Baby Steps to Giant Steps is a complete educational package that combines play-along tracks with lesson material designed to help drummers improve their playing skills while increasing their awareness and appreciation of jazz drumming.

The professionally-produced minus-drums play-along CD features eleven tracks based on jazz standards that gradually step up in tempo from 100 to 310 beats per minute (BPM). This innovative, incremental approach gives drummers the opportunity to work on developing their speed, groove and technique one step at a time—just as the title suggests.

Written by two of today’s most respected jazz drummer/educators, Peter Retzlaff (Diane Schuur, Maynard Ferguson, Drummers Collective faculty) and Jim Rupp (Woody Herman, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole), Baby Steps to Giant Steps includes lead sheets, drum charts and recommended patterns for each play-along as well as an extensive tutorial on jazz drumming—covering key topics such as developing the jazz ride pattern and feel, feathering the bass drum, independence, comping, trading fours and playing with brushes.

All of the songs and instructional content in the book are clearly explained, notated and accompanied by a recommended listening list.

Check out a FREE sample chart and play-along mp3 from Baby Steps to Giant Steps!

Click here to get the pdf chart

Click here to get the mp3

New!

Watch Pete and Jim perform tracks from the actual Baby Steps book! Pete demonstrates “Do You Know Why I Pulled You Over”, while Jim plays “Coolalittle Faster”. Both play each track with brushes, then with sticks.