It is rare to come across a classroom method book that so clearly, concisely, and thoroughly covers the basics of what a student needs to know. Nine Minute Drill doesn’t just cover technique, rhythm, and reading skills for practice pad and mallet percussion, it also covers musicality, listening skills, body placement, and some music theory. The book begins with an explanation on how to use the book to best effect and a breakdown description of the practice-pad exercises. Each drill has three accompanying play-along tacks at slow, medium, and fast tempos. The audio intro and count-in is written into the notation, which also includes what students should listen for in the track, when they should switch sticking, and what each hand should be doing–right down to if one hand should be resting at the student’s side. The lessons are preceded by “Quick Tips” that describe the purpose of the exercises and some basic technique guidance. The mallet-percussion section focuses mainly on two mallets, but does include a few pages of four-mallet study at the end. The scales and arpeggio section not only includes the scale and arpeggio for each key, but also the dominant 7th, minor, and diminished 7th arpeggios for each key. While not exhaustive in terms of mallet exercises, Nine Minute Drill includes interval, double stop, and chromatic motion, and has the “Green” scale patterns written out for each key. In terms of usability, Nine Minute Drill is brilliant and useful for percussion-specific teachers and non-percussionist band teachers alike. Though intended for the classroom, this book could easily be used for private lessons or even by a more advanced player who wants to get in some “back to basics” style practice. The book is laid out so smoothly that a motivated student with some prior training would be able to use it on his or her own with some effectiveness.
