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.
Rodney Howard - On Tour & On Stage Making It Work
Modern Drummer readers recently spoke loud and clear about their love for New York–based drum sensation Rodney Howard by voting him runner-up in the Pop category of the 2009 MD Readers Poll. Howard’s fashionable flair and passionate playing style have…
Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills, Part 1
In this lesson I’m going to show you how to create high-energy Elvin Jones–style triplet fills based on common jazz rhythmic phrases, like those included in Ted Reed’s classic book Syncopation. This approach was first developed by legendary drummer and…
Concepts - Defining Your Role
Music is a team effort, and figuring out our position on the team is key. This will help us better communicate in any scenario, which leads to more contentment on the job. This month we’re going to look at the…
Jazz Drummer’s Workshop - Stick Control Revisited Part 3: 5/4 Variations
Welcome to the third installment in our series on drumset applications of George Lawrence Stone’s classic book Stick Control. The following variations utilize the “72 Single Beat Combinations” found on pages 5 TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS…
Driver's Seat: Controlling The Band
One of the most important points and most often overlooked elements of good big band drumming technique is how the drummer sets himself up within the band. It is extremely important for the band to be able to hear the…
GoPro - Hero3+ Black Edition Music Bundle (Video)
We drummers have tried everything we can think of to record ourselves, whether in individual practice, in band rehearsal, or on the gig. For me, it started with a cassette recorder that captured only audio, and the sound was never…
"Rock Steady" Demystified - Four Steps to Mastering an Advanced Funk Groove
Have you ever checked out Bernard Purdie’s beat on Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady”? And what about the classic drum break that includes Purdie’s signature hi-hat bark? That’s one of the most recognizable funk licks of all time, and we’re going…
Cymgard - Cymbal Accessories (Video)
The drum industry has plenty of cymbal accessories, including mutes, bags, and fancy felts. So what’s next? Cymgard thinks it has the answer, and the company sent us three cymbal mutes/edge protectors to check out: the Standard, the Lite, and…
Castle - Tapered Snares (Video)
Massachusetts-based craftsman David Cheney has developed a unique conical snare drum shell with function as its focus. The shell is created using solid wood staves and features a 14" batter side that tapers down to a 13" resonant end. TO…
GMS - Special Edition Series Drumset
Back in 1987, when Long Islanders Rob Mazzella and Tony Gallino joined forces to create the GMS Drum Co., there weren’t many companies offering custom drumsets that didn’t need some type of “doctoring” (bearing-edge work, hardware upgrades, etc.) in order…
Catching Up With... Corky Laing
During classic rock’s golden era, Corky Laing found great success with guitarist Leslie West and bassist Felix Pappalardi in the proto-metal band Mountain (“Mississippi Queen”), which he’s played with on and off for decades, and with West, Bruce & Laing,…
Catching Up With... Terry Silverlight
Terry Silverlight has covered vast territory as a drummer and composer for recordings, television, and film. As a sideman, he recently played on vibraphonist Dave Shank’s Soundproof, pianist Ted Brancato’s The Next Step—featuring bass great Ron Carter—and Bolero by the…
Driver's Seat - Understanding Phrasing
Because of the limitations of his instrument, the drummer need be concerned only with notes of two basic durational values. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Kenny Washington
Busy jazz drummer and longtime MD contributor Paul Wells—who we last heard from in his December 2012 Drummer to Drummer feature with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra’s John Riley—sits down this month with a man that many consider to be the…
