The Conservatory

01Start in the Conservatory Lab

The Conservatory Lab: 48 advanced lessons. The same styles as Intermediate at a higher level (linear grooves, double kick, the half-time shuffle, bebop, samba, hand-and-foot fills), plus flam rudiments at tempo, ghost notes, odd meters from 5/8 to 11/8, orchestral snare and reading.

• The Conservatory Lab48 advanced lessons with play-along

02Jazz

Independence, comping, bebop tempos and brushes. Switch the interactive kit to brushes for the swing feels.

• The Swing FeelKit lesson
• Jazz IndependenceKit lesson
• BebopKit lesson
• 76. The Swing Feel
• 77. The Jazz Ride Pattern
• 78. Hi-Hat on 2 and 4
• 79. Feathering the Bass Drum
• 80. Comping on the Snare
• 81. Comping on the Bass Drum
• 82. Triplet Comping
• 83. The Jazz Waltz
• 84. Brushes
• 85. Trading Fours

03Transcription and time

Recorded grooves by Andreas Klein. Transcribe a loop, then play it back against the click on 2 and 4.

• Up-tempo swing: 190 and 220 BPMHear the ride flatten as the tempo climbs
• Brush ballads: 50 BPMSustain the time at a very slow tempo
• Jungle breakbeats: 195 and 210 BPMJazz touch in another style

04Rudiments at tempo

All 40, clean at speed, with accents and dynamics. Push the tempo slider and hold it there.

• All 40 rudimentsThe full PAS list
• Flam DragDrum Rudiment #30
• PataflaflaDrum Rudiment #27
• Inverted Flam TapDrum Rudiment #29
• Drag Paradiddle #2Drum Rudiment #37
• Triple RatamacueDrum Rudiment #40
• Seventeen Stroke RollDrum Rudiment #15

05Reading

Syncopated reading and charts.

• Syncopated ReadingKit lesson
• 94. Syncopated Reading
• 95. Reading Lines as Grooves
• 96. Reading a Drum Chart
• 97. Song Form and Playing with a Band

06The orchestral repertoire

Where each instrument appears in the repertoire, including standard audition excerpts for timpani, snare, keyboards, cymbals, triangle and tambourine.

• The Drum Room: the repertoire59 instruments
• Play the kit with your own padsConnect MIDI pads or an e-kit

NEXTIn development

• Odd meters: 5/4, 7/8 and beyond
• Polyrhythms: 3 over 2, 4 over 3, 5 over 4
• Afro-Cuban and Brazilian styles in depth
• Hybrid rudiments
• Timpani and mallet études
• Orchestral audition preparation, excerpt by excerpt