Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer

Voted second on Modern Drummer’s list of the 25 greatest drum books of all time, Progressive Steps to Syncopation is the standard tool for learning to read rhythms on drums. Ted Reed created it specifically to address syncopation, and it has been used by virtually every drum teacher on the planet since its publication in 1958.

Why This One

Reading rhythm notation is a skill that separates casual players from serious musicians. This book teaches it systematically, starting with basic quarter notes and building through eighth notes, dotted rhythms, sixteenth notes, and triplets. Each page introduces one new rhythmic concept with clear exercises that let you hear and feel the difference.

What makes this book extraordinary is its versatility. The exercises are written as single-line rhythms, but drum teachers have developed entire methods around interpreting them in different ways. You can play them on snare drum as written, apply them to the hi-hat while your other hand plays backbeats, use them as bass drum patterns, or turn them into full kit coordination exercises. One page of Ted Reed exercises can generate weeks of practice material depending on how you approach it.

The progressive structure means you never feel overwhelmed. Reed starts with the simplest possible rhythms and adds complexity in tiny increments. Students who begin with no reading ability can typically sight-read quarter notes through various sixteenth-note patterns by the time they finish the book.

What to Expect

A 64-page book of rhythm exercises arranged from simple to complex. The format is clean and uncluttered: rhythmic notation on the page, no photos or lengthy prose. You will need a metronome and either a snare drum or a practice pad. Like Stick Control, this is a book you will return to repeatedly as you advance, finding new ways to apply the same exercises to increasingly sophisticated drumming challenges.