Hi All
My drum "career" started at College from the age of 14. I was allready into drumming for a couple of years and in College we had "compulsery" music lessons which included reading. So I ended up with 4 years general music education, and played in the school orchestra which played musicals etc. big band stuff.
Then we decided ( some friends and I ) to start a Jazz combo, which we did, it was a lot of fun.
But Jazz being Jazz, the reading fell by the wayside.
Apart from the odd "cheat sheet" I really did not get back into reading much.
At the moment (and some 35 years later) I am actively playing in different bands and I am also into recording.
Lately I felt the need to spruce up the reading a bit in order to improve my overview and technique.
I have been doing this now for over a year and I am the better for it!!
Then I came accross The Book, CD, and DVD from Tommy Igoe "Groove Essentials"
I bought them and now I am practicing with the charts for the grooves and Tommy explaining how it works and what to do where and when. Then he plays with the associated music (band) two versions of each groove, a slow one and a fast one.
This is a fabulous way to spruce up the reading and the skills.
Cheers and Happy Drumming,
Harry