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.
Sunhouse - Sensory Percussion Electronic System
The goal for Sunhouse’s super-advanced Sensory Percussion system is to, as much as possible, remove machinery from the experience of performing with electronics. With no buttons to push, pads to strike, or knobs to twist, Sensory Percussion is designed to…
Rockin’ at a Snail’s Pace - Variations for Slower Tempos
Playing slow tempos can be one of the most difficult things to master. As the distance from one beat to the next increases, the ability to accurately feel the time can decrease. When playing slower rock grooves, it often helps…
Catching Up with Jerry Marotta
“My motto has always been to keep growing both artistically and personally,” Jerry Marotta says. “If I didn’t, I’d probably fall asleep.” TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Teacher's Forum - Practice And Jazz Drumming
In my article "The Chorus Form and the Jazz Drummer" (December/January issue of Modern Drummer), I said that all practice material for jazz drumming should be practiced with, and without, records. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG…
1,000 Ways to Practice a Single Page, Part 3: Incorporating Flams
Last month we applied a set of written rhythms to the drumset by accenting the figures within continual 16th notes and experimenting with different stickings. This month we’ll stick to the snare and work with flams. Here’s the rhythm. TO…
Catching Up With Billy Ficca
The bands Billy Ficca is most commonly associated with are all pretty different from each other. Television had those lean, anxious guitar jams that sound as ahead of their time today as they did back in the mid-to-late ’70s. The…
Groove Construction, Part 12: 16th-Note Metronome Training
In this lesson we’ll work on perceiving a metronome on various 16th-note partials. These exercises will improve your ability to hear different rhythms before you start playing them, and they’ll certainly improve your timing. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE…
Madness From The South: Allman Brothers' Butch Trucks and Jaimo Johnson
Butch Trucks and Jaimo Johnson have been the foundation of the great Allman Brothers Band since its inception in 1969. They were not the first two drummers to work together in a rock and roll band, yet their styles are…
Ralph Peterson - Forward Motion
In addition to his own projects, Peterson performed and/or recorded with the greatest talent in jazz, including Branford Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Craig Harris, David Murray, Ron Carter, Terence Blanchard, Charles Lloyd, Stanley Turrentine, the Count Basie Orchestra, Steve Coleman, Stanley…
Beyond the Noteheads - Part 3: Varying Your Transcriptions
This month we’ll apply variations to some of the transcribed phrases from Part 2 of this series (March 2017). This process truly has no limits. I find that being opened-minded to practicing transcriptions with this method helps energize my practice…
Michael Shrieve - A Drummer’s Circle
The original set player in the most famous Latin-rock band of all time has always placed a dedication to the larger musical picture well above any attempts at stylistic authenticity. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Septuplet Fives - Polyrhythmic Permutation
Seven over five can be a challenging polyrhythm to master. We’ll start building this rhythm by playing every fifth septuplet partial in a measure of 5/4. It can take plenty of dedicated practice to master this figure, especially when we…
Ash Soan
Ash Soan has built an enviable studio drumming career—topped by a Grammy win with Adele—a burgeoning social-media presence, and his own recording studio. Housed in a 200-year-old windmill located on his property, the striking, round-shaped studio has recently found Soan…
What Do You Know About…Bob Henrit?
His recent autobiography tells a fascinating tale of rock ’n’ roll survival, navigating ups and downs and twists and turns with seminal British acts like Argent and the Kinks. As usual, constant work and artistic growth provide the fuel for…
