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.
Strictly Technique - Playing the Sixes
It can be difficult to get young students to feel excited about sitting down and working on rudiments. The material in this two-part series is designed to encourage drummers to dig into some of the basic rudimental sticking patterns and…
Rock Perspectives - Double Bass Workout, Part 2
In this lesson we’ll explore some challenging yet practical double bass grooves. We’re mixing 16th notes, 16th-note triplets, 32nd notes, and 32nd-note triplets. Remember to always practice to a metronome or click track. Start off slowly and master each pattern…
Zigaboo Modeliste
Zigaboo Modeliste Story by “Pistol” Pete Kaufmann Photos by Jay Blakesberg How is it that his drumming approach is so unusual yet so fully representative of the breadth of New Orleans’ remarkable rhythmic legacy? In his first-ever Modern Drummer cover…
Zig’s Signature Beats
Here are some of Zigaboo Modeliste’s funkiest grooves and fills with the Meters, most of which fall in the cracks between straight and swung TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Michael Miley
Rival Sons are on the crest of a wave of bands dead set on reviving the true essence of classic rock. It’s a path not so easily taken in 2013, as the group’s drummer explains here. But if the Sons’…
Steve Smith on Narada Michael Walden
Modern Drummer recently popped in on Vital Information drummer and 2013 Pro Panelist Steve Smith to chat about one of his favorite albums, the Mahavishnu Orchestra’s Visions of the Emerald Beyond. The 1975 LP was the sophomore outing by Mahavishnu’s…
Portraits - Sparks's Tammy Glover
Few musicians have the opportunity to enjoy simultaneous—and significant—careers on stage and in the conference room. Here the veteran drummer with the iconic cult band Sparks connects the dots between the two vastly different worlds. TO READ THE FULL STORY:…
What Do You Know About...Connie Kay
Widely admired for his long tenure with the influential Modern Jazz Quartet, Connie Kay made equally important contributions as a house drummer for Atlantic Records in the early 1950s, when he laid down a long list of historic tracks that…
Concepts - The Endorsement Game
A lot of people think having an endorsement means a company is endorsing you as a player, but it’s actually the opposite. The idea is that the company is increasing its exposure and brand recognition by aligning itself with you.…
Strictly Technique - Part 1: Volume and Accent Character
Most of us tackled basic rudimental patterns when we first learned to play the drums. For me, these endless combinations were fun to practice, but I soon wondered why I would choose to play a more complex sticking when I…
Rock Perspectives - Double Bass Workout, Part 1
Welcome to the first installment in a series of articles focusing on double bass. In this lesson we’ll explore fill ideas where we’re mixing 16th notes, sextuplets, and 32nd notes over 8th-, 16th-, and 32nd-note foot patterns. TO READ THE…
Bill Bruford: An Autobiography, Prologue to the Second Edition
In which the prog-rock pioneer and fusion explorer contemplates the future of our art—and calls on us to determine it for ourselves. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
In Memoriam - Robert Zildjian
Robert Zildjian, who died this past March 28 at the age of eighty-nine, was many things. He was an astute and aggressive businessman, a devoted and revered family patriarch, and a walking compendium of percussion-industry history. TO READ THE FULL…
Carter Beauford
A full fifteen years after the Dave Matthews Band drummer’s last MD cover story, he and his mates remain as popular as ever. In that time, much has changed in Carter’s world—but much has not, including an unceasing dedication to…
