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.
Don't Disturb The Groove!
Part 3: Combination Patterns In this third installment we’ll combine the two techniques that we’ve been working on: broken doubles and hi-hat substitutions. Some of the grooves incorporate the entire drumset rather than only the bass drum, snare, and hi-hat.…
Snare Drum Studies
Lessons In Counting and Stretching Rhythm For drummers, the rudiments are often likened to scales for other instrumentalists, but we have scales too. These “rhythm scales” give us access to new percussive “notes” like the quintuplet. The results we get…
Make A Statement!
Concepts for Drumset Improvisation Improvisation is at the core of every great jazz performance, and as we mature as musicians we become more confident in expressing ourselves on our instrument. The rhythmic or melodic concepts that we play illustrate a…
Fours and Sevens in 7/8
Part 3:Triple Strokes This month we’re going to finish the Fours and Sevens in 7/8 exercise by playing it with triple strokes. As with double strokes, the key to playing high-quality triple strokes is finger control. The challenge is to…
Concepts - Art vs. Money
If you run your own business, at the end of the year you review profits and expenses.
Rock Perspectives - Playing Simple
The following material is a presentation of some simple ideas I've developed for use with my private students.
Show And Studio - Notes On The Making Of Moving Pictures Part 1
Having been a regular reader of MD for the last couple of years, I've noticed most of the studio information has been for the
Complete Percussionist - Chord Scales
In this article, I'll discuss the connection between chords and their chord scales.
Jazz Drummers Workshop - Studies in Style: Part 1
Philly Joe Jones The “perfect combination of Blakey’s unquenchable fire, Catlett’s melodiousness, and Roach’s subtlety”—such is MD‘s description of Philly Joe Jones. Joe was all of the above, and more, on the 1958 album, Milestones, with Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley,…
Drum Soloist - Elvin Jones: "Crisis"
From the album Ready For Freddie (Blue Note 84085), by Freddie Hubbard. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Concepts - "Can You Play Like John Smith?"
Recently, a friend of mine was asked to do a commercial recording session. During the session, it became obvious that things were not going well.
Rock Charts - "Touch and Go"
Rock Charts continues with The Cars, the popular new wave quintet from Boston. “Touch And Go,” from the Panorama album is an exercise in meter change. The basic feel of the verse (letters A, C, E) is an interesting two-measure…
Complete Percussionist - Introduction To Tabla
Oddly enough, it was “Black Mountain Side,” an acoustic guitar piece from Led Zepellin’s first album, which turned me on to the exquisite sound of the tabla. “Tabla drum?” I asked myself. “What in the world is a tabla drum?”…
Rudimental Symposium - Rudimental Positioning For Set And Snare
When the word rudimental is mentioned, many set drummers quit listening or dive behind a wall of prejudice.
