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.
Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills
Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills Part 3: More Two-Bar Patterns by John Xepoleas Welcome to the third and final lesson in our series on creating Elvin Jones–style triplet fills. This time we’re creating high-energy two-bar fills. Let’s begin…
TEACHER'S FORUM - Building a Teaching Business
I’ve owned and operated my own teaching school, Jeff Salem’s Music Studio, for eleven years. Prior to that I taught percussion lessons at a local music store for twelve years. When I decided to branch out on my own, the…
Progressive Drumming Essentials, Part 1: Understanding Odd Time Signatures
Rock Perspectives Progressive Drumming Essentials Part 1: Understanding Odd Time Signatures by Aaron Edgar Before we start playing sick proggy grooves in 17/16, let’s start at the beginning and define time signatures. Time signatures tell us the length of a…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Porter & Davies
Porter & Davies is a UK-based company whose silent bass drum monitoring systems are being used by many top touring drummers, such as Ray Luzier (Korn), Billy Cobham (fusion legend), Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree/King Crimson), Jojo Mayer (Nerve), and Tomas…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Liberty Drumset
Liberty Drums is a UK-based manufacturer that builds its own shells from nearly limitless timbers and veneers into a wide range of handcrafted drumsets and snares. In addition to allowing drummers to design custom kits online at libertydrums.com, the company…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - TRX New DRK Series Cymbals
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP TRX New DRK Series Cymbals Warm, dark, classic sounds with pre-drilled holes for rivets. by Miguel Monroy TRX has released several new options in the past year or so, including the Blends series, which was reviewed in our…
Korn's Ray Luzier
Photos by Alex Solca How does a clean-cut farm boy from western Pennsylvania with few connections and even fewer resources end up becoming a vital component of a dreadlocked, inked-up, multiplatinum nu-metal band? If you ask Ray Luzier, he’ll tell…
TRX - Blends Series Cymbals
Product Close-Up TRX Blends Series Cymbals A best-of-both-worlds approach to achieving power and warmth. Earlier this year, the California-based/Turkish-made cymbal company TRX released what it’s calling a “mash-up” of its medium-weight, traditionally lathed and hammered MDM series and its heavyweight,…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Stone Thrones Drum Seat Covers
Chris Stone, founder of Stone Thrones, has founded a custom shop that offers something very useful and clever: high-quality and durable drum seat covers. I recently ordered a set of covers for my twenty-year-old Roc-n-Soc throne with a backrest. I…
Mike Portnoy
It takes a big pair to be one of a kind. Since leaving the most celebrated prog-metal gig in the world with Dream Theater, the drummer has thrown himself into an impressive number of diverse musical situations, always confident in…
PRODUCT CLOSE-UP - Remo Dorado Cajon
Remo’s new Dorado cajon is a traditional fixed-faceplate instrument that’s handcrafted in California using birch plywood and high-quality compression springs with over 400 coils. The cajon has deep resonance and a lot of versatility. The increased low-end resonance is a…
Sugar Percussion - Stave-Shell Snares
Product Close-Up Sugar Percussion Stave-Shell Snares Discreet design, careful construction, and top-shelf tones. Although it’s a relative newcomer in the crowded world of custom drum builders, the Santa Cruz–based Sugar Percussion has already earned high praise from top artists like…
Gretsch - Renown Birch and Walnut Drumsets
Product Close-Up Gretsch Renown Birch and Walnut Drumsets Two new shell offerings expand the tonal spectrum. Acouple years back, Gretsch revamped its Taiwanese-made “touring drummer” Renown series so that it stood closer in line with the company’s top-end U.S.-made counterparts.…
Rich Redmond on Stewart Copeland
Synchronicity. By 1983 it may no longer have described the interpersonal relationships between the members of the Police, but it’s the perfect term to illustrate Stewart Copeland’s masterful rhythmic blend inside the tunes on the group’s final album. TO READ…
