An Editor's Overview
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
BE A FUSION DRUMMER
The word fusion gets a lot of use in this issue. Unfortunately, it’s become somewhat of a “bad” word in some musical circles. It’s (unfortunate) meaning has become the name of the style of music, born in the late 60s…
TWO MONTHS OF COVER INSPIRATIONAND ADVICE
Modern Drummer’s last two cover interviews should act as true inspiration and advice for drummers everywhere. John Hoffman came out of nowhere to earn the gig as the new drummer for Primus. There were other drummers competing for that gig…
The Drum Community
Because of the passing of everybody’s friend Marco Soccoli, and the fact that so many drummers wanted to contribute their thoughts to Marco’s Modern Drummer tribute, I am thinking about the drum community a lot this month. The Modern Drummer…
Drumming IS Good for You!
In the last two months we have run two features on talented drummers that have experienced drum related injuries. Last month, Mark Schulman discussed his hearing, and this month Michael Cartellone is talking about a foot injury. Although both problems…
"You can't be great, without the greatness of others."
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sports fan, and a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan, and I just thoroughly enjoyed the Super Bowl. With students, I often talk about the similarities of becoming great at playing a sport,…
Roy and Zakir
At the very end of 2024 the music world lost two legendary drummers, Roy Haynes and Zakir Hussain. I am fortunate enough to have known, spent time with, and interviewed both men. Roy Haynes was my first and strongest jazz…
The History, Evolution, and Continuum of Important Drumming
After I talked to the three punk rock drummers for this month’s Punk Rock Drumming Roundtable, I was amazed at how great drummers know their drumming history. A while back I interviewed drummer Gene Hoglan and he gave me a…
Our Favorite quotes from 2024
Every month we get to go through all the words in Modern Drummer and pull out our favorite drummer quotes. The musicians say it best, here are our favorite quotes from 2024. Jeff Porcaro explained it to me, saying, “Look,…
I’m Just Like You!
After the last three years with Modern Drummer, people now seem to be asking me a lot of questions. During my interviews, more drummers are asking me about “me,” and I have NO idea why. I’m just like you, a…
Drums and Sports
Let’s start here. Music is not a sport, and any attempt to make music or drumming into a sporting event where there are winners, losers, best, and worst, is something that I am (basically) against. Healthy competition can be advantageous…
Obsession
Last month I suggested the idea of becoming “obsessed” with music and drumming. Unfortunately, the word obsession has gotten a bad reputation. Obsession is defined as a “compelling motivation.” Compelling means, “evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible…
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Both, Dave Elitch and Nick Buda uttered this phrase in their interviews this month, and it’s an important one. The older readers of Modern Drummer probably know what this phrase means and have heard it a million times. But the…
The Power of Yes and No
In this month’s feature interviews, both Questlove and Florrie mention the merits of saying “Yes,” and learning the benefits of saying “No.” Peter Erskine has loosely addressed this in his Modern Drummer Jazz Insights column as well. When a musician…
Community, Scene
It’s a subject that comes up often in my interviews— Being part of a community or a scene, and I can’t stress its importance enough! All drummers (should) know about how supportive the drum community is for one another. It’s…
