Rock 'n' Jazz Clinic

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.

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Funky Threes — Breaking the Mold With Broken Stickings

In this article, we’re going to look at a very simple three-note sticking pattern (LLR) and apply it on the drumkit in a way that you may not have thought of before—with the double strokes voiced between the hi-hat and…

by Jeff Salem
Apr 17, 2018

Metrically Modulated Drum ’n’ Bass

Using Triplets to Imply Faster Tempos Over the past decade, the drum ’n’ bass style of drumming has taken off in a big way. Many drummers tend to emulate this style by simply playing in double time. For example, if…

by Andy Shoniker
Apr 5, 2018

Composing on the Drumset

Simple Ways to Bring More Intention to Your Grooves I believe that as drummers we have the ability to create music and compose on our instrument in more ways than in the conventional manner. We learn good technique through the…

by Robert Brian
Mar 29, 2018

Five-Note Phrasing

Part 1: Creating Rhythmic Tension

by Marc Dicciani
Mar 28, 2018

Brush Workshop Part 4: Rudiments

Almost every drummer practices the rudiments—with sticks. If you’re serious about learning how to use brushes, why not also practice the rudiments with them? TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN

by Florian Alexandru-Zorn
Mar 23, 2018
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Open-Handed Playing Part 3: Triplet Groove Systems

In this article I’d like to take the idea of avoiding crossed hands into the rhythmic field of triplets. Triplet-based grooves have their own special twists and turns. Playing these ideas open-handed can be a serious challenge, one that will…

by Claus Hessler
Mar 22, 2018

Brush Workshop Part 3: Linear Motion

Many drummers think that brushes can be used only in jazz, but if you’ve been following this series and practicing the various patterns in each article, you should realize by now that brushes can be used in any musical style.…

by Florian Alexandru-Zorn
Mar 9, 2018

Sticking the Beat

A Four-Step Process to Discovering New Grooves In this article I’ll show you how sticking patterns can be applied to the drumset to create various grooves. Each groove is built from the ground up, progressing through four easy-to-understand steps. The…

by Joel Popelsky
Mar 6, 2018

The Paradiddle Polyrhythm Pyramid

Sharpen Your Rhythmic Awareness and Control The following exercise was going to be called the Paradiddle Polyrhythm Rudiment, but I felt that it was too long to be just one rudiment. Instead, it makes for a formidable polyrhythm exercise in…

by Peter Magadini
Mar 2, 2018

Color Your Groove Tips for Playing Drums and Handheld Percussion Simultaneously

Adding handheld percussion, like shakers and tambourines, to tracks in the studio is nothing new. Producers have long taken advantage of the opportunity to overdub layers of rhythmic texture without necessarily worrying about how it’s all going to be replicated…

by Eric Novod
Feb 28, 2018

Playing on the Upbeat

Twenty Funky Phrases and Variations

by Powell Randolph
Feb 28, 2018

Groove Freedom Part 3: 32nd-Note Patterns

Welcome to the third and final installment of my “Groove Freedom” series. For those of you who missed the first two lessons, these articles are based on exercises from my latest book, Groove Freedom. The book is built from the…

by Mike Johnston
Feb 23, 2018
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Volume Independence and Musicality

More About “How” Than “What” There are many different concepts and methods for developing independence. Most of us spend countless hours working on independence the traditional way, by playing a rhythm with one hand (e.g., a jazz swing ride pattern)…

by Marc Dicciani
Feb 21, 2018

Groove Freedom Part 2: “Funky Drummer” Permutations

Welcome to the second installment of articles based on my new book, Groove Freedom. I wrote this book for myself as much as I did for my students. There is nothing quite like the feeling of having one hundred percent…

by Mike Johnston
Feb 16, 2018
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