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.
Polyrhythmic Coordination Part 4: Six-Note Base Rhythm
Last time (November 2012), we continued our study of two-hand polyrhythmic coordination by playing a five-note base rhythm with one hand while adding one to eight evenly spaced notes over the top with the other hand. This month we’re using…
Pete La Roca Sims Style & Analysis
The great jazz drummer Pete Sims was born on April 7, 1938, in New York City, and passed away on November 20, 2012. He gained early professional experience playing timbales in Latin groups, and it was during this period that…
Further Beyond the Barline
2/4 Hemiolas in ¾ and 6/8 Welcome to my second article discussing an approach to improvisation that will allow you to play longer and more interesting solo phrases in a variety of styles. As in the first part, which appeared…
Popular Play-Alongs: Part 4: Dance-Rock
In the last three play-along articles (July and October 2012 and January 2013), we focused on developing the proper performance technique, groove vocabulary, and sound to play alongside Top 40, pop-punk, and synth-metal tunes. In this month’s installment, we’re taking…
Learn to Love Easy
There’s a folksy old saying that goes something like, “People sure do make things more difficult than they need to.” We’ve all made that observation at one time or another about others—and, let’s be honest, at times we even make…
Queens of the Stone Age’s Jon Theodore
It’s been four years since the esteemed ex–Mars Volta drummer began playing in QotSA. Now we’ve been gifted with the multifarious Villains, and at long last we get to hear what he sounds like on a full-length record with the…
Jon Theodore Style and Analysis
From his days playing mind-melting Mars Volta compositions to his current gig with the rock giants Queens of the Stone Age, Jon Theodore has inspired drummers with powerful grooves, explosive fills, and rock-solid time. His ability to craft the perfect…
Modern Drummer 2018 Readers Poll
Make your voice heard in the most important poll in the drumming world! TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
The Psychedelic Furs’ Paul Garisto
In addition to many years spent powering the iconic band, he's toured and recorded with Iggy Pop, Ryan Adams, and many other greats. For him, though, the studying never stops. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Roy McCurdy
The spry elder statesman, who made a splash in the mid-'60s with the Cannonball Adderley Quintet's soul-jazz classic "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," is still showing us how it's done. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Vinnie Colaiuta - Just Being Himself
Heroes are hard to find. And they're often tougher to pin down. Vinnie Colaiuta, for one, refuses to bend to expectations—and he doesn't think you should either. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Justin Brown
By immersing himself in the music, history, and lifestyle associated with multiple genres—and leaning hard on good-ol’ values like shedding rudiments and improving reading skills—the drummer with Thundercat, Ambrose Akinmusire, and his own band of modern greats, Nyeusi, has become…
The Evolution of the Drumset
The drumset is unique among contemporary instruments. It’s a truly global invention, with most of its individual parts originating many thousands of years ago, in the far corners of the globe.Yet its current familiar form didn’t really exist until well…
Daniel Glass: Examining the Drumset’s Century-Long Tale of Change
Across two ambitious DVD sets, the performer and educator captures the fascinating development of our beloved “contraption,” providing historical and practical knowledge that every modern drummer can apply. Will Romano reports. Just prior to the dawn of the…
