The Portraits in Rhythm Study Guide contains a detailed analysis of the fifty snare drum etudes from Portraits in Rhythm. These observations and interpretations represent many years of performing and teaching. As with all music, there is no one interpretation; however, I hope these suggestions spark an interest in each student to develop a greater insight into a composer's musical intentions. As this text is studied and applied to each etude, I expect these newly learned skills will carry over into other compositions and performances. The first 25 etudes originally appeared in Modern Drummer Magazine, and I wish to thank Ron Spagnardi for his cooperation in releasing them for publication. This publication contains an analysis of the entire 50 etudes in one volume.