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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.
Aaron Spears 1976-2023
“It’s nice to be important but it is more important to be nice, spread love.” This is what Aaron Spears lived by. When we started to ask his close friends and drummers that Aaron had touched and inspired for quotes,…
Steve Lukather
Guitarist, leader of Toto, solo artist, and session guitarist Steve Lukather has a lot to teach us about drumming and drummers. Whether it’s in Toto, on his 11 solo records, or on the countless sessions in his career, he has…
Zildjian 400th Anniversary Celebration
Photos & Article by: Bob Campbell The Avedis Zildjian Company has the enviable reputation of being not only the oldest cymbal maker, but also one of the oldest, highly regarded, and most enduring family businesses in the world. It is…
Cooking! Drumming!
As the holidays continue, we continue eating our favorite foods, and as ALL of my students know, I love to use food and cooking as a metaphor for music and drumming. Any musician is like one of your favorite prepared…
Bruce’s Original Ludwig Vistalite’s
This month’s Kit of the Month comes to us from Bruce DeVino. Bruce tells us, “Last June on Father’s Day, I attended a church rummage sale. I purchased these Ludwig 1976 Vistalite Series E Black and White Pattern drums in…
It’s a New Year, Twelve Advice’s of the Holidays
Now is a good time to pass along some drumming tips that are important to me, and I hope that you will find these helpful as well. I will list them in numerical sequence, but not necessarily in any order.…
Mikkey Dee’s Scorpions 2022 Vegas Residency Kit
This Sonor SQ2 kit was built for Mikkey Dee and the Scorpions 2022 Vegas residency. It was also used for the Scorpions Rock Believer Tour. The snare the Mikkey is using on this kit is the same dimension drum…
Out Now! December 2023
Modern Drummer is spotlighting new recordings that have the drums at the center of their sound. These recordings might be drummer-led, or just include a high-quality, special, or unique drumming and musical performance from the drummer and/or musicians in the…
Neil Peart Scholarship & Lifetime Achievement Award
The Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship The Neil Peart Scholarship, in collaboration with Neil’s wife Carrie and Modern Drummer, is proud to present the second recipient of the Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship to Aimee Peckham. The…
Peter Erskine remembers Dom Famularo
The recent passing of Dom Famularo left the drum world reeling in loss. Many of us knew that Dom had been bravely fighting the pancreatic cancer that was ravaging his system, and his relatively brief period of remission brought a…
Living Dead Drums
This month’s Kit of the Month comes from drummer Nick Mason. Nick has sent pictures of his custom finished Yamaha Stage Custom set. Nick is known as the “Living Dead Drummer” and plays Yamaha Drums and Paiste Cymbals. His drums…
Dom Famularo 1953-2023
Drummers don’t often get a chance to retire, and if they do, our community of drummers doesn’t give people gold watches or big retirement sendoffs. Maybe it’s because musicians usually don’t really want or need to retire “officially”, not to…
Nick Mason’s Solo Tour Set
Drums: Drum Workshop. Custom Painted by Katy Hepburn (Recreation of 1973 Ludwig Kit influenced by Katsushika Hokusa) Bass Drums: 20” and 22 “. Toms: 10”, 12”, 13”, 14”, 16” , 18”. Snare: DW Edge 14” Cymbals: Paiste. Prototype 8” Micro…
OUT NOW! November 2023
Modern Drummer is spotlighting new recordings that have the drums at the center of their sound. These recordings might be drummer-led, or just include a high-quality, special, or unique drumming and musical performance from the drummer and/or musicians in the…