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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.
Michael “Squeak” Melusky, DW Collector’s Series Maple/Mahogany
The kit utilizes a Gibraltar rack system designed to be stealth and easy to pack up. Thankfully, it goes into two road cases with minimal tear down. The bass drums have custom matching bass drum hoops with inlay, and also…
“Where Am I Going?”
More often than not, I preach precision while espousing specificity when it comes to expressing our ideas on the drumset. In simple terms, that adds up to, “saying what we mean and meaning what we say.” That approach, however, runs…
The Practice Mentality and Increasing Motivation for the Gym
In the drumming community, every so often one can stumble into a discussion about the importance of technique. There is this strange idea that some people argue that technique doesn’t matter much. I see this in forums and the argument…
Josh Harmon: From Comedy to Drums, Shaping His Unique and Timeless Sound
Josh Harmon is the definition of a boundary breaker. Regarded as one of the world’s most creative drummers, his approach is an unconventional as it is successful. His mega-popular series, Rhythms of Comedy, has garnered love from BILLIONS across the…
Alan White June 14, 1949 - May 26, 2022
Alan White is best known as the drummer for the legendary English progressive rock band Yes. But his career was much more than that. Before his days with Yes, Alan contributed his groove to recordings by John Lennon, George Harrison,…
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…
