The Ultimate Guide to Syncopation

With The Ultimate Guide to Syncopation, master teacher Bruce Becker takes Ted Reed’s classic book Syncopation and shows you how to use it to develop more relaxed movement, better flow, improved phrasing, and more advanced independence. Spanning more than four decades as an educator, Bruce has been bringing forward unique concepts in developing “the flow!” Through the years, drummers like David Garibaldi, Tris Imboden, Mark Schulman, Daniel Glass, Glen Sobel, Tim Carman and many more have sought his guidance.

In this book, Bruce adapts the exercises in the classic book Syncopation by Ted Reed to achieve fluidity of movement, phrasing and independence. The concepts presented in this book are designed to:

• Choreograph your movement to achieve a better flow!
• Build your own concepts for better phrasing
• Stretch your independence

If you’ve checked out Syncopation but feel you have not unlocked the secrets that has made it one of the best-selling drum books of all time, Bruce will shed light on how to use it to supercharge your drumming. For longtime users of Syncopation, Bruce’s approach will give you hours of new source material for productive practice.

Includes over 2 hours of instructional video lessons demonstrating and explaining exercises and concepts from this book.

“This book is incredibly comprehensive in its scope. It ranges from the physical mechanics involved in proper hand technique all the way to developing greater four-way independence on the drum set. Stylistically it covers so much territory as well, from rock to Latin all the way to Elvin Jones-style bebop. It’s the hippest book I have seen in a long time!“

-Tris Imboden (Chicago, Kenny Loggins)

“I’ve known Bruce for many years and I’m also a former student. He’s one of my favorite teachers. A disciple of the legendary Freddie Gruber, Bruce takes what he learned from Freddie to another level.  He’s a master of movement and his exercises are very effective in building solid technique and relaxation. Thank you, B!”

-David Garibaldi (Tower of Power)

“Bruce Becker took a classic drum book and modernized it by creating a layer of education that actually shows drummers how to get the most out of the information presented. This is a must-have resource for students and teachers.”

-Jared Falk (Drumeo)

Bruce Becker co-led the David Becker Tribune for 35 years, recording 10 CDs. He has performed/recorded with Ron Carter, Mike Stern, Russell Ferrante, Barbara Dennerlein, John Abercrombie, Frank Gambale and many others. Bruce has conducted master classes all over the world and most recently has been a regular contributor to Drumeo, creating the very successful Drum Technique Made Easy course. He is the author of Puzzles, Rhymes and Riddles, and the DVD, Concepts and Philosophies.