\'Advanced Funk Drumming: A Progressive Approach to Modern Drumset Grooves\' is a new instructional multimedia package written and produced by funk drumming specialist Jim Payne and recommended by drumming greats Peter Erskine, Stanton Moore, Steve Smith, Zoro, and Bill Stewart. The release includes a book with fully notated transcriptions and tips plus two dvds with more than 200 video and audio clips. Says Jim Payne:
\"For most drummers—whether they read music or not—the fastest, easiest way to learn drum patterns is to watch, listen, and play along with them. As a teacher, I’ve found the most helpful instruction is often for me to simply play the grooves and let my students absorb them. For \'Advanced Funk\', I recorded video clips of the patterns and put them in a loop format so that drummers can play along until the grooves are mastered.\"
Jim Payne has played, recorded, and taught drums for many years and is the author of several books on the subject of funk drumming, including \'Funk Drumming\', \'The Complete Book Of Funk Drumming\', \'The Great Drummers Of R&B, Funk & Soul\', and \'100 Famous Funk Beats\'.
In producing \'Advanced Funk Drumming\', Jim Payne composed and video-recorded the grooves before transcribing them. The first half of the book, Sections 1 through 14, is organized in a sequential manner; moving from simple grooves to more advanced permutations. Sections 15 through 21 present additional patterns in a more organic and sometimes random progression.
To further facilitate the “multi-sensory” learning process, many of the beats are shown in both slow and fast versions. The speed of video loops can be further reduced using the standard software in QuickTime, which is very helpful for teachers and students.
Although Jim Payne has included beats that support the development of specific techniques that are required to correctly and comfortably perform contemporary funk drumming patterns, another progressive aspect of the project is its relative lack of purely technical exercises. Jim Payne:
\"If you find that your ghost notes, accents, left-hand doubles, 16th-note doubles on the bass drum, or constant 16ths on the hi-hat aren’t cutting it, you can always practice them independently. Advanced Funk Drumming, like advanced funk drumming, itself, is based on the principle that it’s more important to understand the fundamental musical concepts and achieve the right feel than it is to be able to play difficult, complicated beats.\"
\'Advanced Funk Drumming\' carries a suggested retail price of $24.95 and is available online and at leading drumshops and music stores.
See and hear Jim Payne during his 2009 clinic tour at your local drum shop or drum school this coming fall; sponsored by Modern Drummer, Ludwig, Paiste, Remo and Vater.
