Steve Smith From the Practice Room: “Rhythmania“ from the Wilcoxon Book

Steve has been practicing from some of the drum books he used with his first teacher, Billy Flanagan, in the Mid-Late ’60s. This solo is “Rhythmania“ written by Charles Wilcoxon from his book: Modern Rudimental Swing Solos for the Advanced Drummer. Steve performs “Rhythmania“ three times using three distinct grips. The first time, on the pad, he uses Palm-Down Matched-Grip. The second time through, on the kit, Steve uses a Matched-French-Grip. After 8 bars of “time“ Steve plays the solo a final time using Traditional-Grip. Originally published in 1941, the “Wilcoxon“ book was one of the most widely used drum texts of all time. The book focused on ways to “swing“ the rudiments, which was picking up on the playing styles of drummers like Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson and Gene Krupa. It has been reported that “Philly Joe“ Jones and many drummers have used phrases from the Wilcoxon book in their playing.