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.
New and Notable December
Pearl’s New GyroLock Tom Mounts Pearl’s new GyroLock-L tom holder is the first omnidirectional, gearless drum mounting and positioning system made for ultimate adjustability and security. Its solid universal 12mm L-arm offers secure placement from a singular drum key lock…
Peter Erskine remembers Dom Famularo
The recent passing of Dom Famularo left the drum world reeling in loss. Many of us knew that Dom had been bravely fighting the pancreatic cancer that was ravaging his system, and his relatively brief period of remission brought a…
Living Dead Drums
This month’s Kit of the Month comes from drummer Nick Mason. Nick has sent pictures of his custom finished Yamaha Stage Custom set. Nick is known as the “Living Dead Drummer” and plays Yamaha Drums and Paiste Cymbals. His drums…
Dom Famularo 1953-2023
Drummers don’t often get a chance to retire, and if they do, our community of drummers doesn’t give people gold watches or big retirement sendoffs. Maybe it’s because musicians usually don’t really want or need to retire “officially”, not to…
OUT NOW! October 2023
Modern Drummer enjoys spotlighting new recordings that have the drums at the center of their sound. These new or reissued recordings might be drummer-led, or just include a high-quality, special, or unique drumming and musical performance from the drummer and/or…
November 2023 – Volume 47 • Number 11
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Transcriptions. Vocabulary.
This month Modern Drummer is glad to welcome Marc Atkinson. Marc’s transcription of Vinnie Colaiuta’s drumming on Frank Zappa’s “The Deathless Horsie” will astound you and leave you laughing and bewildered. Marc’s precision, attention to detail, and his ability to…
Be Undeniable
“Be so good they can’t ignore you.” –Steve Martin Whether you want to be a rising star on stages around the world or simply cultivate a daily drumming meditation in your practice room, be undeniable in all you do. It’s…
Fill-In Studies Groups of Four Fill-ins
Joe Morello advanced the idea of endurance exercises 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 rhythm of…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: Skiplets
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 ternary…
The Bass Drum Owners Manual: Groove Etude and Hi-hat Substitutions
This month Modern Drummer will continue to include excerpts from Michael Packer’s essential book on bass drum control and technique The Bass Drum Owners Manual: Applying the Moeller Technique to the Bass Drum. As you have seen in previous months,…
Snare Drum Duets, "Duet 3"
Ron Spagnardi wrote a terrific book called Snare Drum Duets: 25 Duets For Two Snare Drummers. It offers a selection of 25 challenging duets that range in difficulty from relatively simple to more complex. A wide assortment of time signatures…
Drummer and A&R Person, Dave Rath - It’s the Drums That Makes People Move
Maybe you are in a band that is trying to “make it” and get signed, but young musicians and bands must navigate a lot of things these days. And with many of those things, come different people with different…
1928 Ludwig Rialto and 1933 Ludwig Pioneer Trap Kits
The drum set has come a long way from the simple trap kits of the 1920s and 30s. Ironically, many drummers today are returning to these very simple sets for busking (type) gigs, favoring the convenience and ease of packing…
