Technique

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.

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Developing the Weaker Hand

Exercises to Balance Your Technique, Part 1

by Albe Bonacci
May 30, 2018

Moeller Through the Chapin Lens

Examining Upstroke and Downstroke Mechanics

by Claus Hessler
Dec 28, 2017

“Walkin’”

Tony Williams’ Technique, Language, and Innovations

by Ruben Bellavia
Aug 30, 2017

Teacher's Forum - Technique

Drumset technique is the means by which the drummer expresses his musical intellect and feeling. Technique and expression function together as part of the central directive system which incorporates the mind and body (or inner and outer self) in producing…

Modern Drummer
Mar 30, 2017

Strictly Technique - Consecutive Flams part 3: Inverted Motion

In the third installment of this series, we’re going to modify the exercise by removing one tap from the transitions. Instead of using a flam accent to shift from one hand to the next, we’ll use an inverted flam tap.…

Bill Bachman
Feb 23, 2017
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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

Closed Roll Studies - Exercises for Developing Control of Multiple Rebounds

The closed roll, aka buzz roll, is a mystery to many drummers, and for good reason. This type of roll attempts to imitate the long tone that other instruments, like trumpet or violin, create by sustaining a single pitch. TO…

Jeff Johnson
Feb 23, 2017

Quintuplets, Part 1: The Basics

Some may think of quintuplets—groups of five notes in the space of a quarter note—as an unusual rhythm reserved for the technical folks playing math music. But quintuplets aren’t that different from triplets (which weren’t always commonplace), and it’s possible…

Bill Bachman
Feb 23, 2017

Swiss Rudiments - Basel Drumming, Part 4

In this lesson we’ll take a look at a song from Camp Duty Update, my most recent book about the history of rudiments and their European roots. The melody of the tune “The Slow Scotch” was used in nineteenth-century military…

Claus Hessler
Feb 23, 2017

Swiss Rudiments - Basel Drumming, Part 3

In the third installment of our series on Swiss drumming, we’ll continue exploring the European roots of rudiments. In the last lesson we introduced Tagwacht pieces—music that’s typically used to awaken soldiers. The piece “Three Camps” could be considered an…

Claus Hessler
Feb 23, 2017

1,000 Ways to Practice a Single Page, Part 1: Introducing the Method

I’ve always wanted a system for practicing different subjects that I can take with me anywhere without having to lug around a heavy stack of books. My students often forgot materials for their lessons, so we ended up using any…

Libor Hadrava
Feb 17, 2017

CooperGroove - GrooveGrip Performance Drumsticks

CooperGroove drumsticks feature a modification of traditional stick design with the intention of improving grip, stimulating pressure points, decreasing fatigue, and helping players who drop sticks due to sweaty hands. The namesake of these new tools is Chicago-area drummer Carlo…

Stephen Bidwell
Feb 17, 2017
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