modern drummer
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.
Branford Marsalis's Justin Faulkner On Tour & On Stage Making It Work On The Road
How does a teenage newcomer follow one of the most heralded drummers in modern jazz history? Follow the song, kid, follow the song. At the fresh-faced age of eighteen, Justin Faulkner has not only replaced one of the premier drummers…
Incubus's Jose Pasillas - On Tour & On Stage Making It Work On The Road
A year off for good drumming behavior: Incubus's beat-smith dives headlong into jazz technique during an extended band hiatus, and comes out a stronger rock player. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Gimmie 10! Brad Mehldua/Chick Corea Regular Jeff Ballard
Big-picture tips from the drummer who’s an integral part of Chick Corea, Joshua Redman, and Brad Mehldau’s trailblazing ensembles. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Benny Greb
There are very real ghosts that haunt every drummer’s subconscious: Am I really grooving? Do I sound confident enough at the kit? How well am I pushing or pulling the time? TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG…
Basics: Master Time
When I was a college student in Madison, Wisconsin, in the ’80s, I encountered the funk drumming legend Clyde Stubblefield. At that time, Stubblefield himself was not as well known as the classic grooves he played with James Brown, and…
Strictly Technique: Top 10 Rudiments
The drag is the tenth and final rudiment in our series. If you’ve been practicing these rudiments and exercises correctly, at a wide variety of tempos, then your hands are now trained with all of the necessary motions required to…
Rock Perspectives: Polyrhythms
In the third part of this series (November ’09), we applied a four-against-three polyrhythm to either the ride cymbal or the bass drum, while the snare drum played the backbeats on 2 and 4. Now let’s take things a step…
Off The Record: LIFEHOUSE’S Rick Woolstenhulme Jr.
Rick Woolstenhulme Jr. has been the drummer for Lifehouse since 2000. In the ’90s, after high school, he moved to California from his home state of Arizona and attended the Los Angeles Music Academy, where he spent most of his…
Joey Waronker
There’s nothing about the Los Angeles–based drummer/mixer/producer Joey Waronker that screams for attention, musically or otherwise. But check out this ridiculous track record: Tegan and Sara, Dwight Yoakam, Norah Jones, Danny Elfman, Thurston Moore, M83, Pink, Nelly Furtado, Doobie Brothers,…
Influences: Al Jackson Jr.
It’s almost unbearable. Otis Redding’s immortal recording of “Try a Little Tenderness??? sustains a nearly paralyzing groove tension, helping make it perhaps the quintessential record by the soul legend and a perennial entry on “greatest songs of all time??? lists.…
Clutch’s Jean-Paul Gaster
After initially coming together on the 2001 album Pure Rock Fury and again for the 2004 fan favorite Blast Tyrant, Clutch and producer Machine have joined forces once again on the Maryland-based band’s tenth studio album, Earth Rocker. TO READ…
Strictly Technique: Triplet Gear-Shifter
This month we’re going to apply two alternate stickings to the triplet gear-shifter exercise. To review, 12th notes are 8th-note triplets (twelve notes to a bar of 4/4). In the exercise, a bar of 12th notes is followed by a…
In The Pocket: Funk Drumming Training Camp
In part one of this series (May 2013 MD), we talked about the importance of developing a tight, solid, feel-good groove. Things you can work on to tighten up your playing include gaining an intimate knowledge of the feel of…
In The Studio: Seeing Sounds
All of us appreciate a signature and stylistically appropriate drum sound. This can range from the perfect overall kit tone on your favorite CD to a uniquely recorded snare tuning. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
