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.
Putting Ideas Into Action
My dear old friend, the late John Abercrombie, used to say when drinking his favorite breakfast beverage, “You know, there’s nothing like a good cup of coffee in the morning … and this is nothing like a good cup of…
Yamaha Hipgig – a 20+ year update
This Yamaha Rick Marotta Signature Hipgig drum kit made in 2000 has been updated by John Cutbill, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. “I wanted the opportunity to consider other equipment and configuration options while still retaining the intended design concept…
Welcome Back My Friends... to another Modern Drummer first!
Welcome to another Modern Drummer first! We are grateful for the 45 years of being the #1 community for drums and drummers, and we will always continue to innovate for you, our valued readers. This month we are releasing the…
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…
Kenny Aronoff
Excerpted from Modern Drummer Legends Vol. 5: Kenny Aronoff “Paper in Fire” John Cougar Mellencamp, The Lonesome Jubilee I always tried to come up with new innovative and creative drum parts for all of John’s songs. After the success of…
Play “Sole Survivor” by Asia
“Sole Survivor”—from Asia, 1982—was one of the first pieces of music Asia recorded. The drum part is quite interesting because it has various sections where bars of 4/4 go into bars of 3/4 and 2/4. Normally, the music with Asia…
Roger Taylor Excerpted from the March 1985 issue
What prompted you to start playing drums? When I was at school, I used to listen to the radio and records a lot. When I was younger, it was sort of the start of the techno-rock thing. I was brought…
Breaking Down “Lightning in a Bottle”
When I start the Summer Set’s “Lightning in a Bottle,” I like using the rim. In the recording, it sounds like there’s a hi-hat, but when I play it live, I change it up. I like to add ghost notes…
BONE Custom Drums
8.5×14 Carbcutter Snare BONE Custom Drums was founded by drummer Nejc Boskovic in 2005 after earning a degree in Composite Drum Shell Analysis from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering University in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Boskovic’s primary focus for research and development…
The Romantics Go Pink!
In 1980, the Romantics were riding a wave of success following the release of their smash hit, “What I Like About You.” The band was formed in 1977 in Detroit, and built a national following slugging it out in bars…
On the Road Roundtable
How Collective Soul’s Johnny Rabb, Better Than Ezra’s Michael Jerome, and Rich Scannella Approached Touring in the COVID Era This past summer, I played drums with Tonic, who were special guests on the Just Looking Around Tour with Collective Soul…
Ready for Our Close-Up!
Kits & Cymbals on Camera at the MD Festival So many amazing drummers contributed to our 21st Modern Drummer Festival. But they were not alone. The co-stars of the big show were the kits and cymbals used by the performers…
A Message of Hope
Ricky Byrd and Bob Stander Look Back at Creating Soundscapes for Sobering Times When Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Ricky Byrd released Sobering Times in 2020, it celebrated his own 30+ years of being clean and sober, while…
