Before you download any version of this file, perform these three checks:
| Feature | Low Quality (Avoid) | High Quality (Seek) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Page Margins | Cuts off the count-in metronome markings on the left margin. | Full page, showing all 4 bars of the exercise. | | Note Clarity | 16th-note beams look like smudged lines; stems blend together. | Every note head is round and distinct; beams are sharp. | | Page Color | Grey or yellow (old photocopy). | White or off-white with high contrast (scan). | | File Size | Under 500KB (heavily compressed). | Between 5MB and 20MB (raw scan). | Before you download any version of this file,
This is a gray area. As of 2025, the book remains out of print and Jim Blackley has passed away. No estate has announced a reprint. Many educators argue that if a work is commercially unavailable, accessing a scan for personal study falls under "abandoned work" fair use, especially if you would happily buy a legal copy if one existed. It is important to acknowledge the elephant in the room
However, word in the drum community is that several small jazz drum publishers (like Hudson Music or Alfred) have explored reprinting Blackley’s catalog. If a legal, high-quality edition is ever released, support it immediately. and his estate
In the meantime, if you find a PDF, consider making a donation to a jazz drumming scholarship or a music library in Jim Blackley’s name. It’s a way to honor his legacy while using the material.
It is important to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Jim Blackley passed in 2018, and his estate, managed through his longtime associates in Toronto, still holds the rights to his work. The sale of brand-new physical copies has occasionally restarted through small jazz publisher runs, but they sell out instantly.
While a high-quality PDF is a pragmatic tool for the modern drummer, the ethical choice is to purchase a physical copy if you ever find one at a reasonable price, or to donate to a jazz education fund in Blackley’s name. That said, for the student who cannot afford a $300 textbook, a well-scanned PDF used for private study falls into the murky but common "grey area" of out-of-print music education.