Nineteen sixty-four saw The Beatles debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, Lyndon B. Johnson win a landslide re-election, and Colin Bailey release Bass Drum Control. This book has become a perennial favorite, helping countless drummers develop their bass drum technique and increase their flexibility through the mastery of exercises. Hal Leonard Corporation is proud to reissue Bass Drum Control – one of its consistent bestsellers for decades – in a special 50th anniversary edition. Deemed one of the “25 Greatest Drum Books of All Time” by Modern Drummer, the book is the bible on the subject.
Born in England and later a resident of Australia then the US, author, educator and jazz drummer Colin Bailey has played with who’s who of jazz luminaries, including Joe Pass, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, George Shearing, Chet Baker, Ray Brown, João Gilberto and scores more. Standouts of his work in the Vince Guaraldi Trio include the international hit “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” and the music from the much-loved A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Bailey originally wrote Bass Drum Control for jazz players using a single pedal, but the book has been adapted by drummers worldwide for the double pedal. Bailey is known for the speed and accuracy of his unique bass drum technique; drummers who hear him play the exercises in the book want to achieve that level of ability.
Drum god Steve Smith endorses Bass Drum Control in his clinics and videos as the tool he used for honing his double pedal chops. He comments, “I used Colin Bailey’s Bass Drum Control book to develop my single bass drum playing and double bass drum playing. I had the good fortune to get together with Colin and have him show me some of his insights into the bass drum pedal technique, and found it to be very useful.”
Joe Morello, longtime jazz drummer with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, also endorses the book in his video Drum Method 2 – Around the Kit.
Bailey says, “Most of the drummers that I have met over the last 30 years or so have been through that book. I’m very happy that it continues to help players today.”
The 50th anniversary edition of Bass Drum Control from Hal Leonard features online audio tracks accessible at www.halleonard.com/myLibrary, and a striking new cover. The book retails for $17.99 and will be available in September.
