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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.
Joey Kramer’s Aerosmith Nine Lives tour kit
The Drum Workshop Collector’s Series kit shown here was created for Joey Kramer’s use on Aerosmith Nine Lives tour. The tour ran from May 1997 to July 1999, and included dates in North America, Canada, Japan, and 14 European countries.…
A Salute to Women in Drumming
While we were planning this month’s Salute to Women in Drumming issue, I happened to be talking with Peter Erskine. We talked about the fact that singling out women drummers could be counter-intuitive, and segregating people by anything other than…
Frankenstein Amber Vistalite kit
When Ted “Tazz” Price of Greenville, South Carolina describes his kit, we can all harken back to our younger years of mixing several smaller kits to create one big kit. He explains, “Originally, I was playing a Vistalite John Bonham…
Peter Erskine-Lauren Ellis: Women in Drumming, Mentorship
This month’s Jazz Insights column focuses on my former USC student and teaching assistant Lauren Ellis. Her bio informs us that, “Lauren is a drummer, composer, and educator from Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. There, she studied at the Te Kōki…
Todd Sucherman’s Pearl Masterworks series Styx touring kit
The kit shown here is a Pearl Masterworks series outfit that Todd Sucherman used with Styx over 10 years of touring. It features a stunning Bubinga wood finish- with bass drum heads to match. The bass drum heads that match…
Wiktoria Bialic: Taking Over the Scene from Every Angle
Wiktoria Bialic fell in love with music at a young age – the key word being music! She played violin until she discovered her connection to rhythm, after which she gravitated towards percussion. After 12 years of education in classical…
Tribute To Taylor
Although much of what I’ll share here in this month’s overview is echoed over and over throughout this issue, I’ll speak on behalf of my team and me, the inside Modern Drummer family, many of whom were close to Taylor.…
Ghost Rack
This month’s Modern Drummer Kit of the Month comes from Steve Barone of Erie, PA. I’ve always liked using a drum rack, but over the years I’ve tried to find ways to reduce mass and shave weight from my hardware…
My Manne, Shelly
Shelly Manne was one of my first drum heroes, and he remains a hero to this day. A swinging drummer in any context, he personified eclecticism while remaining a singularly unique musician. Shelly could do it all. Since the term…
Essential Factors for success in the gym: Lessons learned in the Practice Room
In the last issue, we examined the myth of the muscle-bound concept. This instilled an unwarranted fear into many drummers and percussionists alike: Don’t lift weights, as it can impair dexterity and hinder your ability to play drums. Intuitively, we…
Steve Lyman, From Drums to Meditation, Thinking Beyond the Surface
Steve Lyman is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Initially he was surrounded by classical guitar and flute played by his parents. Steve has always had a knack for composition and has applied it to his drumming. He has…
Tommy Clufetos’ Black Sabbath Tour Kit
Black Sabbath’s tours always combined the heaviest of heavy metal sounds with the most outrageous spectacle possible. The kits created for Tommy Clufetos by Drum Workshop for those stores reflect that spectacular approach Although the finish of Tommy kits changed…
Introducing...
My name is Mark Griffith, I am a professional musician who happens to play drums. I tour, play locally, record, do clinics, masterclasses, teach, and I write. I started writing for Modern Drummer under Ron Spagnardi’s leadership 25 years ago,…
Carter Beauford Replica Kit
April’s Kit of the Month comes to us from Hampton, Arkansas. It is Adam Parker’s Carter Beauford replica kit. Adam explains, “I have followed Carter’s kit every year since I was 14. Eventually I started replicating it because I loved…
