Chris Lesso
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.
Your Drumming PERSONA
“I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me.” Cary Grant What core traits and attributes do you choose to bring to the kit? Your drumming persona takes shape the…
The 5th Limb: SING YOUR DRUMS
Singing anything we can hear or imagine births it into the world by giving it shape and substance. Now we’re no longer just drummers, but sound-crafters. Singing rhythms taps into the soul of the drummer, awakening consciousness of a deeper…
Press Play & MOVE
“The real knowing is in the playing. Drums give up their true secrets only to players, not PhDs.” Mickey Hart I once heard a health expert ask, if you could do just one thing for your overall well-being that would…
SIMPLICITY WINS: The Go-Round Grooves
What is groove? Think of it as an empty cup that you pour your own meaning into. A name is like this. How many Chris’ do you know? The name is the same, but every time you think of that…
4OD: The 4 Offenses of Drummers
‘Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.’ Native American proverb Drumming creates SYNERGY. Synergy is when 1 + 1 = 3, it’s when we as a group go to a place that any one of us couldn’t have gotten…
Superpowers and Kryptonite
The superheroes that we love all had to learn (sometimes the hard way) the discipline that comes with a superpower, that is knowing when not to use it. One of Chad Smith’s superpowers is playing quirky fills in unexpected places.…
Five Drumming FLOW Hacks You Can Use TODAY
I believe getting into flow is one of the main reasons we drum. This is where that feeling of the drums playing you comes from. We all have those days that feel like the furthest thing from flow, it’s when…
Have Fun Not Knowing…
Not knowing something hurts. Who actually wants to sound bad on the drums? When our identity gets wrapped up in our endeavours, missing the mark makes us feel worthless. This is because when going into new territory, we go through…
The 12 Week Year
There’s one problem with setting annual goals, a year is too long. How many people get fired up over their New Year’s resolutions, only to forget about them a couple weeks later? Have you ever set a goal and thought,…
Don’t HIT Your Drums!
What? You mean I shouldn’t hit my drums?!? Some drummers can’t wait to grab their sticks and start flailing away, beating the drums like a punching bag. This gets old fast, and only leads to a string of bad habits.…
The Curse Of The Expert
As drummers we’re all passionate and energetic people, so it’s really easy to fall into the trap of more more more. But to speak your voice, you counterintuitively have to DELETE. I didn’t do this for a long time. “I…
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…
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…
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?…
