2024 - Benjamin Waterson

Review: Drumset Independence and Syncopation by David Black

December 17, 2024

It’s time for the continuation (and perhaps conclusion) of the Syncopation saga with David Black’s Drumset Independence and Syncopation. Even if you don’t recognize this book by name, you have probably seen it without realizing — as far as I know, every copy of Syncopation that’s been printed in the last ~25 years has this…
Read More…
Yes, I’m In a Band

November 13, 2024

Well… that happened. Has it really only been ten days? Uh… anyway, maybe we’ll talk about the election later. For now, I have some better news to discuss. Despite all the writing I do, I don’t talk about myself that often. So, for anyone who might be wondering, yes, I am in a band —…
Read More…
“Whalefall” Drum Transcription — Shawn Crowder with Sungazer

November 1, 2024

Let’s get back into transcribing (and writing in general) with the tune “Whalefall” by Sungazer. If you’re familiar with YouTubers Adam Neely and/or Shawn Crowder, you’ll recognize this band, and “Whalefall” is from an album Sungazer just released this past September. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to make of musicians I get exposed to…
Read More…
Drum Chart: “New Donk City” from Super Mario Odyssey + Practice Loop

October 1, 2024

It’s been about a year since I shared a drum chart, so here’s another one from Super Mario Odyssey; it might be my last Nintendo drum chart for a while, and I need to find more sources of big band music that don’t have published sheet music… Anyway, today’s tune is “New Donk City” —…
Read More…
Review(s): The Other Ted Reed Drum Books

September 18, 2024

Ted Reed is an author who needs no introduction, even though, much like GL Stone, he’s best known for just one of his books: Syncopation, a book you can spend years taking in different directions. But just like GL Stone, Ted Reed has a lot of other work to his name. I picked up a…
Read More…