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.
Allen Herman
Eight times a week from 1978 to 1981, an extraordinary feat of drumming took place at a Broadway theater. A Broadway show drummer sat behind an elevated drumset up on stage and re-created the artistry, excitement, and magic of Gene…
Russ Kunkel
THERE are a few drummers in rock who always seem to know the right thing to play, and can play it without trying to throw in the kitchen sink too. Russ Kunkel fits into that category. TO READ THE FULL…
Cozy Powell Taking Charge
The drums themselves offer Cozy the physical outlet his energy seems to need. "If I didn't play drums, I'd go berserk, "he admits. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Horacee Arnold - Examining The Values
Ten years ago, Horacee Arnold seemed poised for a take-off. His Tales Of The Exonerated Flea LP—released in the heyday of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, and Return To Forever—got the kind of reviews that many of the other fusionists…
Girlschool’s Denise Dufort
Backstage at the Ritz in lower Manhattan, Denise Dufort sits quietly in a corner of the tiny dressing room. Unassuming and perhaps a bit shy to boot, Dufort hardly gives off the impression that she’s the drummer in the all-female,…
Jim Capaldi
Jimmy Miller, producer of Traffic’s second album, in 1968, quipped in the liner notes that Jim Capaldi’s time is so perfect that even the drops of sweat falling from his brow keep the beat. A flawless time-keeper he is, but…
Stars Are Only Human
Perhaps some of the young drummers who took exception to Neil Peart’s comments on fame in the April issue misunderstood him. Sometimes we create an imaginary personality for people we admire. When the personality revealed seems different (as it always…
Adding Variety To Simple Grooves
A popular remark among drummers has always been that “simple is better.” Many drummers, especially beginners, tend to over-play, failing to realize that in most situations the drummer’s role is to lay down a foundation—a background for other musicians to…
Jerry Speiser — Drummer At Work
Jerry Speiser comes from a land down under—Australia, to be exact. And he's in the group that helped make the land down under a desirable place to be and to be from. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS…
Les DeMerle — Transfuser
During this interview, Les DeMerle voiced slight annoyance and perplexity at reviewers who "always'' refer to him and/or his music as being "eclectic. " I believe that the commonly misunderstood definition of eclectic music is that it's weird, hard to…
Centering And Breathing
My first Concepts article for Modern Drummer was entitled “Drumming And Breathing.” Since that time, I have received letters and requests to write more on the same subject. Whether or not you are into yoga or meditation, there is ample…
Back To Back Rolls
Here are some exercises in back-to-back rolls. These rolls are a series of the same stroked roll (five-stroke, six-stroke, etc.) played in a continuous fashion, so as not to break the flow of constant 16th notes or an 8th-note triplet…
Art Blakey
THE first rays of dusk suffuse Art Blakey's Greenwich Village apartment with shards of amber gray light, and as the shadows dance upon his brow, Blakey's face takes on a totemic grace. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS…
Carmine Appice — Telling It Like It Is
Anyone even remotely attuned to the heroics of rock's heavy hitters knows the name Carmine Appice.
