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.
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…
Master Studies: Stroke Combination Studies
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…
Slipknot’s “Sulfur,” drummer, Joey Jordison
This month, we dive into the world of Slipknot with their high-energy track, “Sulfur.” Get ready to move fast because this one is a real foot burner! “Sulfur” comes from their album All Hope Is Gone. Written by guitarist Jim…
Duet 17
Ron Spagnardi wrote a wonderful 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. This month’s duet will inspire and…
The Bass Drum Owners Manual
Mastering the Art of Weight Distribution Part Two: Achieving Ultimate Control on the Bass Drum As drummers, our ultimate goal is to effortlessly translate our musical ideas into clear, concise rhythms on the drum set. This goal is a perpetual…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming
Double Bass Drumming in The Blues 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…
The Sound Crafter
Think of yourself not as a drummer, but a sound crafter. Each zone of the kit has a voice. How does each one make you feel? Do you see colors or shapes? Can you feel the vibrations in your body?…
Buzz Roll Studies: Triplets with Buzz Rolls
In Joe Morello’s book Master Studies, he details different techniques to develop control on the drums. These exercises develop technique, control, and will help you develop different vocabulary from the different sounds we can produce with our hands. Last month…
Understanding the Language of Music - Diatonic Harmony
This month we will be building upon the subjects of the last three articles: 6th and 7th Chords, Form and Structure, and Roman Numerals and the Circle of Fifths. Diatonic Harmony is based around the chords that fall within the…
