Education

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.

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Understanding the Language of Music Basic Chord Structure

Modern Drummer founder Ron Spagnardi wrote an excellent book called Understanding the Language of Music, a Drummer’s Guide to Theory and Harmony. This book spells out the basics of theory and harmony in a very easy to understand way. It…

By Ron Spagnardi
Jul 31, 2023

Explosive CONFIDENCE Through Drumming

Where does true confidence come from? It’s found in the evidence of actions when you faced your dragons, and came out the other side. It’s not just thinking, but KNOWING. Everyday, we earn another 1%, but we don’t always see…

By Chris Lesso
Jul 31, 2023

Triplets with Flams

In previous months we have learned about an often-ignored sound of drumming called Flat Flams. Then we learned about Joe Morello’s creative way of combining eighth notes with Flams.This month we will continue with a study of playing triplets with…

By Joe Morello
Jul 31, 2023

Groove Concepts for Fusion-Funk Music

I began playing with the Carl Mayotte Fusion Quintet in 2018. We have recorded four albums since 2018 and have had the chance to release a play along series for drum and bass with Hudson Music in 2023. Creating the…

By Stephane Chamberland
Jul 31, 2023

The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: Binary Fills

In the new and revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming, Bobby includes nine new double bass drumming chapters. The new and expanded edition covers contemporary techniques such as bass drum double strokes, feet-only exercises, binary and ternary…

By Bobby Rondinelli and Michael Lauren
Jul 31, 2023
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Snare Drum Duets: Duet 6

As an ongoing tribute to Ron Spagnardi who founded Modern Drummer Publications in 1977 and was an excellent drum teacher and author in his own right, Modern Drummer has been including some of the articles, exercises, and pieces that Ron…

By Ron Spagnardi
Jun 30, 2023

Bill Stewart’s Phrasing in Five

I’ve been a big Bill Stewart fan for quite some time now. Ever since I heard him on his first solo outing, I’ve always looked forward to the various records to which he would collaborate. One of Bill’s best collaborations…

By Daniel Bédard
Jun 30, 2023

Exercises in African-American Funk: “Mangambe, Bikutsi, and the Shuffle”

In Modern Drummer’s ongoing introduction to Jonathan Joseph’s book Exercises in African American Funk: Mangambe, Bikutsi, and the Shuffle; This month we will continue with Jonathan’s explanation of a unique African groove called Bikutsi. Bikutsi is a musical genre from…

By Jonathan Joseph
Jun 30, 2023

How To Deal with Nervousness

“The struggle ends when the gratitude begins.”-Neale Donald Walsch The RLG mantra will empower you to channel new levels of energy and creativity when it counts. Performance anxiety can get in the way of big moments when all we want…

By Chris Lesso
Jun 30, 2023

The Bass Drum Owners Manual: Playing the Hi-Hat

This month Modern Drummer will continue to include excerpts from Michael Packer’s essential book on bass drum control and technique The Bass Drum Owners Manual: Applying the Moeller Technique to the Bass Drum. As you will see, this is a…

By Michael Packer
Jun 30, 2023

The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: Binary Beats

In the new and revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming, Bobby includes nine new double bass drumming chapters. The new and expanded edition covers contemporary techniques such as bass drum double strokes, feet-only exercises, binary and ternary…

By Bobby Rondinelli and Michael Lauren
Jun 30, 2023

Understanding the Language of Music Key Signatures and Scales

Modern Drummer founder Ron Spagnardi wrote a very educational book called Understanding the Language of Music, a Drummer’s Guide to Theory and Harmony. This book presents the basics of theory and harmony in a very organized and easy to understand…

By Ron Spagnardi
May 31, 2023
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Master Studies Eighth Notes with Flams

Last month we learned about an often-ignored sound of drumming called Flat Flams. This month we will continue with a study of playing (the more common) Flams. Both sounds are useful on both the snare drum and drumset and are…

By Joe Morello
May 31, 2023

The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming Feet Only

In the new and revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming, Bobby includes nine new double bass drumming chapters. The new and expanded edition covers contemporary techniques such as bass drum double strokes, feet-only exercises, binary and ternary…

By Bobby Rondinelli and Michael Lauren
May 31, 2023
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