Many people read my website or see my social media posts about rudimental drumming and ask “how do you know that?” or “what are your sources?” In response, the *asterisked books are ones I have examined and the rest are manuals or methods known to exist that I have not been able to locate (yet). This does not include general infantry tactics manuals with minor drum content. It does contain a few books intended for the drum kit or for orchestral/concert snare with a large proportion of rudimental content. Of course, this list is not exhaustive and does NOT include every rudimental book ever published, nor any hybrid rudiment publications. It represents a majority of the pre-hybrid or traditional rudimental books from the 1600s through about 1980.

*= I have seen it, += British, (unlocated)=no known copies exist to examine

*+1642 – Warlike Directions or the Soldier’s Practice – Thomas Fischer

*+c.1600-1650 – “The Grounds of Beating the Drum” – Francis Douce

+1760 – The Drummers Instructor – R. Spencer (unlocated)

*+1780 – The Young Drummers Assistant – Longman and Broderip

*c.1797-1800 – Benjamin Clark Drum Book – Benjamin Clark

*1797 – Isaac Day First Book – Isaac Day

*c.1804 – Drummers Book of Music or Revolutionary War Drummer’s Book – Possibly Levi Lovering

*1810 – Instructor in Martial Musick – David Hazeltine

1811 – The Drummer’s Assistant – Herman Mann (unlocated)

*1812 – The Drum and Fife Instructor – Charles Robbins

1815 – The Martial Musician’s Companion – Rufus Porter (unlocated)

1815 – The Young Drummer’s Assistant – Nathan Weston (unlocated)

*1812 – A New Useful and Complete System of Drum Beating – Charles Stewart Ashworth

*+1817 – The Art of Beating the Drum – Samuel L. Potter

*1817 – The Drummer’s Instructor or Martial Musician – J.L. Rumrille and H. Holton

*1818 – Massachusetts Collection: Martial Musick – Alvan Robinson

*1819 – The Drummers Assistant or the Art of Drumming Made Easy – Levi Lovering

*+c.1850-1860 (possibly as late as 1880s) – The Drum-Major – G. Tamplini

1852 – Rules and Beats for the Drum – B.H. Beach

*1853 – The Manual of Instruction for Drummers – George Klinehanse

+1860 – The Drum Tutor (unlocated)

*1861 – The Army Drum and Fife Book – Keach, Burditt, and Cassidy

*1861 – Howe’s United States Regulation Drum and Fife Instructor – Elias Howe

*1862 – The Drummers’ and Fifers’ Guide – George Barrett Bruce and Dan D. Emmett

*1862 – Union Drum & Fife Book – Henry Simpson and Ira Canterbury

*1862 – H.C. Hart’s New and Improved Instructor for the Drum – Colonel H.C. Hart

*1864 – Army Regulations for Drum, Fife, and Bugle – William Nevins

*c.1865 – Side Drum – US Army Massachusetts 25th Regiment

*+1865 – Schotts’s Handbook for Fife and Drum Bands

*1869 – Drum and Fife Instructor – Gardiner Strube

*1872 – Ryan’s True Drum Instructor – Sydney Ryan

+1879 – The Side Drum – A New and Complete Method – V.A. Chaine

+c.1880?- The Drummer’s Manual – V.A. Chaine

*1886 – The Trumpet and the Drum – John Philip Sousa

+1886 – Metzler & Co.’s Tutor for Side Drum, Bass Drum, and Kettle Drum – H.M. Higgs

*1887 – Bugle, Fife, and Drum Signals and Calls

*+1887 – Drum and Flute Duty for the Infantry Branch of the Army

*1897 – Instructions for the Trumpet and Drum – Walter Smith and F.H. Greissinger

*1898 – Imperial Method for the Drum – Harry A. Bower

+1901 – Instruction for the Bugle, Drum, and Flute for Use in the Royal Navy

*+1904 – The Drums – Timpani, Side and Bass

1905 – The Eclipse Instructor for Snare Drum – Paul de Ville

+1905 – Wright and Round’s Drum and Fife Band Primer – H. Round

+1909 – Tutor for Side Drum – Otto Langey

*+c.1910 – Henry Potter Side Drum Tutor – Fred H. Poole

*+c.1910 – Henry Potter’s Side Drum Beatings – Joseph Winter

*+c.1910 – Henry Potter’s Drum-Major Manual

1914 – National Self Teacher for Drum

*+1914 – Dallas Drum Tutor – Joseph Winter

*1916 – Complete Instructive Manual for Bugle, Trumpet, and Drum – V.F. Safranek

*1917 – Edward B. Straight’s improved pocket edition of The American drummer – Edward B. Straight

*1918 – The Military Drummer – Carl E. Gardner

1920 – The Yankee Doodle Method – Robert E. McGeary

*1922 – United States Army Training Manual No. 6

*1923 – Noble and Cooley EZ Method How to Play the Drums

*1925 – The Moeller Book: The Art of Snare Drumming – Sanford A. Moeller

*1928 – Training Manual No. 2000-5

1929 – The Wright Drum Tutor – Eddie Lincoln

*1930 – Ludwig Drum and Bugle Manual

*1930 – Ludwig Drum and Bugle Elementary Instructor

*1930 – Ludwig Drum Corps Guide

1930 –  Leedy Beginner Drum Method 

*1931 – Slingerland Drum Corps Handbook – Sam C. Rowland

*1931 – Military Drum Beats for School and Drum Corps – George Lawrence Stone

*1932 – The Rominger Drum Method – O.F. Rominger

1932 – Martial Music – Vincent L. Mott and James J. Donnelly

*+1933 – Premier Drum Corps Guide

1934 – Rollinson’s Modern School for the Drum – T.H. Rollinson

*1935 – Rubank Elementary Method – Paul Yoder

*1935 – Stick Control – George Lawrence Stone

*1933 – Edward B. Straight’s Drum Corps Method – Edward B. Straight

*+1937 – Premier Modern Tutor For Drums, Cymbals & Accessories – Eric Little

1937 – The Art of Drumming – J. Burns Moore

*1937 – NARD Drum Solos

*1938 – Drum Method – Gene Krupa

*1938 – Haskell W. Harr Drum Method – Haskell W. Harr

*1940 – Podemski’s Standard Drum Method – Benjamin Podemski

*1940 – Technical Manual – Field Music: TM 20-250

1940 – Universal’s Fundamental Method – Henry Melnik

*1940 – The Legionnaire Drummer – Eugene V. Clark

1940 – Rubank Intermediate Method – Robert W. Buggert

1940 – Drumology – Andrew V. Scott

*1941 – Buggert Method for Snare Drum 1 – Robert W. Buggert

*1941 – The School Drummers’ Manual – John P. Noonan, Joe Berryman, and Clark Hammitt

*1941 – Modern Rudimental Swing Solos – Charles Wilcoxon

*1942 – Buggert Method for Snare Drum 2 – Robert W. Buggert

*1942 – Complete Drum Instructor – William F. Ludwig

*1942 – Modern Interpretation of Snare Drum Rudiments – Buddy Rich and Henry Adler

*1943 – Drill and Evolutions of the Band – Russel B. Reynolds

*1944 – Drum Method – Charles Wilcoxon

*1945 – The All American Drummer 150 Rudimental Solos – Charles Wilcoxon

*1946 – The Science of Drumming – Gene Krupa

1947 – Reviewing the Rudiments – Harvey S. Whistler

*1948 – The Drummer’s Rudimental Guide – Sam Ulano

*1949 – Modern Contest Solos – John S. Pratt

*+1950 – C.C.F. Drum and Bugle March Book – W.R. Patrick

1950 – All American Drummer – Phil Grant

1952 – March and Drum – Myron D. Collins

*1955 – The Sturtze Drum Instructor – Earl Sturtze

*1955 – Belwin Fife and Drum Corps Builder – Acton Ostling

1956 – The Drummer’s Heritage

*1956 – Evolution of Drumming – Vincent L. Mott

1959 – Ancient Rudimental Snare And Bass Drum Solos – John S. Pratt

*1960 – Teaching Techniques for the Percussions – Robert Buggert

1960 – The 26 Traditional American Drumming Rudiments – John S. Pratt

1962 – Elementary Drum Method – Roy Burns

1964 – Guide to Teaching Percussion – Harry R. Bartlett

1964 – Marching Drums – Vic Firth

*+1966 – Modern Techniques for the Progressive Drummer – Max Abrams

1967 – Intermediate Drum Method – Roy Burns and Sandy Feldstein

*1967 – Snare Drum Method – Vic Firth

*1967 – Rudimental Jazz – Joe Morello

*1968 – Snare Drum Method Book II – Vic Firth

1974 – Intermediate Drum Book – William Schinstine and Fred Hoey

1976 – Musick of the Fifes and Drums – John C. Moon

1976 – An Instructor for the Drum – John C. Moon

*1980 – Snare Drum Rudiment Dictionary – Sandy Feldstein

*1980 – The Logical Approach to Rudimental Snare Drum – Phil Perkins