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.
Emil Richards
What Los Angeles studio percussionist refers to his equipment, an assortment of over 650 percussion instruments from around the world, as his "collection"? TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Stickings—Part 1
Due to the many changes that have taken place in contemporary music over the last 20-30 years, it seems appropriate to re examine "stickings," to develop a more comprehensive and useful approach to this area of a percussionist's early training.…
Donald Knaack
If you have ever complained about the problems of hauling around and setting up a standard drumset, imagine the problems faced by a musician whose instruments are made entirely of glass. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG…
Ed Blackwell — "Bemsha Swing"
Bemsha Swing TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Future Sounds
Rock drumming has a tendency toward being colorless at times. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Bobby Rosengarden
My mother was a pianist in a silent movie theatre so there was music in our home constantly. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Building Confidence - The Right Kind, the Right Way
I recently performed a gig with the great comedian Bob Newhart where I was sight-reading big band charts with him and his opening act. I’ve done shows with Bob many times over the years. They don’t have a ton of…
A New Perspective - Displacing Three-Over-Four Polyrhythms
A three-over-four polyrhythm is comprised of sets of three equally spaced notes and four equally spaced notes that occupy the same timeframe. Typically both sides of the polyrhythm start together on the same note and utilize the same subdivision. If…
Playing Melodically - Part 2: Freddie Hubbard’s Solo on “Make It Good”
Last month we took a jazz melody, Charlie Parker’s “Billie’s Bounce,” and implied its melodic rhythm on the snare. This month we’ll phrase trumpet great Freddie Hubbard’s solo on “Make It Good” from the 1967 Duke Pearson album The Right…
1,000 Ways to Practice a Single Page - Part 5: Challenging Rudimental Approaches
The longer I play the drums, the more I appreciate and value the time I can spend on only a snare or pad. Let’s dive into a few concepts to improve our overall technique. Here’s the rhythm we’ll be interpreting…
Swing Interpretations - Modern Groove Applications
There's an interesting relationship between two-note (binary) and three-note (ternary) subdivisions that can help you develop better vocabulary and feel on the drumset. To understand this relationship, play an 8th-note triplet with your right hand while playing a straight 8th-note…
Triplet Fills - Swinging Your Phrases
Younger drummers sometimes struggle with triplet phrases, as there are few styles of popular music today that employ triplets as a basis for the feel. However, we have to be ready for these musical situations when they arise. Older rock,…
Rock Perspectives - "Playing Rock Music Is Not Dumb"
The following material is similar to the Rock Perspectives column regarding Swiss Army Triplets (July 1981). It's different enough to present additional technical challenges. These particular exercises can be of special benefit to the right foot (bass drum) because of…
Drum Soloist - Jo Jones -"Adlib"
This solo was transcribed from the album entitled, The Main Man—Jo Jones, recorded in November 1976, and released on the Pablo label. The solo is heard toward the end of "Adlib" which appears on side 1, cut 3. TO READ…
