Out now, an English translation and modern notation update for Manuel de Espinosa’s 1761 Spanish military music manual Toques de Guerra. This is the earliest known Spanish fife and drum source and contains the first version of the march that would eventually become the Spanish national anthem.

This book contains 18 tunes with annotations that explain the purpose of the tune and any other background information that is available about it. Rudimental syllables have been added from the 1769 edition to help with drum part interpretation. This is the only time that any Spanish language rudimental instruction has ever been offered for the English speaker and this is the best engraved copy of the music you will ever find.

Check it out if you have interest in historical rudimental drumming, historical fifing, Spanish history, military history, or just want to support what I do. Its a fine addition to my collection of other updated historical manuals, including those from the USA, Britain, Britain again, Switzerland, and France.

After a 7+ year hiatus, Bloodstrike is back with an EP called Weapons of Steel, which you can download for just $1 at https://bloodstrike.bandcamp.com/album/weapons-of-steel. 2025 is the 10th anniversary of In Death We Rot and we’ve gotten our act together and put out some new music! Below is a video of our cover of Slayer’s classic “Mandatory Suicide.” The EP also includes two new original songs, the title track “Weapons of Steel” and “Scum.”

The EP was recorded by long-time members Holly Wedel on vocals, Jeff Alexis on guitars, and, of course, me on drums. It also features Patrick Russell on bass, Rob Seeley on guest vocals, plus Nadine Lisica and D on backing or gang vocals. Drums were recorded at my home studio in New Mexico in 2023 with guitar, bass, and vocals recorded by Jeff Alexis in Colorado between 2023 and 2025. Mixing and mastering also by Jeff Alexis. I used roughly the same recording setup on this EP as for the album Execution of Violence in 2017, including possibly some of the same drumheads (oops! should have changed those years ago) and, fittingly, EX-5A Extreme Design Vater sticks.

A Field Guide to 50 Drum Rudiments is now available directly from Ingram at the link or through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

The Field Guide uses targeted exercises, verbal descriptions, frequent counting syllables, basic stroke indications, and ubiquitous sticking to make learning and understanding rudimental drumming as easy as possible.

The PAS 40 and NARD 26 are represented, plus several common and useful hybrids, making this book helpful for modern rudimental playing. Each rudiment is shown in its most standard notation format, as well as in alternative styles and in alternative rhythms, where applicable, to make sure that the idea translates to multiple playing situations.

With 134 pages of actionable content to improve your playing, there is no equivalent book on the market today. Rather than focusing on etudes, The Guide provides bite size and functional training exercises for maximum understanding and skill building. See this page for more.

I am happy to announce that I have partnered with Vater Percussion as an educational artist in conjunction with Los Alamos High School and the Topper Marching Band. I have used Vater sticks as a drumset player in Bloodstrike since 2013, and also when I was filling in for Immortal Synn in 2017 and 2018. For many years, my studio has included a Vater rudiment poster and my students are very familiar with the bright red Vater practice pad. I have used other popular stick brands for various purposes, but when I was approached to become an education artist with Vater, it just made sense to go for it. I was already using the products!

This season, Los Alamos High School will be marching the MV7 snare sticks, the TS1 tenor sticks, the FEV30M and FEV40MH vibraphone mallets, and the FEM30M and FEM40MH marimba mallets. They’ll also be using Vater stick and mallet bags. I have personally been using the XD-5A Nylon for metal playing and the Sweet Ride for lighter music for a while now.

I look forward to partnering with Vater for the forseeable future.

Now in print for the first time in decades, the Henry Potter & Co. Side Drum Tutor by Fred H. Poole is once again available for purchase from Amazon as a paperback or a Kindle ebook.

From the company that brought you The Art of Beating the Drum by Samuel L. Potter, Poole’s Tutor is an early 1900s civilian rudimental drumming manual that prepares users to play the latest concert marches of the day, as well as provides general music reading and rudimental instruction in the British style — open flams and close flams, open drags and close drags, flam and feint, feint and flam, and more. Twenty Five rudiments in all, plus 5 examples, 16 beatings, and 8 exercises.

Annotations for background, explanation, or general commentary. All original content is preserved, including pagination. See the book’s dedicated page for more.

My newest book is now available from Amazon in a paperback edition.

Italian Rudimental Drumming is the first resource dedicated solely to the Italian rudimental system of drumming. The written record of Italian drumming stretches from 1627 to WWI, but most people, even Italians, are unaware that Italian drumming existed or what the rudiments and repertoire were. Today, Italians learn the PAS 40 rudiments and have seemingly completely forgotten their own rudiments and drumming style. The only other publication within the past century to feature Italian rudimental drumming was my own Rudimental Grand Tour, which features a brief overview of 22 different traditions. Here, the Italian military system is laid out in much more detail than was possible previously, with the entire duty represented. This is absolutely the most comprehensive Italian military drumming resource.

Included are 19 barracks signals, 18 field signals with original Italian notation and modern transcriptions, 11 rudiments with their official explanations translated into English, an annotated list of all known notated historic manuals, comparisons of the notation system and rudimental terminology with other relevant systems, and a general overview of the history. More can be found here.

The rudimentia app was already the greatest rudiment practice app ever made, but now its even better. The Pro version features more metronome controls, including the ability to edit the rate of change, the direction of change, or to stay at one tempo. It also features independent volume controls for the metronome and the play-along audio and the note you’re playing is now highlighted in real time.

If you already own the Rudimentia app you can upgrade for free for a limited time. Many of the new features were suggestions from current users, so the free upgrade is a way of saying thanks.

If you are going to practice rudiments, make sure you are doing the most efficient way possible, with Rudimentia.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rudimentia-pro/id6503321775

In 2019, I released my landmark book Encyclopedia Rudimentia with Hudson Music, compiling over 850 drum rudiments for study. This book has been, so far, my best selling publication. Good as it is on its own, I have partnered with fellow drummer and app developer Scott Gardner to produce a Rudimentia app as an extension of the book that allows for guided practice through a customizable open-closed-open sequence.

Choose your own tempos and practice with notation, a metronome click, and play-along audio. You will not find another app like this. Its like having an expert drummer to play with at any time.

The initial release (April of 2024) features 60 rudiments including all 26 NARD rudiments, the further 14 rudiments that complete the PAS 40, and 20 hybrid rudiments to expand your skills past the basic level. Further rudiments will be added in the near future to keep the practicing fresh and highlight more content from the book.

The simple design allows for efficient practice and you can log sessions to keep track of which rudiments you have practiced and how each one is going. Great for students and teachers to keep track of rudiment practice time outside of lessons!

The Rudimentia app is perfect for users of the book who want a guided way to practice, drum kit players who want to increase their chops in a systematic way, students who are looking to practice at home and stop the backslide between each lesson, drum line members (or perspective members) hoping to build up the skills required for modern marching music, percussionists trying to stay on top of their game, teachers who want their students to truly understand and advance in rudimental drumming, or just anyone who loves playing percussion instruments.

Available for iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad through the app store.