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.
Cooking! Drumming!
As the holidays continue, we continue eating our favorite foods, and as ALL of my students know, I love to use food and cooking as a metaphor for music and drumming. Any musician is like one of your favorite prepared…
Bruce’s Original Ludwig Vistalite’s
This month’s Kit of the Month comes to us from Bruce DeVino. Bruce tells us, “Last June on Father’s Day, I attended a church rummage sale. I purchased these Ludwig 1976 Vistalite Series E Black and White Pattern drums in…
DWe Drum Set: Acoustic-Electronic Drums with Ground-breaking Wireless Technology
As a reader of Modern Drummer, it’s probable that you are well-aware of DW’s venture into the realm of electronic drums, aptly named the DWe Drum Set. DW describes this product as the first-ever wireless acoustic-electronic convertible drumkit. Convertible, meaning…
Dom Famularo: Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan. His Plan, and His Life.
Photo Courtesy of Sabian | Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan. That’s what Dom Famularo did. That is a mantra of mine that I shared with him last year while Dom was in the battle of his life. I…
Neil Peart’s “Xanadu” - Transcription by Marc Atkinson
Neil Peart was known by many names and nicknames, The Professor, Lurch, Bubba, Pratt, John Ellwood Taylor, Milton Banana, and if you were fortunate enough to correspond with him via email, NEP. I was lucky to exchange emails with Neil…
Mikkey Dee’s Scorpions 2022 Vegas Residency Kit
This Sonor SQ2 kit was built for Mikkey Dee and the Scorpions 2022 Vegas residency. It was also used for the Scorpions Rock Believer Tour. The snare the Mikkey is using on this kit is the same dimension drum…
December 2023 – Volume 47 • Number 12
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Out Now! December 2023
Modern Drummer is spotlighting new recordings that have the drums at the center of their sound. These recordings might be drummer-led, or just include a high-quality, special, or unique drumming and musical performance from the drummer and/or musicians in the…
Ringo Starr’s “Now and Then” WFL Set
By Donn Bennett Like most musicians of my generation, I was deeply influenced by The Beatles. For years I obsessively studied Ringo Starr’s playing and the minute intricacies of his various drum kits. By the mid-1980s my obsession led to…
Understanding the Language of Music - Sixth and Seventh Chords
By Ron Spagnardi Modern Drummer founder Ron Spagnardi wrote an excellent book called Understanding the Language of Music, a Drummer’s Guide to Theory and Harmony. This book spells out the basics of theory and harmony in a very easy to…
Threes and Fours with Fill-Ins
Joe Morello advanced the idea of endurance studies with his Fill-In studies included in his book Master Studies. These are not “drum fills,” instead they are endurance exercises built on the idea of filling-in between the primary rhythms of the…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming - Turn the Beat Around:Turnarounds
In the new and revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming, Bobby includes nine new double bass drumming chapters. The new and expanded edition covers contemporary techniques such as bass drum double strokes, feet-only exercises, binary and…
The Weaker Side: Achieving Technical Balance
By Stephane Chamberland We drummers are so dedicated to increasing the knowledge of drumming that it’s extremely rewarding to be able to teach and share our skills every day. We have the opportunity to observe the common challenges that drummers…
"The Deathless Horsie"
Recorded live at the Odeon Hammersmith in London England on February 19th, 1979, Frank Zappa’s “The Deathless Horsie” was the show opener and appeared on the recording Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar. Vinnie Colaiuta’s drumming is an unbelievable display…
