November 2017 Issue – Volume 41 • Number 11
On 01st Nov 2017
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Articles in November 2017
Make Every Second Count
How’s everyone doing? Hopefully life isn’t being too hard on you. Spending time on social media, as so many of us do these days, we become more and more aware of what’s happening in people’s lives—and we communicate the general…
Green Day’s Tré Cool
His multicolored pompadour in outrageous full effect, his powerful punch-to-the-gut drumming a testament to his long-term success and ongoing love of life and music, Tré Cool is the world’s eternal punk rock poster boy. Green Day has released twelve albums…
Yamaha Drums at 50
After a decade spent laying the groundwork, the Japanese manufacturer captured the imaginations of drummers who obsessed over its top-level endorsers, including the drum heroes Rick Marotta, Andy Newmark, and Steve Gadd. Today players like the Dave Matthews Band’s Carter…
Jimmy Cobb
On Sticking a Powerful Jazz Ride Cymbal Pulse When I was a youngster I came up in an environment where the drummers were playing the big 4 on the bass drum. I never could do that strong enough for what…
A Lot Like Birds’ Joseph Arrington
That place where wild improvisation meets super-refined composition? It’s a very sweet spot indeed, and this drummer is at his best when he’s smack-dab in the middle of it. Joseph Arrington joined the Sacramento-based post-hardcore act A Lot Like Birds in 2010, soon…
The National’s Bryan Devendorf
Bryan Devendorf’s drumming is deceptively simple. A brilliant accompanist to the National’s diverse, moody, and propulsive oeuvre, Devendorf provides vital rhythmic hooks to some of the group’s best-known songs. If you seek out a live performance of “Bloodbuzz Ohio” or…
Mickey Roker
Jazz drumming great Mickey Roker died this past May 22 in Philadelphia, at the age of eighty-four. Known for his propelling swing, Roker performed with top jazz artists throughout a career spanning six decades. A drummer sprung from swing and…
Embellished Jazz Time
In this lesson we’ll explore embellished jazz phrases between the ride cymbal and snare. First let’s look at a standard jazz ride pattern. While the ride hand plays the previous pattern, comping figures are often played on the snare using…
Faux Double Bass Drumming
I grew up in the ’80s, as the double bass pedal rose in popularity, and it was a game-changer. Drummers didn’t have to buy, store, or transport two bass drums to play double bass anymore. I had a friend back…
The Importance of the Offbeat
Different styles of music often share much in common, including the same grooves. In this lesson, we’ll take a look at offbeats and explore how they’ve been used in jazz and other genres. Often when teaching jazz, I emphasize the…
Quintuplet Madness - Superimposing Odd Groupings
In this article we’ll play quintuplets within the space of three 16th notes. This concept can create some unique rhythmic statements, such as subtle hi-hat embellishments or twisted double-bass grooves. https://vimeo.com/235035256 Exercise 1 sets up a framework that places the…
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…
LP - Uptown Sculpted Ash Congas and Valje Bongos
LP has been at the forefront of hand percussion since introducing its first wood conga, the Classic Model, in 1972. Now an industry standard, the Classic series is available in various natural and painted finishes, and the company recently expanded…
Dunnett - Res-O-Tone and Res-O-Two Drumheads
In early 2017, Remo debuted the Felt Tone bass drum head, which is a modification of the popular Powerstroke 3 that has a strip of felt affixed to the muffling ring on the underside so that it floats against the…
Roland - GO:MIXER
We’ve seen quite a few new microphone and interface options for smartphones over the past few years. Most of those have been limited to one microphone or audio input. Roland recently upped the ante by introducing this mobile audio mixer,…
Jon Cross - 6.5x14 Macassar/Gaboon Ebony Snare
Jon Cross made his first drumkit, a six-piece with segment-style purpleheart shells, in 2009, and he launched his company in 2011, focusing on building segment- and stave-shell drums from exotic woods. We were sent a gorgeous 6.5x14 segment-shell snare featuring…
Agner - Number, Name, and Signature Series Drumsticks
Agner is a respected manufacturer from Switzerland that’s been making high-quality marching and drumset sticks, brushes, and mallets since 1985. Its catalog includes standard-size models, uniquely styled designs, and signature sticks for a number of notable European drumset artists and…
Collective Soul’s Johnny Rabb
Whether he’s developing new drumsticks, cymbal combinations, or electronic instruments, Johnny Rabb, who’s currently playing with the platinum-selling rock band Collective Soul, likes to remain on the cutting edge of innovation. “I had just graduated from Berklee and moved to…
New Gear from Sabian, Canopus, Promark, Attack, Tama and more!
Sabian XSR Cymbals New models added to Sabian’s XSR line include 17" and 19" Fast crashes, which feature enhanced profiles designed to provide a quick, explosive attack with penetrating definition and power. The 22" ride offers a balance of stick…
What Song Inspired You to Start Playing the Drums?
This month’s cover artist, Tré Cool, certainly inspired plenty of drummers to pick up a pair of sticks. That got us thinking about what drew the rest of us to the kit, and when we asked our readers and social…
Jess Gowrie on Chelsea Wolfe’s Hiss Spun
You know when you put your ear right up to a perfectly tuned floor tom and tap the head ever so slightly, and if the room’s quiet enough it sounds like that pillowy rumble could be coming from the very…
Josh Manuel With Issues
The Atlanta-based metalcore group Issues is currently headlining an international tour that lasts through early November. Since joining the band in 2012, drummer Josh Manuel has brought a unique combination of gospel-inspired phrasing, drum-line chops, and slamming grooves to Issues’…
John Dentz, Giovanni Hidalgo, DW Drums and more!
John Dentz Passes This past May 9, Los Angeles–based drummer John Dentz passed away. “I loved the way John played,” says the iconic studio and stage drummer Jim Keltner, who was friends with Dentz since the mid-’60s, and who in…
Steve Maxwell Vintage and Custom Drum Shop
With a stellar worldwide reputation and first-call regulars, you’d think Steve Maxwell had been in business since the days when the beautiful vintage kits featured in his suburban Chicago and midtown Manhattan locations were brand new. Truth is, he’s been…
Jack DeJohnette, Jimmy Cobb, Art Taylor, Dale Crover, Nate Wood and More!
RECORDINGS Dig These Dug-Ups Three discs of previously unreleased sessions capture jazz giants swung by drumming greats. It’s not uncommon for “unearthed” recordings issued long after an artist’s passing to be shoddy affairs. But three recent jazz releases take the…
Cuban Rhythms for Percussion and Drumset: The Essentials by Aldo Mazza
Aldo Mazza is best known through his work as a clinician and founder of the KoSA workshops, and as a longtime member of the Canadian ensemble Répercussion. Born in Italy and raised in Canada, Mazza has called Montreal home for…
Nashville Drummers Jam
Since 2012, drummers David Parks and Tom Hurst, along with guitarist Chris Nix, have hosted the biannual Nashville Drummers Jam benefit concert. The event began as a one-off show to raise money for King’s X drummer Jerry Gaskill after he…
The Invasion
To bring more authenticity to his British Invasion tribute band’s live show, Howell, Michigan, drummer Donn Deniston plays this pristine 1960s Ludwig sparkling blue pearl drumset. Deniston explains that because the group specializes in ’60s-era music, each member strives to…
