It is my hope that this book will come to be thought of as the missing manual for being in a drumline, and as a great resource for students and teachers that want to improve their percussion skills. There are lots of books about rudimental patterns and exercises, but this book is different because it includes explanations and background information about each exercise. A player can improve just by playing a good exercise, but it's also important to understand three things about an exercise to get the most out of it.
What is the exercise and where did it come from?
Why would anyone want to play these patterns, what is the benefit?
How should these patterns be played?
This book begins with the fundamentals and progresses to the advanced. Some may want to go through it in order, and some may want to skip around. Although most of the exercises & concepts in this book were written by me, others originate from other marching percussion greats and are included here with their permission. I’ve been working on a version of this book for over twenty years. There’s exercises, rams, practice playlists, information about preparing for auditions, tips on HOW to practice effectively and how to develop groove and tempo. The book is nearly 100 pages long.
I hope you check it out, and I hope it will be a great resource for you!
Thank you!
Pete Sapadin
Click below to purchase a digital download!
Testimonials
“Hello all, I hope each of you get the chance to pick up Pete Sapadin’s book titled Drumline Essentials. It is informative, useful, and a lot of fun to play out of. Pete included many of the ideas, exercises and concepts that I used in my own teaching, along with his own contributions, to make this a great educational tool for any percussionist.
Pete has a tremendous background of performing and teaching in DCI, WGI, and theme parks including Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea. In the book, Pete explains practice and performance techniques as well as many philosophies behind the what and why of each concept he is teaching.
There also are fun extended exercises from different drum corps that were mainly written to ‘show off’ some crazy advanced skills. Those are a good time.
Keep your chops and brain moving forward. Now is a great time to spend some extra time on the pad. Drumline Essentials is pretty cool, I hope you get to check it out.”
-Tom Float
DCI Hall of Fame, Kingsmen, Etobicoke Oakland Raiders, Freelancers, Spirit of Atlanta, Blue Devils, Velvet Knights
“Pete Sapadin is a master rudimental drummer, educator, arranger & composer. I met Pete years ago when a Drum Corps he trained was performing one of my songs in their summer show. We became friends as I enlisted him to bring me up to speed with new rudiments and techniques. As a teen I’d marched with a DCI Jr. Corp., The Seahorse Lancers from Brigantine, New Jersey, and I’ve incorporated that experience in my set drumming.
After reading through the pre-release of Pete’s new book…
I highly recommend it for all drummers as a source of inspiration for creative drumming.
The techniques needed will increase your ability to play practically anything. I’m using those techniques and I highly endorse Pete Sapadin, who keeps me up to speed”
-Harvey Mason
Legendary Drummer, Recording Artist
Harvey Mason is among the most recorded and in-demand drummers of all-time. A legendary, multi-GRAMMY® nominated session drummer, producer, composer & recording artist, he has worked with a pantheon of musical giants, including Barbra Streisand, James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Bjork, Carlos Santana, Michael Jackson, John Legend, Seal, and the London Symphony Orchestra. He has composed and written songs recorded by artists ranging from Nancy Wilson and Mary J. Blige to The Notorious B.I.G., Lupe Fiasco, Nelly/P. Diddy and T.I.
Yes, Harvey has won four 1st place plaques from Modern Drummer magazine’s annual studio poll and has been the first call drummer for the Academy Awards ceremonies on 25 occasions.
“When developing young inspiring marching percussionists, a strong technical and rudimental structure is important. Pete’s book is the perfect example of both. I highly recommend this book for all drum lines and private teachers.“
-Tom Aungst
DCI Hall of Fame, WGI Hall of Fame, Cadets, Dartmouth
“Pete Sapadin has a special gift of motivating and connecting with his students. In Drumline Essentials he offers access to his knowledge and motivation to anyone striving to improve their rudimental skills. The crystal clear explanations, invaluable exercises, solo's (Rams) and a plethora of what, how, and whys make Drumline Essentials a must for any aspiring drummer in the marching arts.”
-Matt Savage
Bayonne Bridgemen, Velvet Knights, Dutch Boy, Bluecoats, UNC
"Pete Sapadin’s book, Drumline Essentials, is an intuitive masterpiece. It is organized in a way that is not only easy to understand, but guides the student and instructor alike in a way that inspires. The information is fun to follow and thoughtfully described in a way that connects. Pete is one of the great rudimental craftsmen of our generation. He is also a mindful teacher. Drumline Essentials is a natural extension of his process and is a must for any library, from beginner to expert”.
-Mike McIntosh
Freelance Composer
Designer: Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps
“Pete’s “Drumline Essentials” should be the first component of the modern-day ensemble. Mastering the contents within will put you ahead of the curve when presented with new material. He has compiled a comprehensive, grass-roots teaching tool that can also serve as a history lesson: This is where our art form came from. A big thank you to Pete for documenting and preserving these lessons in book form.”
-Mike Jackson
WGI Hall of Fame, RCC, Broken City
“Drumline Essentials should be considered an all-encompassing collection of the skills required for the modern marching percussionist. It contains a mix of both innovative new ideas as well as proven methods used by top instructors around the world. I highly recommend it for any student or instructor of the marching percussive arts.”
-Roger Carter
Bluecoats, Broken City, Freelancers, Madison Scouts, Blue Devils
Pete Sapadin’s book “Drumline Essentials” is an excellent resource for students of all ages. His explanations and thoughtful layout of the material are easy to follow and great to have. Pete includes many of Tom Float’s exercises and concepts that we played together in the Blue Devils. It is wonderful to have this material written down with the correct notation, history, and presentation. Many thanks to Pete for documenting some of Tom’s work and for including his own amazing material as well – you will love his “rams” at the end of the book! “Drumline Essentials” is an excellent addition to the repertoire, thank you Pete!
-Brian West
Professor of Percussion Texas Christian University
“I really hope that today’s aspiring rudimental drummers realize that this book is critical to today’s success. Even though it has concepts that were built and refined in the past, what you have in this book are the fundamentals that will set you apart today. Whether you are preparing for your first audition, or looking to emulate some players and drum lines of the past, these concepts are essential. And if you master them, it will open up a door to amazing things.”
-Kevin Murray
84-85 Velvet Knights; 86-88 Blue Devils; Section Leader BD 1988; DCI I&E World Champion 1987; PASIC Snare Champion 1990; SCV staff 92-93; BD Staff 94-97
"Whether just starting out, or fine tuning your skills, This is the most comprehensive book that I have ever seen. In these days of the internet where alot of people try to figure things out for themselves, Pete has put something together that is guaranteed to get you from Zero to Hero and every reason on how to accomplish it! Thank you!”
-John Campese
Suncoast Sound, Founder / Director Infinity Indoor
“Pete’s pedagogical approach is one of the most effective I have seen in decades of studying percussion. To this day, I still go back to the teachings I received from him almost 20 years ago. He presents a refreshing and entertaining take on the basics that are VITAL for any drummer who wants to further their craft. His new book is no exception and is unlike anything I have seen on the market.”
-Shane Nickels
George Mason University Adjunct Faculty, Professional Rudimental Snare Drummer
"If you have the fiery passion for corps drumming, then this book will help you learn the fundamentals. Dig into the material and build your confidence with the proper basics and experience the magic of having your hands do new things with patterns and notes. Rest assured, that many snare masters have traveled many of the same pages that are laid out for you here. Respect the past, practice and master in the present, and then make new note history. The material and advice in this book will help you with your journey. Good notes to you!”
-Dale Lofgren
Kingsmen, Santa Clara Vanguard, Velvet Knights
