July 2026 – Volume 50 • Number 7
On 01st Jul 2026
Articles in July 2026
Drummers ARE Leading the Way!
It is difficult to lead a band from behind the set, and often behind the band, but drummers have always been very good leaders. The tradition goes back to Chick Webb and Roy Milton. Many drumming greats have led their…
Kenn’s Custom Designs
This month’s Modern Drummer Kit of the Month comes to us from drummer Kenn Youngar. Kenn hand built his own drums. The custom drum riser and cymbal stands were created by a friend, and Kenn’s cymbals were made by Centent…
The Light Stuff
This month’s column will focus on practical playing devices that should serve you well when the music gets soft and simmering. A low dynamic “floor” invites the listeners in the audience to lean into the music. You might be surprised…
JC Drumsticks: Celebrating the USA’s 250th Anniversary
John Crocken, the mastermind behind JC Drumsticks, recently sent Modern Drummer a set of the newly minted, handmade, commemorative America 250th Anniversary Drumsticks. The sticks are made of solid ebony wood measuring at 17” in length. They have a shaft…
Yamaha Recording Custom Drums: Redefining the Classic, Signature Sound!
Yamaha drums have made a huge impact on the drumming world since its inception about 60 years ago. From the get-go, the Recording Custom kits were always a top pick for recording drummers and performers alike. But for a period,…
OCDP ADRIAN YOUNG SIGNATURE SNARE, SABIAN STRATUS DRY COLLECTION, DW HARDWARE, BEYERDYNAMIC PROFESSIONAL IN-EAR MONITORS, AKAI STANDALONE MPC SYSTEMS
Limited Edition Adrian Young Signature Snare Launching exclusively at Guitar Center, the Adrian Young Signature OCDP Snare is a limited-edition, USA-made collaboration designed from scratch with the No Doubt drummer. Inspired by Adrian’s Tragic Kingdom-era touring kit, the snare features…
Nate Smith: Looking for the Dance in the Rhythm
Nate Smith is one of the most influential drummers and musicians of today! Stylistically, his music, his drumming, his collaborators, and his influences go everywhere. Talking about and finding the musical connections between Betty Carter, Michael Jackson, Dave Holland, Bill…
Indie Rock Meets Jam Band: Mt. Joy’s Sotiris Eliopoulos
Since the very beginning of “indie rock,” bands like the Kinks and The Talking Heads were always combining their musical influences and creating shocking new approaches to rock music. The indie attitude is what pushes rock music forward. With the…
Christian “CC” Coma of Black Veil Brides: Legacy and the Next Chapter
For Christian “CC” Coma, this moment has been decades in the making. Long before he was headlining festivals around the world with Black Veil Brides, before the gold records, sold-out tours, and millions of fans, CC was a kid in…
2026 Chicago Drum Show
The Chicago Drum Show just celebrated its 35th anniversary, continuing its reputation as the largest and longest-running event dedicated to custom, new, and vintage drums. This marked the second year under the leadership of Johnny and Brian Drugan. The Drugan…
Landon Hall: Building the Music City Drum Show
What started as an idea from a drummer who wanted to bring people together has quickly become one of the fastest-growing events in the percussion world. When Landon Hall launched the Music City Drum Show in 2019, his vision was…
Medeski, Martin & Wood “Chubb Sub,” from Friday Afternoon in the Universe, drummer Billy Martin
This month we take an acid-jazz deep-dive into the work of Billy Martin with Medeski, Martin & Wood. The song “Chubb Sub” comes from the recording Friday Afternoon in the Universe. For me, two things immediately stand out in Billy Martin’s…
Silent Drum Practice - Part 4
I’m very happy to welcome you to part four of my series on practicing drums without a drum set! This episode is all about repetition and shifting patterns. Feel Free to Repeat Yourself Repetition is a very useful stylistic device…
Ten Practice Hacks for a Busy Day
“I’m late, I’m late for a very important date. No time to say hello, good-bye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!” White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland The following practice hacks are great for days when the whirlwind of life…
Progressive Drumming Essentials: Odd Subdivision Offbeats
Progressive Drumming Essentials is a collection of articles originally written for Modern Drummer magazine. They are exactly what the title says, PROGRESSIVE drumming essentials. This series of articles, and the book that contains them all, represent a great deal of…
Master Studies II: Sticking Variations in Groups of Seven
As a follow-up to Joe Morello’s legendary Master Studies book, he released Master Studies II in 2006. Joe was a masterful teacher and helped many great drummers with their musicality, technique, and touch. Joe was also masterful at creating exercises,…
The New Breed: The End of Advanced Reading
Gary Chester’s groundbreaking book The New Breed is legendary. The book, and Gary’s teaching methods are deeply intertwined, it is a lifelong commitment of dedication, study, and development. Gary Chester’s Systems, Reading Exercises, Advanced Systems, Advanced Reading Exercises, Composite Systems,…
Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary… with Drums
This year, The Chicago Drum Show hosted my museum exhibit celebrating America’s 250th Year Anniversary. The exhibit featured drums that I have collected dating from 1780 to 1976, the time of the American Revolution to the Bicentennial of 1976. The…
Out Now July 2026
Modern Drummer is spotlighting new recordings that have the drums at the center of their sound. These recordings might be drummer-led, or just include a high-quality, special, or unique drumming and musical performance from the drummer and/or musicians in the…
Ben Sharp’s Yungblud Touring Kit
Drums: Gretsch USA Custom - 9X13 RackTom, 16x16 Floor Tom, 16x18 Floor Tom, 16x22 Kick Drum. Snares: Gretsch 6.5x14 Bell Brass (A snare,)6.5x14 Phosphorus or Bronze (B snare and spare.) Heads: All Evans – Snare Batter Power Center Reverse Dot,Tom…
