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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.
It Pays To Listen
The standard advice is to listen. A common admonishment is, “You’re not listening.” There are some good quotes about listening. Malcom Forbes said, “The art of conversation lies in listening.” Stephen Covey, the author of Seven Habits of Highly Successful…
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…
Nick Buda’s Kenny Chesney Touring Kit
Photos by Jason Mehler Drums: Noble & Cooley Union Series – 6×10 rack concert tom, 8×13 rack, 12×14 floor, 14×16 floor, 16×22 kick. Snares: main- 6×14 copper, Side 5×13 chrome/maple, 7×14 tulip (union series) Heads: Evans – Snare drums UV1…
Out Now July 2024
Modern Drummer is excited to spotlight new recordings that have the drums at the center of their musical 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…
TONY WILLIAMS : FRED
Few musicians reach such iconic status that their first name alone—Billy, Vinnie, Dennis—is enough to identify them. Tony Williams, one of the earliest drummers to achieve this, stands out among them. His influence on drumming is profound, impacting not only…
Tony Ferrari’s One of a Kind Fibes Kit
This Fibes kit was produced in 1970 at the Farmingdale factory. It consists of fiberglass shells with an actual chrome metal wrap. The eight concert toms were custom made by a Fibes employee and were tucked away for five years.…
Jack Magnet Science
As I was flying high above the clouds en route from Reykjavik, Iceland to the USA. I’d only heard of Reykjavik when I was a younger man in connection with the summit held there in 1986 between the United States…
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…
Marcelo Novati’s Juanes Touring Kit
Drums: DW Collectors (Maple SSC) in broken glass finish – 18×22 Bass Drum, 10×13 rack tom, 16×16 floor tom, 6 1/2×14 brass snare, 6×12 maple snare in tiger oyster finish (side snare.) Heads: Evans drumheads – Bass Drums: 22 HEAVYWEIGHT clear with DW muffling…
Out Now June 2024
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…
James Brown: The Funky Drummer, Clyde Stubblefield Transcription by Marc Atkinson
When Tower of Power asked, “What is Hip?” Clyde Stubblefield answered! Grooves don’t get much hipper than this. Recorded in 1969, released in 1970, and again on CD in 1986, “The Funky Drummer” from the album In The Jungle Groove…
Let the “Good Times Roll”
This month’s Modern Drummer Kit of the Month comes to us from Bryan Beyer. He built this 70s Slingerland kit for his Cars tribute band called Moving in Stereo. The drums are 14×24, 10×14, 14×14, 14×16, and 16×16 shells that…
Shelly and his Mannerisms
This month’s column is written by Kevin van den Elzen who hails from the Netherlands and now makes his home in Los Angeles. Kevin received his master’s degree at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California…
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…
