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 Bass Drum Owners Manual: Mastering the Art of Weight Distribution
Has this ever happened to you? You are listening back to the audio of a track or video you just recorded. You are sure that the performance is clean and exactly what you intended to play. But as you listen,…
Getting Started With Open Handed Drumming
You might have seen me play and noticed I do things a little differently. By now, hopefully you know that “different is good,” because there are no rules! The way I play is called open handed drumming, which simply means…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: 32nd Notes and 32nd Note Triplets
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…
Accent Studies with Eighth Notes
This section combines alternate stickings with one handed stickings, while stressing accents. It is essential to maintain only two dynamic levels in each exercise: the accented level and the unaccented level. Also be sure to keep an even sound when…
Understanding the Language of Music - Roman Numerals and the Circle of 5ths
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…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: 16th Note Triplets
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 Bass Drum Owners Manual: More Hand and Foot Combinations and Etude #3
This month Modern Drummer will continue to include excerpts from Michael Packer’s essential book on bass drum control and technique The Bass Drum Owners Manual: Applying the Moeller Technique to the Bass Drum. As you will see, this is a…
Duet 5
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…
Triplets with Flams
These exercises should be played as written, on a snare drum or practice pad, without accenting the flams. After playing these at a medium dynamic, practice them at various dynamic levels, from very soft to very loud. You should also…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming - Eighth Note Triplets
This article of double bass drumming with eighth note triplets comes from the original book Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming, which is also included in the new and revised edition. Triplets are a challenging aspect of double bass drumming due…
The Bass Drum Owners Manual: Hand and Foot Etudes #1 and #2
This month Modern Drummer will continue to include excerpts from Michael Packer’s essential book on bass drum control and technique The Bass Drum Owners Manual: Applying the Moeller Technique to the Bass Drum. As you will see, this is a…
To Master Your Craft, Go Outside of It
I have many favorite “drummers” that aren’t drummers at all: Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Eddie Van Halen, and Bruce Lee. These non-drummers have just as much impact on my expression as the great drummers. Sticking within your field, can make…
Understanding the Language of Music - Form and Structure
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…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming - Five to Sixteen Consecutive 16th 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…
