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"Drum Book 44" by Marcus Rieck
"… a collection of 44 drum lessons to myself."

The printed version of my #drumbook44 features a collection of 44 composed beats and creative coordination exercises with rhythmic and melodic overlays on 96 pages. The book includes a few words of description in English language alongside each notation, explaining the inspiration, evolution and important aspects of the methods used. A collection of 44 corresponding video performances that capture the respective groove and sound can be found on my YouTube channel. Link in bio!

I couldn‘t be happier with the beautiful illustration that Rebecca Bernau made for me. @rebeccabernau Thank you!

Thank you to Matthew Robb for your kind support in writing the preface!

@grammlich_buch.one Thank you for your kind help and the beautiful print you made!

I would also like to thank @glennkotche for the continued support. Thank you Glenn! Your drumming has always been the most wonderful inspiration!

Thanks to everybody who listend to my music in the recent two years on Instagram. The personal feedback that I received from you means a lot to me and with pleasure I will continue and share my work with you in future.

The book is available at the prize of 30,00 € and ready to be shipped.
Just leave a comment or write a personal message!

#drumbook #drumbooks #book #books #rebeccabernau #rebeccabernaudesign

13/2026 "Kangoma 12-9-12-12"
Köln, 27.2.2026
Notations included at the end of the video

I’ve been working on arrangements for percussion ensemble lately. This piece for caixa (repinique) and three toms was inspired by @maracatukangoma and might become a bed for a solo piece for my upcoming solo album.
It is basically counted in 12/8 time, but the 2nd of four measures is shortened to a length of 9/8.
The last two measures in 12/8 time are repeated for ending. There is also a variation of swiss triplets, compared to the introduction of the main theme, which starts with alternating sticking RLR LRL. Due to the 9/8 measure, there is a switch from R.H.-lead to L.H.-lead.
The 12/8 measures can be felt as either four groups of three or three groups of four 8th notes, which is a funny change of feel while playing overdubs to the basic track.
Stay tuned and thank you for listening!

#multipercussion #soloalbum #drumbook #drumvideo #rohemadrumsticks

27/2026 "Gamelan Meditation"
Köln, 22.5.2026
Notations included at the end of the video!

The rhythmic motive is the Clapping Music pattern extended from 12/8 to a length of 16 8th notes (16th notes in 4/4 time signature in my notations).
In order to fulfill the melodic and harmonic progression, I had the idea to have a switch of the rhythm in the hands with every two bars. This means the the R.H. starts with the melody and the L.H. with the dotted pulse accompaniment. With every two measures, there is a switch of the rhythm in the two hands. I have often experimented with a dotted pulse accompaniment and I‘ve always loved the feel created by the shifting notes.
Enjoying the hypnotic sound of my @morfbeats gamelan strips as always!

#gamelan #meditation #bellsound #morfbeats #hypnotic

26/2026 "African Message"
Köln, 20.05.2026

Approaching Tony Allen‘s African Message drum groove…from the album Tony Allen plays with Africa 70 - No Accommodations for Lagos.

#afrobeat #africa70 #tonyallendrummer #drumbeat #drumgroove

25/2026 "Caribou - Repinique/Caixa"
Köln, 17.5.2026
Notations included at the end of the video!

This is a variation of a beat which I‘ve played before (1.9.2022 Louis Cole Ostinato / Caribou).
The two-bar groove in 4/4 time is based on doubles and paradiddle sticking ( RRLL RRLR RLRR LRLL). It is a shifted variation of the Louis Cole "Drum Solo" ostinato, which I‘ve also presented in several versions. I use a repinique in the mounted tom position and a caixa as snare drum.
Stay tuned and thank you for listening!

#repinique #tomgroove #drumgroove #paradiddle #drumbook

24/2026 "Sextuplet Shift"
Köln, 8.5.2026
Notations included at the end of the video!

This exercise is based on a seven-stroke "RLR LRF L" which starts with a R.H.-accent on the ride cymbal on count "1". Counting sextuplets, a quarter note pulse is indicated by hi-hat splashes of the left foot - I notated 8th note triplets and hi-hat half-note splashes.
The sextuplet phrase is played in four shifted positions A, B, C and D.
I recorded two videos. In the first video the sextuplet phrase shifts further with each repetition (ABCD), in the second video, the phrase is played twice until it shifts further (AABBCCDD).
Stay tuned and thank you for listening!

#drums #sextuplets #drumbook #jazzdrums #jazzdrummer

23/2026 "Clapping Music 12/8 + 5/8 - 5th bar groove" Köln, 23.4.2026
Notations included at the end of the video!

This groove is based on the 5th measure of last week‘s video - the five bar cycle of the Clapping Music pattern in 12/8 and a three-stroke in five note groupings of 8th notes played by the L.H. and bass drum accents in between. I started, improvising with the particular overlay in different instrumentations and ended up, alternating hi-hat and floor tom accents in the R.H., and playing a buzz-stroke on the caixa on count "1" in the L.H.
I feel the 12/8 groove as a triplet groove in 4/4 time and I play a "A-B-A" form (8-4-8).
Stay tuned and thank you for listening!

#drumbeats #drumbook #grooves #drumpractice #drumkit

22.4.2026 "Clapping Music + D.W. 5/8"
Köln, 24.4.2026
Notations included at the end of the video!

This video combines the Clapping Music pattern and my video 19/2026 (Le Creuset + Morfbeats Gamelan Strips), based on a L.H. three-stroke in 5/8 time and bass drum accents in between as played by Dan Weiss in his L.H. workout video.
The three-note ostinato in 5/8 shifts over the 12/8 bell ostinato, creating a cycle which is five 12/8 measures long. I added one extra bar, by repeating the 5th measure to create a six measure cycle.
I alternate one cycle in which the bell ostinato is played on the rim of the floor tom and one cycle with the bell ostinato played on the hi-hat (right side).
Stay tuned and thank you for listening!

#clappingmusic #drums #rhythm #drummer #ostinato

21/2026 "Dysnomia Swiss Triplet"
Köln, 17.4.2026
Notations included at the end of the video!

This exercise is based on the swiss triplet rudiment - the overlay of R.H./L.H. doubles (slightly swung) in three-note groupings of 8th notes.
I play four variations of shifted positions of the double overlay, starting with a shuffle in the R.H. and a L.H. double, which is played on the first two 8th notes of the three-note grouping.
Playing doubles with both hands in unison was helpful for an organic shift from the 1st to the 3rd and from the 4th to the 6th progression.
The swiss triplet progressions are played on top of my DYSNOMIA foot pattern, which I have played and featured many times before.
I am lucky enough, that Steve Klink wrote a wonderful composition "Mr. M.R.", based on my DYSNOMIA foot pattern, which we have just recorded for our upcoming trio album.
I love the sound of my two coffee table practice pads, which often remind me of the percussive sound of a tap dancer.
Stay tuned and thank you for listening!

#practicepad #tapdancer #swisstriplets #dysnomia #drummer

20/2026 Köln, 12.4.2026
"5/8 Three-Stroke + 12/8 Clapping Music"
Notations included at the end of the video!

This idea is still in progress, but as I had nothing else to share for this week, I made a quick phone recording of the basic idea:
The L.H. plays a three-stroke in groups of five (5/8) against the R.H. clapping music pattern in 12/8 time. The 5/8 pattern shifts over the 12/8 motive, creating a cycle that repeats after five measures in 12/8 time.
The five-bar cycle is played twice until the first first two measures are repeated to create a twelve bar form (5-5-2).
Let‘s see where this idea can take me in the course of the following weeks.
Stay tuned and thank you for listening!

#clappingmusic #padpractice #practicepad #drumsandlessons #stevereich

19-2026 "5/8 Ostinato on 4/4 Clave"
Köln, 4.4.2026
Notations included at the end of the video!

This one was inspired by Dan Weiss ("Left Hand Practice" 25.3.2026 @danwdrums ).
Dan plays several beautiful three-stroke comping ideas between L.H. and bass drum.
In this case, the melody is based on three-strokes in five-note groupings of 8th note triplets, answered by a bass drum accent or with a bass drum accent up front.
I was trying to figure out the melody concept of the bass drum accents (which ended up in my R.H.) and to me they felt like forming a five-bar clave cycle in 4/4 time after a while.
The L.H. ostinato is played on a @lecreuset roaster, which sounds great in combination with the @morfbeats gamelan strips (1st video) and the little @aurismusicse xylophone (2nd video).
Stay tuned and thank you for listening!

#ostinato #gamelan #xylophone #lecreuset #morfbeats

18-2026 "Selfish - Triplets"
Köln, 27.3.2026
Notations included at the end of the video!

This is the third part of a series of grooves, based on the Justin Timberlake "Selfish" drum groove.
The cycle is four measures long, corresponding to the four measure Selfish bass drum melody.
The L.H. clave, has a grid of 16th notes in the first, and a grid of 8th note triplets in the 2nd two measures. The phrasing of the bass drum off-beats changes from 16th notes to sextuplets.
I tried to keep the backbeat (played on my 12’ Sonor Force 3007 snare drum which sounds great in my small attic room) as constant as possible, and tried to not loose the flow of the groove too much.
Stay tuned and thank You for listening!

#justintimberlake #selfish #drumgroove #drumbeat #instadrum