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.
Rock Perspectives - Tom-Toms
In the basic rock concept, tom-toms are traditionally used only in fills and solos. This was expanded a few years ago with the release of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" which used a tom-tom on beats 2…
John Bonham In Retrospect
Without doubt, the dominating force in heavy metal rock during the entire decade of the 1970's was Led Zeppelin. John Bonham led the way with his wildly enthusiastic style, both on stage and in the studio. His syncopated but rock…
Driver's Seat - Energy and the Ensemble
I said in my first article for MD last year that sometimes a well placed rim shot in an arrangement has more impact than ten thousand notes. The prime example is Buddy Rich's two bar silent break in Channel One…
Teacher's Forum - More Effective Learning
As a private teacher, professor, and researcher, I have a great interest in learning how our brains, neural systems, and bodies work together as we develop music and drumming skills. I’ve done research for several years to devise ways for…
Strictly Technique - One-Two-Threes
In this lesson we’re going to work on a fun and challenging hybrid rudiment that does wonders for developing finger control. In the exercises, the right hand plays one note, the left plays two notes, and then the right plays…
Basics - Fundamental Fills Part 5
During the 1960s, Motown drummers such as Benny Benjamin, Richard “Pistol” Allen, and Uriel Jones introduced the six-stroke roll to the masses with their signature opening fills. In the following decade, session ace Steve Gadd expanded these ideas in the…
Jazz Drummer's Workshop - Rhythmic Conversions
For this lesson we’ll be focusing on the converted triplet material from Part 1 of this series, which ran in the May, 2016 issue of MD. Specifically, we’ll be using the half-note-triplet accent within each rhythmic conversion as a device…
Rock Perspectives - Advanced Overlapping Phrases
I’ve always been inspired by phrasing that seems to dance its way around the pulse. Bands such as Meshuggah apply this effect. You can bob your head in quarter notes and feel their phrases starting on different parts of the…
Concepts - Are You Playing the Drums?
This month’s quote represents a classic sentiment that seasoned drummers often feel necessary to share with younger players. By this stage in my career, I’ve witnessed many occasions when it would have been useful to repeat—at a clinic, for instance,…
Basics - Radio Beats by Rich Redmond
In this month’s article we’ll take a look at some popular grooves on country radio right now. All of them are variations of what I call “money beats,” fundamental drumset rhythms that have been used on countless popular songs. TO…
Concepts - Where's the Art?
I thought I would throw myself right into the fire for the New Year with a heated topic. I’ve experienced a lot of discussion regarding the artistry in music and drumming in recent years. I think every generation goes through…
Strictly Technique - Consecutive Flams
In part two of this series, we’re going to take out the taps between the flams so that the flams are adjacent. When you do that, the challenge becomes playing the consecutive flams with consistent grace-note placement and sound quality.…
Bebop Pioneer Stan Levey
The great bebop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie affectionately referred to Stan Levey as the “original original.” The two met in Philadelphia in the early 1940s, a time when many jazz musicians called this city home, including Gillespie, John Coltrane, Philly Joe…
Solid Soloing, Part 2: Changing Note Rates
In this miniseries we’re utilizing my “glue” method to gain freedom and flow while soloing. In the first installment we discussed how to connect two ideas without hesitation, using a specific sticking as a transition. In this article we’re going…
