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.
Understanding the Language of Music: Chord Extentions
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…
Vocabulary Development Essentials Part 2:Embellishing Hand & Foot Combinations
Building on last month’s article titled “Vocabulary Development Essentials – Hand & Foot Combinations,” this time we’re diving deeper into how you can elevate your playing by transforming basic hand and foot combinations into more musical phrases. One effective way…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: Power Three’s
In the new and revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming, Bobby Rondinelli 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…
The Curse Of The Expert
As drummers we’re all passionate and energetic people, so it’s really easy to fall into the trap of more more more. But to speak your voice, you counterintuitively have to DELETE. I didn’t do this for a long time. “I…
Master Studies: Stroke Combination Studies,7 Stroke Roll Combinations
Going from single strokes to double strokes, to buzz (multiple rebound) strokes, involves different pressures on the sticks. You must be able to change the pressure your fingers are putting on the sticks without tension developing in the wrists. When…
Duet 11
Ron Spagnardi wrote a terrific book called Snare Drum Duets: 25 Duets for Two Snare Drummers. It offers a selection of 25 challenging duets that range in difficulty from relatively simple to more complex. A wide assortment of time signatures…
Vocabulary Development Essentials - Hand & Foot Combinations Part 1
As drummers, our ultimate goal is to effortlessly articulate our musical ideas on the drum set. To help achieve this, I am excited to introduce a new series of articles designed to present concepts and exercises aimed at enhancing your…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: Eighth Notes
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…
The Flow Of Movement
Flow is the space where high performance lives. Athletes call this ‘being in the zone’, that magical sphere where you’re almost watching yourself from above. Flow is the mastery of our inner world to feel and perform at our best…
Master Studies: Stroke Combination Studies,5 Stroke Roll Combinations
Going from single strokes to double strokes, to buzz (multiple rebound) strokes, involves different pressures on the sticks. You must be able to change the pressure your fingers are putting on the sticks without tension developing in the wrists. When…
Understanding the Language of Music: Chord Voicings
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…
Sound Quality Essentials: The Mechanics of Hitting a Drum
Years ago, I was sitting alongside my teacher, Ralph Humphrey, in a private lesson. We were at the drums, and he was demonstrating a stroke. When he played it, it sounded as big as the wall. When I played it,…
Drumset Duets
The concept of using two drummers on stage has a long and celebrated history. Artists like the Joshua Redman Double Trio in jazz and John Mayer in his live performance in Los Angeles (“Where the Light Is”) have utilized this…
ETS: Embrace The Suck
Are you one of the sheep, or the sheepdog who leads the pack? Sheep wander in a crowd semi-aimlessly, going where the majority go without much thought. They’re easily led, and easy to pick off by wolves. The sheepdog is…
