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.
Rock Perspectives - A New Realm of Groove
It might initially seem strange using the term “groove” in conversations about patterns based in odd subdivisions. But examples of these phrases being used in popular music are abundant. A perfect song to demonstrate this concept is Snoop Dogg’s track…
Concepts - Staying Current
Everybody faces the challenge of staying current. It happens in just about everything in life. The music business in particular always seems to be looking for the next new thing, which can be a problem because it ignores the fact…
Product Close-up - Paiste Giant Beat and 2002 Sound Edge Hi-Hats
This year Paiste introduced a slew of new cymbals, including an entire line of heavily hammered 2002 Big Beats, signature rides for top artists like Carl Palmer and Danny Carey, and some massive hi-hats and rides in the 2002 and…
Up And Coming: The Drummers Of School of Rock: The Musical
In 2003, Jack Black played down-on-his luck guitarist Dewey Finn in the feature film School of Rock. The comedian was surrounded by a talented cast of child actors playing fourth-graders attempting to win a battle of the bands to help…
Product Close-Up – Evans Calftone Drumheads
Evans is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary with a tribute to the calfskin heads drummers used prior to the implementation of Mylar plastics. These new old-school heads, called Calftone, feature a layer of beige, subtly textured synthetic material over a clear…
Product Close-Up - Van Kleef All Titanium and B20 Bronze Snares
Sheffield, England–based VK Drums has quickly risen to the top of the high-end custom-shop heap with its elegant and highly musical range of snare drums. We tested a trio of titanium, stainless-steel, and aluminum models in the March 2016 issue,…
A New Perspective - Displacing Two-Over-Three Polyrhythms
This month we’re going to vary the basic phrasing of polyrhythms. Typically, both sides of a polyrhythm begin together on the first note of the rhythm. We can vary this by displacing one or both sides of the rhythm. We’ll…
Papa Jo Jones Drum Fill - Incorporating a Classic Jazz Lick
In this lesson we’ll explore a versatile and great-sounding fill from jazz legend Papa Jo Jones. The basic pattern is notated in Exercise 1. Pay close attention to the sticking—it’s essential to start and end the fill with your lead…
Fred Pierce's Studio Drum Shop
For forty-five years, Fred Pierce has been serving drummers of the St. Louis area in a cozy space he bought outright back in 1972 after moving from Nashville. In Music City, Pierce was a working musician during the ’60s, serving…
A New Year, A New You? Reviewing and Renewing Your Goals, Part 1
We’ve discussed before how the ability to finish something is much more valuable than the ability to start something. Most people are starters, but the most successful people are the finishers. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG…
DW - Collector’s Series Cherry/Mahogany Drumset
The Collector’s Series is DW’s flagship line, comprising a variety of single-species shell types (maple, cherry, and red oak) and hybrid mixtures, such as the poplar/maple Classics, the maple/gum Jazz, and the bamboo/birch Eco-X. Adding deeper- and darker-sounding mahogany to…
Istanbul Mehmet - Sahra and Kirkor Signature Rides
Mehmet recently added two 22" rides to its Signature series, the Sahra and Kirkor, which balance the dark, nuanced sounds of traditional Turkish cymbals with the control and clarity required by today’s drummer. Let’s check them out. TO READ THE…
DrumLite - LED System
Drummers Jeff Sevaldson and Joey Nesbitt established DrumLite in 2011 in an effort to pump up the visual appeal of the drumset. What they created is an easy-to-install LED system comprising RGB light strips with 3M foam-backed adhesive and a…
RBH - 6x14 Poplar Prestige Snare
The Prestige series is Virginia Beach–based custom shop RBH’s line of single-ply, steam-bent snares that are crafted by hand out of premium North American lumber. These drums are finished in hand-rubbed oil and wax to preserve and accentuate the natural,…
