IS NOW AVAILABLE!
Get the physical paperback edition or the digital ebook edition at Mel Bay. It can also be purchased from Amazon, Steve Weiss, or other music book retailers. All versions come with access to online audio examples.
Featuring 22 international rudimental traditions from Europe and the Americas, this is the most historical and international rudimental information ever assembled. Each of the 22 sections contains a discussion of history, manuals/methods and notation styles for the region, a specific rudiment list, musical examples from military or solo repertoire, and a list of sources for further study. Many of the traditions in this book have absolutely never been discussed or taught outside of their home regions — until now. Develop your chops and rudimental skills and expand your percussive horizons with types of drumming you never knew you never knew about. Rudimental Grand Tour has 104 pages of large format 8.75×11.75 instruction.
Includes rudiments and repertoire from the major world rudimental leaders in America, Basel, and Scotland (pipe band), as well as the larger military traditions from Britain, France, Germany/Prussia, and Austria-Hungary, and many lesser-known military and folk traditions, including Switzerland (tambour-ordonnanz), Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Bavaria, Norway (trommeslåtter), The Netherlands, Russia, Italy, Sicily, Ivrea, and Sweden, plus a selection of New World traditions: Argentina, Mexico (banda de guerra), and Colombia.
To get even a fraction of the information in this book you would have to track down dozens of individual methods, in 10 different languages and many more idiosyncratic notation styles, from a 400+ year span of publication history. Even then, you would not get the rhythmic interpretation in modern American notation that would allow you to easily play the rudiments and material in those methods. Without physically taking the grand tour to study with rudimental teachers in each region, Rudimental Grand Tour is the absolute best way to familiarize yourself with the huge variety of rudimental drumming on this planet.
“it’s the most thorough, in-depth presentation of the topic that I’ve ever seen, with an incredible amount of information … I’m sorry I didn’t write it myself!”
– Joel Rothman (J.R. Publications)
“this is a serious collection of rudimental info! … I really checked your book out and find it to be a stellar text.”
– Edward Freytag (BOD Productions)
“Rudimental Grand Tour is an incredible piece if work tracing the origins of drum rudiments, this is a must in all serious drummer’s library as well as educators.”
– Ashley Wardell (Rimshots)
Check out the sample page below, showing an interpretation of the French Rigodon. There are many classic duty calls and battle signals like this, in addition to plain rudiment lists.
Rudimental Grand Tour is somewhat superficially similar to my other rudiment book Encyclopedia Rudimentia, though it differs in some key ways. One main difference is that the Tour does not address the Hybrid drum corps style rudiments, the Encyclopedia has a list of 540+ and is a great resource for Hybrids. On the other hand, the Encyclopedia does not contain rudiments from nearly as many international traditions and does not contain repertoire examples or etudes. They are definitively different publications and both deserve a place on your bookshelf.
Ryan Alexander Bloom 