jazz
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.
Terri Lyne Carrington: She's Only Just Begun
Why a feature story on a twelve year old little girl in a drummers magazine? Very simple. Terri Lyne Carrington of Medford, Massachusetts first off is not your average twelve-year-old girl; and she's not just an average little drummer. She…
Krupa and the Small Groups: A Lesson In Individuality and Swing
The overwhelming majority of both jazz historians and laymen remember Gene Krupa as primarily, a big-band drummer. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
McClenty Hunter
McClenty Hunter’s current tenures with guitarist Dave Stryker’s band (five years) and tenor sax star Kenny Garrett’s quintet (three years) are putting the drummer in the spotlight he’s long deserved. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills
Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills Part 3: More Two-Bar Patterns by John Xepoleas Welcome to the third and final lesson in our series on creating Elvin Jones–style triplet fills. This time we’re creating high-energy two-bar fills. Let’s begin…
Swing Style 101, Part 1: Avoiding the 1
Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Swing Style 101 Part 1: Avoiding the 1 by Justin Varnes Chances are, not many of us launched into a career in drumming after hearing a Papa Jo Jones record and asking our parents for a set…
Swing Style 101, Part 2: The Other Half
Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Swing Style 101 Part 2: The Other Half by Justin Varnes One of the main reasons why it can be so hard to make jazz sound and feel right is that here the basic timekeeping elements of…
Catching Up With... Harold Jones
His boss, the sprightly octogenarian singer Tony Bennett, is often described as an ageless talent. The same can be said of the drummer, who’s still burning it up after more than half a century near the top of the jazz…
Triplet Fill Concepts - Part 1: Three Over Four
Welcome to the first of three lessons in our “Triplet Fill Concepts” series. In this part, I’m going to show you how to play some simple three-over-four ideas using accents over triplets. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS…
Beyond the Noteheads - Benefits and Strategies for Transcribing, Part 1
I recently thought about my first lesson with the great drummer and educator Ed Soph. I was eighteen years old at the time, and my parents drove me from our home in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to see Ed in New Haven,…
Natal - Café Racer Series Drumset
Natal’s initial drum catalog included metal and stave-shell snares and ply-shell drumkits made from ash, birch, maple, bubinga, and American walnut. In early 2016 the company released a new series, Café Racer, which features North American tulipwood shells. TO READ…
Beyond the Noteheads - Benefits and Strategies for Transcribing, Part 2
I lead a lab at Temple University, and at our first meeting of each semester I ask my students what music they have an interest in learning more about. Some want to gain a deeper understanding of a particular style…
Dave Weckl
In 1985, Chick Corea, who had helped usher in jazz-fusion with Miles Davis in the ’60s, introduced a completely new sound. Appropriately naming his project the Elektric Band, the keyboard legend enlisted up-and-coming drummer Dave Weckl to see how much…
