 2009) and also from Nettie, to give you a flavour of all things Baker I have always been interested in all areas of creative endeavour and I hope you enjoy this collection as much as we all did putting it together." Ginger Baker

Autumn in New York is an arrangement for percussion ensemble of the jazz standard. My first exposure to this piece came from a recording that Bud Powell did in 1953 of Vernon Duke's classic song. Although it is not possible to recreate the thick harmonic gestures in the same way as someone would on piano, the piece has a unique character with mallet percussion instruments. Score and Parts Included

This book explores different possibilities of sound created by one effect: the bending tone. It also includes concrete and efficient steps to producing the bending tone, and then leads to applying it smoothly and systematically in musical performances. The potential of this tool, developed by Andre Cayer shows a new way of looking at the vibraphone that is much more expressive.

Requiem for 9/11 was composed for the 10th anniversary of September 11th, a day that will always be remembered in U.S. history. It is a peace dedicated to those who lost their lives that day, and in the years after the attack, protecting our country and freedom. This is my 45th composition so I decided to write something about that tragic day. Although the events are quite different, the United States suffered another colossal attack on American soil at Pearl Harbor in 1941. On that day, World War II began for America, although the war was in progress between other countries. In 1945, the war ended, and thus the number connection of Opus 45. Major events happened in 1945 and 2011; justice being served to two major enemies of the United States that were responsible for so many deaths. There are several times the numbers 9 and 11 are used. The time signatures are obviously in connection with the date of the attack, but there are also instances when the juxtaposition of dynamics and the number of 16th notes are indicative of the 9/11 motive. The piece begins in E minor, before settling in E-flat minor for the majority of the piece. This is done to mirror the cadence: Neapolitan 6, Dominant 7, Tonic 6. E minor acts as the enharmonic version of a N6 tonality, before moving to E-flat minor. The dies irae appears in the beginning and a few more times in the piece. Although this piece is a Requiem, I did not use other portions of the Mass. The inspiration to write a Requiem comes from Benjamin Britten, while infusing elements of my compositional technique reminiscent of the works from Sergei Rachmaninoff and Frederic Chopin. I chose to compose this piece for marimba because the instrument captures so many different emotions. The marimba can produce warm, lush sounds while exhibiting aggressive and violent attributes. The piece opens with the dies irae as an impending representation of tolling bells of death.I tried to combine the effects of an ominous tone and tranquility because no one except the terrorists realized the disaster that was to unfold. The chaotic section represents all that happened with the planes and also the battles that have taken place in the past decade. The solemn section is reflecting on the lives lost, which then builds to another climactic point in the piece. Although the piece was completed May 2nd, I started working on the piece weeks before. On May 1st, the world heard the news that the mastermind of the September 11th attacks had been found. Osama bin Laden was eliminated. The end of the piece represents the conflict that occurred that night, followed by a small portion of "My Country tis of Thee" as a way of giving hope to all Americans and others in the world who have been victims of terrorist acts. Requiem for 9/11 requires a 4.6 octave marimba, or low E, at the minimum. The performer should use discretion when choosing mallets for this piece; choose a mallet that provides enough articulation for fast passages and can handle roll passages. The sticking indications used for this piece are to serve as a guide for the performer, but the artist has freedom to alter the sticking patterns if necessary. I used the standard ordering of mallets that most composers use: "1" is for the outside mallet in the left hand, "2" is for the inside mallet in the left hand, "3" is for the inside mallet in the right hand, and "4" is for the outside mallet in the right hand.

The Ascension is a work for percussion ensemble to convey the Ascension of Christ. After He was crucified, Jesus was taken up to Heaven in his resurrection body in the presence of his Apostles forty days after he was resurrected. "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men." Ephesians 4:7-8.

From its first appearance in 1939 with a group of men knocking on pots and pans to the 1951 Trinidad All-Steel Percussion Orchestra (TASPO), steelband has fascinated the world. Relying largely on oral histories, this work investigates and documents the different technical, musical and organisational steps by which the steelband movement was born and grew to maturity. This study is a radical break with the approach to cultural creativity in general and music of the African diaspora in particular, emphasising the role of individual agency, microsociology and aesthetic values. This contrasts with the "resistance" school of thought, which views music as an automatic reaction to oppression rather than a deliberate attempt to satisfy aesthetic needs and impulses. The minute biographical and psychological details provide a unique theory of creolisation and chart its relationship to African retentions, based on empirical data. This authoritative study will appeal to both the general reader interested in the origins of steelband and to scholars concerned with the creolisation of African and European cultures and Caribbean creativity.

All Things Come to Pass is a percussion quartet composed for bass drum, claves, woodblock, and multiple-percussion (4 toms and hi-hat). It is a very rhythmic piece with lots of interplay between the four parts.

Hokkaido Jishin is about the many earthquakes that have occurred in or around the Hokkaido area in Japan over the past decades. This composition is at times very loud to represent the power of the earthquake. The percussionists should perform this piece with great intensity throughout, even during the soft sections that are barely heard to generate a sensation of reoccurring aftershocks. This percussion ensemble is for 6 performers playing in the traditional Taiko drumming style using instruments that are common to most percussion studios. The Brake Drum part should use hard mallets for a metallic sound, and the smallest available drums should be used for the Snare Drum and Tom Tom parts. Tenor Drum 1, 2, and 3 should use the largest available drum. Large floor toms or small bass drums are preferable. Individual Parts are included with the score