Russ Miller Archives - Modern Drummer Magazine

Russ Miller

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.

Gallery of Groove

Photos from the 2021 Modern Drummer Festival For the second year in a row, the global pandemic chased the Modern Drummer Festival to an online venue. But we were unbowed. Presented by the MD team and produced by Thom Mozloom’s…

Modern Drummer
Feb 1, 2022

Russ Miller

Building an Empire One Brick at a Time Russ Miller is known throughout the music industry as a go-to session musician, top-level music creator, in-demand educator, and an incredibly successful businessperson. He has spent his nearly 40 years as a…

By Sarah Hagan
Sep 30, 2021

Individuality

Part 1: Where Did It Go? Individuality is defined as the unique characteristics and traits that make someone or something one of a kind. I thought a discussion about being yourself was important to bring up, and I will be…

Modern Drummer
Dec 1, 2020

What Now?

As I write this, we are smack dab in the middle of the COVID crisis. This pandemic has affected us all now for many months. I mention this because it’s had a massive impact on musicians working in touring and…

Modern Drummer
Nov 1, 2020

Russ Miller

Russ Miller has been a staple of the Los Angeles studio... TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year SAVE 15% Digital Monthly Magazine 47 Years of Archives (500+ Issues) 40+ Drum Channel Subscribe…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

Remembering Neil

Some of the worlds greatest drummers and industry members share their memories of what Neil Peart has meant to them. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year SAVE 15% Digital Monthly Magazine 47…

Modern Drummer
Mar 31, 2020

Do You Need to Read Music?

Weighing the Pros and Cons in an Age-Old Argument

by Russ Miller
Mar 28, 2018

The Failure Percentage

Preparation and Professionalism Always Win Out

by Russ Miller
Jan 31, 2018

Drum Design Knowledge, Part 3: The Snare Bed

We need to be experts at our jobs, and knowing our tools is a part of that. I always put together my rig for tours or gigs, and then take suggestions from my tech on how to make the setup…

by Russ Miller
Nov 20, 2017

Drum Design Knowledge, Part 1: Hoops

I get many emails about equipment issues. Some are related to what gear to choose for different gigs, some are about why I use certain pieces, and some concern tuning. I’ve been involved in the design of gear for more…

by Russ Miller
Sep 27, 2017

How Do You Present Yourself?

Consistency Is the Key

by Russ Miller
Jul 26, 2017

Building Confidence - The Right Kind, the Right Way

I recently performed a gig with the great comedian Bob Newhart where I was sight-reading big band charts with him and his opening act. I’ve done shows with Bob many times over the years. They don’t have a ton of…

Russ Miller
May 31, 2017

Do I Need an Attorney? Part 2: Navigating Contract Negotiations

In last month’s column, we discussed whether or not you should hire a lawyer for your business dealings. This time we dive a bit deeper into a few specific topics that you may have to deal with at some point…

Russ Miller
Mar 29, 2017

Creating Opportunity - Five Key Components for the Working Drummer

This month’s column is about creating opportunity for yourself. Our quotation by the American author H. Jackson Brown Jr. describes the idea beautifully. Many drummers ask me about opportunity. Sometimes the question is “How do you get gigs?” Or it’s…

Russ Miller
Feb 23, 2017