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.
Strictly Technique - Hearing The Click On The "E"
In this lesson, we’ll work on shifting our perception of a metronome so that we’re hearing each quarter-note pulse as the second 16th note, or “e,” of each beat. Benny Greb has talked about using this concept to help improve…
Do I Need an Attorney? Part 1: When to Expand Your Team
I was recently in a difficult situation with a business I was doing work for on a weekly basis. They owed me a considerable amount of money but had no intention of paying me for my services. After failing to convince…
Rock 'N' Jazz Clinic - Groove Construction
Ghost notes are an excellent way to expand your dynamic range. In this lesson, we’ll focus on dynamics and technique while working on ghost notes by using an ostinato approach. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Around The World - African Pop Meets American Funk
Popular African pop rhythms from the past twenty to thirty years are starting to appear in American funk music. In this article we’ll explore the triplet-based African rhythm mangambe, which we’ll apply to a funk setting. TO READ THE FULL…
Rock Perspectives - Groove Contraction
Groove contraction can create rhythmic tension and release. Similar to how, with implied metric modulation, we can use new subdivisions to trick listeners into feeling like the quarter-note pulse has shifted, we can use the concept of contraction to make…
Concepts - Playing From The Inside Out
This month I’d like to discuss one of the biggest issues I see with young drummers: the loose and questionable sound of unintentional ideas. This usually happens during fills and solos, but it sometimes exists during grooves as well. Many…
Jazz Drummer's Workshop - Five-Note Patterns
We discussed Tony Williams’ use of five-note ride patterns in the February 2015 issue of Modern Drummer. In this lesson we’ll analyze approaches that Max Roach and Bill Stewart have used to utilize five-note groupings around the drumset, and we’ll…
Bebop Syncopation - Part 1: Max Roach and Art Blakey
Ted Reed’s Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer is considered a timeless book by many leading drummers and educators. One page alone can inspire a lifetime’s worth of practice material. In this series of articles we’ll explore new…
Stickings That Rock - Part2: Exploring an Additional Hand Pattern
In this lesson we’ll focus on another sticking that I acquired while working through George Lawrence Stone’s classic book Stick Control. The rhythm in the right hand is rooted in the first part of a 3:2 clave rhythm. (Think of…
Groove Construction - Part 11: Perceiving the Click as Triplets
In this ear-training workshop, we’ll work on hearing a metronome on different partials of 8th-note triplets. Working on these exercises will improve your ability to internalize different rhythms before you start playing them. Plus, these exercises will definitely improve your…
"The Brain Dance" - Matt Garstka's Quintuplet Groove
Few drummers generate the sheer amount of excitement and enthusiasm within the drum community as Matt Garstka. Whether it’s through his incredible display of solo chops or his mind-bending compositions with Animals as Leaders, Garstka continues to push the edge…
Concepts - It's Time To Retool!
I came to the realization a few years ago that to maintain success, I have to constantly adjust, retool, forecast, and create new business plans. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Strictly Technique - Swiss Rudiments
Welcome to the first of a four-part series on Swiss rudiments and Basel drumming. In this lesson I’ll focus on some specialties of the Basel style that aren’t usually included in the standard list of forty Percussive Arts Society rudiments.…
Rock Perspectives - The Notes We Don't Play
Adding rests to complicated subdivisions can be an intimidating endeavor. But just like when you’re learning how to play a 16th-note rest on beat 1, or an accent on the middle partial of a triplet, it’s only tricky at first.…
