4-Way Coordination: A Method Book for the Development of Complete Independence on the Drum Set

There are a few books that I believe belong in every drummers library. The absolute essential books are Syncopation For the Modern Drummer, Stick Control and 4-Way Coordination. Of course there are many other great books out there such as New Breed, Accents and Rebounds and many others but these are essential. Why is 4-Way Coordination essential? Well, as far as fluidity on the drums this book has definitely helped me the most. By the time I worked through just the first page my skill level increased dramatically. It did take a few weeks to work through the first page, I didn't just blow through it so even though this book will elevate your skill level quickly, it still takes time to really work through each exercise. This book has helped me in all aspects of drumming. This book is focused on limb independence but the exercises will help you gain speed, off-hand development, control and fluidity. This is because each limb is exercised, the exercises don't favor one side or the other, you exercise both sides evenly. I have heard reviewers complain that the exercises in this book don't have any groove to them. This is true, but this should not have a negative impact on the quality of this book. The purpose of this book is to gain limb independence and it definitely does that. There are plenty of books out there that teach crafty grooves, but this is not one of them and it doesn't try to be. If you can work through this entire book then you will be a MUCH better drummer, limb independence is definitely one of the keys to great drumming. Don't go in to this book expecting to learn crafty drum beats, but go in expecting you will gain so much limb independence that you will be much more creative behind the kit, which leads to crafty drum beats. This book is definitely challenging. I believe a lot of people might give up because the author says at the beginning of this book that any proficient drummer should be able to do these exercises at the target speed (and even much faster as he says). This may discourage some because the target speeds are fast! The first exercises are 120 BPM on the half note, so on the quarter note (What most metronomes default to) that's equivalent to 240 BPM. Believe me, it's quite a challenge coordinating all of your limbs at 240 BPM, even if they are just 8th notes. People may beat themselves up and think they aren't proficient drummers. With all due respect to the author, don't pay attention to this. Start each exercise off VERY slowly and work your way up. I work through this book one exercise at a time. My goal is to get to around 3/4 speed before moving on to the next exercise. If you try and reach the target speed before moving on then you might be working on the first exercise for months! Of course this is just me, you might be able to blaze through these much faster then I. So set a goal for each exercise, 3/4 speed, 1/2 speed - whatever - then start moving forward. I revisit each exercise every day and try to increase my speed. Once I work through a page then instead of practicing that page one exercise at a time, I practice the entire page as if it were a single exercise. This has helped me a lot. I'm sure you will find your own way to work through this book, this is just what has worked for me. Don't give up. This book is very challenging but I believe beginners and seasoned pros can both work through it. New guys just need to start VERY slow, even if it's just 40 BPM. The hard part is coordinating your limbs, once you successfully complete an exercise then it becomes much easier to bump up the metronome - the coordination is the hard part at first. Get this book, you will be amazed how much skill you gain by working through these exercises! This book is one of my daily essentials.

If you are seeking help with limb independence on the drumset this is a must buy. It's the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that you are seeking. Truly it is. It's not hard to use at all. In fact, it's extremely simple exercises, but they will indeed do what they say. I just bought the book and I have only had it a few days. Yes, it's true that I can't speak from actual results yet, but just from starting in on these exercises I can see precisely how they are going to take me to full limb independence in baby-steps. All that's required now is for me to sit down and practice these though this book. I have no doubt at all that they will take me where I want to be in terms of limb independence. I can already feel it coming in the very first set of exercises. Just as a tip for anyone one who buys, or owns, this book. The actual instructions are very brief. There really isn't much to say. The exercises speak for themselves. However they do say to play 2 bars of rhythm and 2 bars of exercises. They don't go into detail about that. What I realized they mean is to play two bars of groove (pick a groove of your own choice), and then two bars of exercises, drop back into your groove, then play the next two-bar exercise, and so on. Wow! That really helps and instantly gives these exercises a musical feel. Also, some of the exercises are printed as eighth notes. You can put any kind of swing field on them you like. It's not about timing. All they are using the notes for is to convey which limb should play each note. So you can play these independence exercises to any rhythmic beat you so chose. It's not about rhythm, it's about limb independence. So it doesn't matter whether you're playing jazz, funk, rock, you name it. These exercises can be played with any musical feel you like. Just get a groove going and start playing these two-bar exercises, then two-bars of groove, and back and forth. You can't go wrong. You might even come up with some really cool beats of your own just from having gone through these independence exercises. I can't recommend the book highly enough. Like someone else said, it's worth 20 stars if limb independence is your goal. You'll feel it coming as soon as you start in on these. Not to imply that it will come easy. You may need to start out slow, but you'll quickly feel that you're on the right path. I'm certainly excited about this lesson book. Like some others have mentioned, it's quite unconventional in its approach, and as far as I can see this is the "secret method" I was seeking. The pot of Gold that I never believed existed.

This looks like a good place to start. Let the repetition and focus begin! As a trombone player wanting to deepen his sense of rhythm, this book looks like an excellent beginner guide to the drum kit. ( just got an inexpensive kit).

E' una delle Bibbie per l'indipendenza, l ho studiato a fondo, e ci si può studiare all'infinito, prendendo spunto e scrivendo nuove combinazioni poli-ritmiche, a questo proposito spezzo una lancia a favore dei metodi Americani scritti a cavallo tra gli anni 50/60, rispetto ai metodi moderni danno molti più spunti creativi a mio parere, tranne rari casi. Molto consigliato !

Livre d'exercices recommandé par mon professeur de batterie, il est très bien fait et m'a beaucoup aidée. Je le recommande

excelente Método de Coordenação Melódica

I've bought hundreds of products from Amazon and this is the only one I've been bothered to review. Its a great book and no matter how long you've been drumming for you will benefit by practicing the exercises in this book. I've been tapping out the exercises at home using a pad and tapping my feet on the floor and after a couple of weeks when I went on my kit at rehearsal and then a couple of gigs I noticed slight changes in the way I play and I'm only a few pages in. Buy this book, you will be surprised how quickly your hands and feet will get used to playing independently.

Super!