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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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Chart Reading, Part 1

The drummer has many responsibilities when reading a chart. They become especially evident in a sight-reading situation. This article deals with some basic skills necessary for the beginning drum-chart reader. I shall touch upon some theory behind the drummer’s function,…

by Gil Graham
Sep 27, 2018

Drumming And Self-Discipline

To some people, self-discipline is a term that carries unpleasant connotations. It may mean “forcing” yourself to do something you hate to do. It may also mean suppressing feelings or ideas, because they are not acceptable to someone else. To…

by Roy Burns
Sep 27, 2018

Ron Krasinski

Ron Krasinski is a member of that seemingly endless fraternity of talented but unheralded drummers, without whose skills most of today’s popular recordings and live entertainment could not be produced. Not surprisingly, Ron has a strong and varied musical background,…

by Jim Dinella
Sep 27, 2018

Nick Mason

Pink Floyd’s drummer surprises onstage and on record by revisiting the past but keeping an ear to the future.

Story by Adam Budofsky | Photo by Jill Furmanovsky
Sep 28, 2018

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie

Your lover did you wrong? It ain’t worth cryin’ over. Put on a Bernard Purdie record. Peelin’ fallin’ from the ceilin’? Don’t worry about it. Get into that Purdie groove. Another gray day? Go out and watch “Pretty”Purdieplaydrums. You’II feel…

by Connie Fisher
Sep 27, 2018
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Jake Morris

Thirty years after he cofounded the influential and inscrutable indie-rock band Pavement, Stephen Malkmus is among the most confident and compelling bandleader/songwriters of his generation. And in this drummer, he has a musician who only accentuates his greatest assets.

by Adam Budofsky
Sep 28, 2018

Jay-Z’s Eric “Boots” Greene

He’s developed some of the nastiest funk and fusion chops. And he thinks and plays like a producer. So it’s no wonder that he flourishes on the world’s biggest stages—and in the modern studio environment.

by Robin Tolleson
Sep 28, 2018

Jan Delay’s Jost Nickel

Just when you think there’s nothing new under the drumming sun, someone like this veteran German player comes along and sheds new light on the craft. The fact that he plays with such blistering technique and sophisticated musicality only makes him that much more compelling.

By Ken Micallef
Sep 28, 2018

8 Reasons to Love Whitesnake

Whitesnake formed soon after the dissolution of the Mark IV lineup of Deep Purple, when singer David Coverdale combined his love of blues, rock, heavy metal, funk, and soul into a blustery amalgam of white-hot riffs and soaring vocal pyrotechnics.…

Article By Ilya Stemkovsky | Photo by Paul Natkin
Sep 28, 2018

Essential Cymbal Patterns

Fundamental Figures to Spice Up Your Grooves

by Powell Randolph
Sep 28, 2018

Flam Ostinatos - A Creative Approach to a Drumming Staple

In the context of contemporary hybrid rudiments, the flam has been used in different ways to create some new and exciting patterns. Inspired by some of these modern hybrid combinations, I’ve come up with a concept to add yet another…

by Luis Ricardo Méndez
Sep 28, 2018

Buddy Rich - “Stars and Stripes Forever”

By 1929, a twelve-year-old Buddy Rich was already a seasoned performer, having been an integral part of his parents’ vaudeville act since he was eighteen months old. According to Mel Tormé’s biography of Rich, Traps: The Drum Wonder, with the…

by Eric Fischer
Sep 28, 2018
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Clint Schnase on Cursive’s Vitriola

The original drummer for the biting Nebraska indie group rejoins them in the studio for a raucous homecoming.

Article by Willie Rose | Photo by Hiro Tanaka
Oct 30, 2018

Sticking Patterns for Odd Groupings

Getting Comfortable with Fives and Sevens

by Aaron Edgar
Sep 28, 2018
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