Grooves Archives - Modern Drummer Magazine

Grooves

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.

Hi-Hat Accents - Adding Melody to Your Grooves

In this lesson we’ll embellish 16th-note grooves with hi-hat accents. In Exercises 1–4, accents are placed on the main hi-hat in the first measure, and in the second measure the right-handed accents are moved to the ride or an auxiliary…

Article by Powell Randolph | Photo by Ken Howie
Nov 30, 2017

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…

Jost Nickel
Apr 26, 2017

Necessary Ruffness - Make Your Grooves Percolate With Subtle Doubles

Basics Necessary Ruffness Make Your Grooves Percolate With Subtle Doubles by Rich Redmond The ruff is an essential rudiment that’s directly related to the double-stroke roll, or buzz roll. The ruff can be played open, as we have it here,…

Modern Drummer
Feb 23, 2017

Progressive Drumming Essentials - Part 5: Incorporating Odd Groups Into Grooves and Fills

One of my favorite things to do with quintuplets and septuplets is to create syncopated, angular-sounding grooves. Exploring this unusual territory can lend itself to establishing unique feels with a lot of rhythmic tension. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG…

Aaron Edgar
Feb 23, 2017

Falling Rocks - A Primer on One of Drumming's Most Powerful Fills

The term “falling rocks” refers to a very powerful fill concept made famous by legendary rockers like Carmine and Vinny Appice, John Bonham, Cozy Powell, and Tommy Aldridge, and it’s often used by contemporary metal, prog, and fusion drummers. TO…

Rich Redmond
Feb 23, 2017

"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…

Austin Burcham
Feb 23, 2017

Groove Construction, Part 10: Exploring a Killer Cowbell Pattern

In this lesson we’ll examine a pattern that I get asked about often. I recorded this groove on the song “Rave Against the Machine” with Jan Delay and Disko No. 1 in Germany some time ago... TO READ THE FULL…

Jost Nickel
Feb 23, 2017

A New Perspective - Displacing Two-Over-Three Polyrhythms

This month we’re going to vary the basic phrasing of polyrhythms. Typically, both sides of a polyrhythm begin together on the first note of the rhythm. We can vary this by displacing one or both sides of the rhythm. We’ll…

Aaron Edgar
Feb 23, 2017

Stickings That Rock, Part 1: From A Hand Pattern to a Groove

This month we’ll look at a sticking that can be found in the first few pages of George Lawrence Stones’ book Stick Control and apply it to patterns on the drumset. The sticking, RLRR LRRL, is a staple of my…

Rich Redmond
Feb 17, 2017