Features
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.
J.J. Johnson and Tyler Greenwell
Everybody's talkin' about the Tedeschi Trucks Band's dual-drummer team. As in all great relationships, though, communication between the two rhythmic igniters requires few words. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
What You Need to Know About Bass Drum Heads
In this article and subsequent ones in a series, we’re going to survey the various types of plastic-based drumheads available for each component of the kit to help you zero in on which models will get you closest to the…
Rick Marotta
For the drummer, who’d built a sterling session and live career for nearly ten years with artists including John Lennon, Paul Simon, Jim Croce, James Taylor, and Steely Dan, 1978 was yet another super-busy year. In the studio, on the…
Peter Criss on Peter Criss
"When we were planning our solo albums, I knew I might never again get the chance to do what I wanted, with horns and strings and singing. I’m a soul singer; I grew up with James Brown, the Ronettes, the…
Foreigner’s Dennis Elliott
“I was blessed to land a gig as life-changing as Foreigner,” the London-born drummer Dennis Elliott says. “It was a band I totally believed in.” Elliott played with the group for seventeen years, powering solid-gold tracks like “Urgent,” “Feels Like…
Russ Kunkel - The Song Server
At the dawn of the ’70s, music fans noticed the credit “Drums: Russ Kunkel” popping up on reams of LP jackets. From that pivotal point, Kunkel’s momentum as a session ace surged through five decades. The drummer’s tasteful parts and…
Drum Wisdom: Jim Mola
By his own admission, Jim Mola moved to New York in 1985 to set the world on fire as a drummer. Now, after thirty-three years of experience in the trenches as a working musician, the types of gigs he’s playing…
New York Jazzer Jimmy Macbride
Still only in his mid-twenties, the drummer has been making a name for himself in the ultra-competitive New York City jazz scene for several years now, bringing an assured command of his instrument to recordings and live work with a sound that belies his age.
Dennis Wilson
As the reunited Beach Boys make headlines this year, MD remembers their late original drummer. The Smithereens’ Dennis Diken traces Wilson’s path to the top, recounts his dramatic fall, and examines his underappreciated skills. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE…
Dave King
As he blazes the trail of a true artist, he proves that a personal voice on the instrument trumps any sense of stylistic borders. MD associate editor Michael Parillo joins the Bad Plus drummer for a few steps of his…
BERNARD PURDIE: The Hitmaker
Bernard “Pretty” Purdie has played on enough tracks to overstuff an iPod. His drumming is, in fact, pretty. And nasty too. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
J.P. Bouvet
The 2011 Guitar Center Drum-Off champ and Roland U.S. V-Drums Contest winner shares his thoughts on soloing. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Joel Smith
For readers unfamiliar with gospel music and its rich history, imagine the way you might feel about John Bonham or Tony Williams, Jaco Pastorius or Charles Mingus. That's how much this multitalented musician means to legions of drummers and bass…
