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.
ARTSTRUMENTS 5PK-L Drum Mounting Kit with Lights
As drummers, our drum kits are more than just tools of the trade. With interesting shapes and textures, mesmerizing finishes, and striking color combinations, they’re visual works of art. Art invites appreciation, but space is a limited luxury for most of…
Frank Zummo From Street Drum Corps to Sum 41 to Electric Callboy
From his musical beginnings in New York to the lure of LA and Hollywood, Frank Zummo has done it all. Early on, there were recordings and tours with Thenewno2, theStart, Krewella, Gary Numan, and Dhani Harrison. More recent tours and…
Neil Young and Chrome Hearts, Promise of the Real: The Universal Sound of Anthony LoGerfo
Anthony LoGerfo is one of those drummers who has played with everyone, yet you might not know his name (yet.) He was the drummer for 16 years in the band Promise of the Real, and he has played with legends…
Tif “Teddy” Lamson: The Rhythm Made Her Do it
Tif “Teddy” Lamson is different from many of the drummers that appear in Modern Drummer. She is a multi-instrumentalist and a songwriter that happened to choose the drums as her main instrument. She is walking in the singing-drumming-songwriting footsteps of Levon Helm, Karen Carpenter, Dave…
Pepe Mangaña of Ministry
Pepe Mangaña has been paying his dues on the music scene for a long time. He has built a career doing everything from teaching, to playing with L.A. tribute bands, to touring and recording with Kyng. But in 2024, he…
Allan Holdsworth "Letters of Marque" from I.O.U. drummer Gary Husband
18 Years Old! That’s how old Gary Husband was when he recorded “Letters of Marque,” our featured transcription this month from Allan Holdsworth’s recording I.O.U.—and we’re all in for an incredible lesson. When I started to transcribe this piece, I was…
The Rhythm of Story
Dissect many drummers that have given a lifetime of work, and you’ll see they hover around a few concepts that are recycled endlessly. It may seem like a fountain of endless ideas, but they’re simply better at less. Like a…
Progressive Drumming Essentials: Beat Displacement
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 material that Aaron…
Master Studies II: Control Studies, Accents on the First Note of the Triplet
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, many of Joe’s exercises…
The New Breed: Even More Melodies
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, Grooves, and Applications are…
Tif (Teddy) Lamson's Shania Twain Touring Kit
Drums: Gretsch USA Custom in Black Glass finish — 8×12 Rack Tom, 9×13 Rack Tom, 16×16 and 16×18 Floor Toms, 18×22 Kick Drum. Snare: Gretsch Custom 6.5×14 Ridgeland Snare in Red Glass finish. Heads: Toms Batter: Remo Emperor Clear; Toms Reso: Remo Ambassador…
Rhythm Vocabulary Development Series Part 7: Exploring 13/8
For many drummers, 13/8 is a meter that sits at the outer edges of what most players encounter regularly, yet its internal structure—like 7/8, 9/8, and 11/8 before it—invites creativity, balance, and deeper rhythmic understanding. When you learn to feel…
Early Drummer's Traps, Chinese Toms, and Sound Effects
In the early 1900’s the proper term for a professional working drummer was a “Trap Drummer,” this was short for “contraption drummer.” These musicians were much more than simple timekeepers. They provided live musical accompaniment and sound effects for vaudeville…
