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.
Jerry Allison — Rock Pioneer
Rock ’n’roll was born in the 1950s. The music that came out of that era laid a foundation for rock musicians to follow for years to come. Jerry Allison was one of those founding members of rock ’n’roll, coming to…
Martin Drew — British Jazz
Jazz music is an American art form and, understandably, it is dominated by American performers. However one of the most respected small groups in jazz today, the Oscar Peterson Trio, is led by a brilliant Canadian pianist accompanied by a…
Wilby Fletcher
While Wilby Fletcher is gaining a solid reputation for his steady work with such jazz notables as McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter, James Moody and Ahmad Jamal, he is not locked into that single idiom. The 30-year-old drummer is equally proud…
Simple Minds’ Mel Gaynor
Mel Gaynor may be a modest, unassuming guy off stage, but behind his intimidating black drumkit, he speaks with a loud, dominant voice. Gaynor’s percussive contributions have helped Scotland’s Simple Minds develop their distinctively rich, but nevertheless, visceral, sound. Before…
Who's Playing What, Beat Hunger Benefit, and More
This past May 5, the percussionist, educator, and author Richie Gajate-Garcia received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois, in recognition of his contributions to the areas of the arts and music education. Gajate-Garcia is…
International Drummers’ Meeting
For the third year in a row, Drumland (a division of the Pro Sound music chain in Germany) recently presented their International Drummers’ Meeting in Koblenz. The director of Drumland—and host for this event—is Jurge Mader. Each year, Jurge brings…
Individual Hand Control
An effective way to develop control and strength with two hands is to look at the hands individually, one at a time. This is a good way to identify the problems in each hand and to concentrate on the solution…
Alan Dawson
In the basement studio where Alan Dawson teaches, a concert poster shows Alan dressed in a tuxedo, looking stately on his throne, drumming with Dave Brubeck. Scrawled across the top is a note from Brubeck: “Alan—thanks for the great job…
Steve Ferrone - Not Your Average Drummer
It is a bit ironic that Steve Ferrone is still recognized most as being the Average White Band’s drummer (and only non-white), after the banner year he had for himself in 1984, He crashed the R&B charts in a big…
David Robinson — Driving The Cars
There are a lot of things I want to accomplish as a drummer. There are a lot of things I want to work out and put down on tape where my ideas can take some real form,” says David Robinson…
Reminiscing with D. J. Fontana
I knew Elvis was different by his clothes and his actions on stage. I said, ‘The boy’s got something. What it is, I don’t know.’ The first show at the Louisiana Hayride was kind of lukewarm. It was a country-oriented…
Garry Peterson — Canadian Beat
What is it about Winnipeg, the lonely western Canada birthplace of two of the country’s biggest rock bands, a city that musicians leave for success? Maybe it has to do with the deep chill of the prairie winters and the…
The Five-Note Fill/Solo Concept
Here is an idea for use in either fills or soloing. The study is based on the following five-note pattern: The five-note pattern, when played as consecutive triplets or 16th notes in 4/4 time, comes back to where it began…
Drumming And Sitting In
A young friend of mine from Massachusetts recently told me the following story. He was working in a club with the group he usually plays with. A man came up to him and asked if he could sit in. My…
