drumset
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 Fundamentals of 3/4 Rock
In 4/4 Western music—whether rock or jazz—the backbeat is usually played on beats 2 and 4. In 12/8, the backbeat often falls on the 8th-note counts of beats 4 and 10. Typical backbeat placement in 4/4 and 12/8 is notated…
Yamaha - Rydeen RDP2F5 Drumset
In addition to producing some of the most consistent and reliable professional and mid-grade drumsets on the market, Yamaha also continues to up the ante in the entry-level price point by making smart, value-increasing upgrades. Earlier this year, the company…
The Circuit - An Ambidextrous Routine for Ultimate Control
This month we’ll check out a challenging coordination study. The goal of this routine is to become comfortable playing any pattern leading with either side of the body. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month or…
Rhythmic Conversions - Part 5: Brazilian Grooves and the Half-Note Triplet
In this lesson we’ll superimpose a new tempo over an existing pulse using a half-note-triplet subdivision. We’ll then manipulate the subdivision to create Brazilian grooves in the new tempo. I recommend that you practice these patterns with a metronome and…
Fill Displacements
Drummers often experience periods in which they’re unable to think of new fill ideas. In this lesson we’ll explore what I call the last-to-first method, which enables you to turn any sticking into multiple useful fill applications. TO READ THE…
Dressing Up Your Fills
In this lesson, we’ll embellish some basic fills for song intros in order to create something a bit more interesting. Adding notes before or after the fill, experimenting with orchestration, and using rudiments such as rolls, flams, and ruffs are…
A New Perspective
The four-over-three polyrhythm comprises four equally spaced notes and three equally spaced notes played simultaneously. We can build one by using a subdivision that both sides of the rhythm can fit within evenly. A measure of 16th notes in 3/4…
Transitions
Inconsistencies in a drummer’s tempo often occur during musical transitions. For instance, moving from the hi-hat to the ride cymbal to change the sonic texture alters the drummer’s positioning behind the kit, which can cause changes in the tempo. Dynamic…
1,000 Ways to Practice a Single Page - Part 5: Challenging Rudimental Approaches
The longer I play the drums, the more I appreciate and value the time I can spend on only a snare or pad. Let’s dive into a few concepts to improve our overall technique. Here’s the rhythm we’ll be interpreting…
Swing Interpretations - Modern Groove Applications
There's an interesting relationship between two-note (binary) and three-note (ternary) subdivisions that can help you develop better vocabulary and feel on the drumset. To understand this relationship, play an 8th-note triplet with your right hand while playing a straight 8th-note…
1,000 Ways to Practice a Single Page - Part 4: Orchestrated Flams on the Drumset
Last month we learned how to interpret a single page of rhythms using flams. In this lesson we’ll apply this concept to the drumset. We’ll practice a few common ways to orchestrate flams on the kit before diving into some…
Groove Construction - Part 13: Left-Handed Split Grooves
In this workshop we’re expanding a groove concept that I introduced in the January 2017 issue, in which we split the right hand between two voices in various places throughout a phrase. This time we’ll focus on grooves that split…
George Marsh's Inner Drumming
You’re not going to work on any of the standard drum rudiments in this book. The notation is unfamiliar, and awareness of the energy flow within your body is a key component of the method. But Inner Drumming is a…
Septuplet Fives - Polyrhythmic Permutation
Seven over five can be a challenging polyrhythm to master. We’ll start building this rhythm by playing every fifth septuplet partial in a measure of 5/4. It can take plenty of dedicated practice to master this figure, especially when we…
Groove Construction, Part 12: 16th-Note Metronome Training
In this lesson we’ll work on perceiving a metronome on various 16th-note partials. These exercises will improve your ability to hear different rhythms before you start playing them, and they’ll certainly improve your timing. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG…
