Education
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The Circuit - An Ambidextrous Routine for Ultimate Control
This month we’ll check out a challenging coordination study. The goal of this routine is to become comfortable playing any pattern leading with either side of the body. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Rhythmic Conversions - Part 5: Brazilian Grooves and the Half-Note Triplet
In this lesson we’ll superimpose a new tempo over an existing pulse using a half-note-triplet subdivision. We’ll then manipulate the subdivision to create Brazilian grooves in the new tempo. I recommend that you practice these patterns with a metronome and…
Flowing Diddles, Triple Strokes, and Paradiddles
Essential Motions for Smoother Transitions
Jon Theodore Style and Analysis
From his days playing mind-melting Mars Volta compositions to his current gig with the rock giants Queens of the Stone Age, Jon Theodore has inspired drummers with powerful grooves, explosive fills, and rock-solid time. His ability to craft the perfect…
Be the Driver!
Ask any musician, especially a non-drummer, “What’s the number one role of the drummer?”
Drum Athletes Part 4: Dynamic Stretching
Talk to any professional drummer who travels on a regular basis, and he or she will testify to the benefits of staying healthy on the road. Many touring musicians understand the value of getting enough sleep, drinking a lot of…
Compound Rudiments The Blam
Many of the basic drum rudiments can be combined. If you analyze a paradiddle, you’ll see that it’s really just two single strokes and a double. With that in mind, I’ve decided to blend two of my favorite sounds on…
Indian Clave
Building a Bridge Between Two Rhythmic Cultures Indian Clave Every piece of music has a story to tell, and the one we’re looking at this month, “Indian Clave,” started at a festival in Croatia, when I performed with Horacio “el…
Popular Play-Alongs Part: 5: Rap-Metal
In this series of articles we’ve focused on developing the proper performance technique, groove vocabulary, and sound to play a wide variety of tunes. In our final installment, we’ll be combining two types of grooves in a rap-metal tune titled…
Latin Rhythms in Pop Music
Part 1: Bossa Nova and Samba I often meet drummers who just aren’t interested in studying Latin rhythms. I’ve heard the same thing many times: “I’m never going to play a samba, mambo, songo, or 6/8 groove, so why…
Popular Play-Alongs: Part 4: Dance-Rock
In the last three play-along articles (July and October 2012 and January 2013), we focused on developing the proper performance technique, groove vocabulary, and sound to play alongside Top 40, pop-punk, and synth-metal tunes. In this month’s installment, we’re taking…
Further Beyond the Barline
2/4 Hemiolas in ¾ and 6/8 Welcome to my second article discussing an approach to improvisation that will allow you to play longer and more interesting solo phrases in a variety of styles. As in the first part, which appeared…
