Composer: Bob Becker
Title: Rudimental Arithmetic
Category: Method Book
Instrumentation: Snare Drum
Difficulty: Advanced
Publisher: Keyboard Percussion Publications
Description:
Rudimental Arithmetic by Bob Becker is both a conceptual approach to playing the snare drum and a practical method for creating music for it. It provides useful tool for improvisation, interpretation and composition in all forms of rhythmic music. This text encompasses principles that underlie all of the fundamental mechanics of metric rhythmic execution. Since a single drum played with two sticks is the most basic platform for learning about this material, the presentation should be equally comprehensible to snare drummers, drum set players, mallet players, hand drummers, and any other percussionists.
From the publishers website:
What does arithmetic have to do with snare drum rudiments? What does mathematics have to do with rhythm? At a fundamental level, the answer to both questions is: everything. This book will explain it to you and then show you how to apply the knowledge creatively in your own performing and composing. Whether you are playing rudimental solos, orchestral excerpts, drum set grooves, multiple percussion pieces, or even keyboard repertoire, the ideas in “Rudimental Arithmetic” will expand your conceptual options and increase your technical fluency. Some of the areas covered in detail include sticking patterns and permutations, meter and grouping, partitions of numbers, and polyrhythms. The book also includes over thirty pages of exercises and eight very challenging solo etudes.
Annotated by Dan Pessalano