Peter Erskine
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.
As Time Goes By
“The fundamental things apply, As time goes by …” So goes the song written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931, made famous by its appearance in the classic film, Casabalanca. The man who composed the score for that film and others…
The Twain Shall Meet
I started my musical studies at age 5 by taking drum lessons, I was certain that my place in the world would be that of a jazz drummer. Watching television as a child, it was Leonard Bernstein who best captured…
It’s a New Year, Twelve Advice’s of the Holidays
Now is a good time to pass along some drumming tips that are important to me, and I hope that you will find these helpful as well. I will list them in numerical sequence, but not necessarily in any order.…
Peter Erskine remembers Dom Famularo
The recent passing of Dom Famularo left the drum world reeling in loss. Many of us knew that Dom had been bravely fighting the pancreatic cancer that was ravaging his system, and his relatively brief period of remission brought a…
Is that a Sinatra Drummer in your Pocket, or are you Glad to See Me?
Photo by Tom Ranier Shortly after receiving word that my name appeared at the top of a list in the Modern Drummer 2023 Reader Poll (for Jazz, a list that includes Brian Blade, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joe Farnsworth and…
Drumming for the Brain: Unlocking the Neurological and Psychological Benefits of Rhythmic Therapy
I’ve known this month’s guest columnist Karl Sterling for just about as long as I’ve been a professional drummer (fifty years ago his parents used to bring him to gigs when I was the drummer for Stan Kenton). A former…
Just Duet
The greatest joy in education comes when the student teaches the teacher. Jake Reed and Ryan Shaw (who is highlighted in Jake’s guest column) both studied with me at USC. They not only do me and the Thornton School of…
Keeping Score
Music should not be a contest. The great Hungarian composer Bela Bartok is quoted as having said that competitions should be for horses, not musicians. He refused to sit on competition juries because he didn’t want the decisions on his…
Knowing When to Say Goodbye
A life-long commitment to any job or ideal is noble. But sometimes it’s just time to pack up your things, say “thanks, bye,” and hit the road. While folding the cards and getting up from the table might seem like…
The Big Drum-Off
The name Rodger Fox may not ring a bell for some readers outside of New Zealand or Los Angeles, but he is very well known by just about everyone in the Land of the Long White Cloud (“Aotearoa,” the Maori…
Balloons in the Sky
You know that feeling when you’re playing a piece of music and you’re somehow disconnected? What you’re playing is not wrong, but it’s not right either. Something is missing. What? Who? The answer is you! YOU’RE missing. And sometimes, you…
Let’s Face It...
Chinese New Year usually finds me seated at a large circular table in Hop Woo’s, a terrific dining establishment in West Los Angeles. This annual meal is organized by the wife of my longtime friend and drummer Peter Donald. We…
The Art & Challenge of Teaching
I am writing this on the last day of 2022, in preparation for my last semester of teaching full-time at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. Why am I leaving such a coveted job? The…
My Cup Runneth Over…
It’s been a good month. More precisely, it’s been one heck of a week. First, my wife returned home from being nanny and granny to our grandson in Italy while our daughter is busy filming a new show there. Much…
