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.
Grooving on the Snare - Six Beats That Break From the Kick/Snare/Hat Cliché
The first grooves that most of us learn are variations of countless rock, R&B, and pop recordings that feature the bass drum on beats 1 and 3, the snare on beats 2 and 4, and the ride or hi-hat chugging…
Rudimental Clave With Inverted Stickings
This month we have a fun and challenging exercise that will do wonders for your Moeller-style whip-and-stop technique. The exercise uses the son clave rhythm as the accent pattern, with inverted stickings underneath it. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE…
The Collapsing Concept - Crushing Roll Rudiments to Create Contemporary Swing and Solo Ideas
The late, great author and educator Jim Chapin gave me this exercise in a lesson a number of years ago. It deals with the seven-stroke roll and Jim’s concept of collapsing the rudiment to create a six-note grouping. In our…
Time Keeps You Humble
You’ve probably seen this month’s quote by the English novelist Thomas Hardy, which is sometimes shortened to “time changes everything.” I have a slight adjustment to it: Time changes approach. Your approach to all aspects of life changes with time.…
Rock Perspectives - Playing Rock Tambourine
Although there are many different types of tambourines they can be basically broken down into two groups, 1) those with heads, 2) those without. The most widely used tambourine in the pop field is the headless, or rock, tambourine. TO…
Rudimental Symposium: The Swiss Rudiments - A Brief Insight
Since the onset of our Rudimental Symposium series, we've had several requests to supply some information on the interesting Swiss Rudiments. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Drivers Seat: Tips From Butch Miles
A big band is many things. It can be top-heavy and cumbersome, or to quote a certain well-known world champion, it can float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG…
Drum Soloist: Max Roach Transcription And Analysis
Max Roach's artistic development in the late 40's and early 50's made it clear that an evolutionary change had occurred in jazz drumming. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Hang Chops: The Other Social Media
Your playing skills are the number-one asset in your drumming career. That’s a given. But your ability to “hang” is a not-too-distant number two. Maybe this is a good time to make sure you’re doing it right. TO READ THE…
Up & Coming - Anika Nilles
While some endlessly bemoan “YouTube drum culture,” players like this German upstart pay no mind. They’re just too busy, making the most of the medium and empowering the masses with fresh ideas. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS…
Catching up with Terry Bozzio
Last summer, drumming innovator Terry Bozzio celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his first drum lesson by performing his unique solo compositions on tour in North America and Japan. The sixty-four-years-young Bozzio, still on top of his game, attributes much of…
South Of The Border Brazilian Drumming: The Samba
The samba is a typical rhythm and dance of Brazil. It gained popularity in this country during the forties initially as a ballroom dance mostly through the famous Brazilian singer actress Carmen Miranda, who may be remembered as having the…
Progressive Independence: Rock Revisited
Fifteen years ago, the founder of Modern Drummer, Ron Spagnardi, published a book devoted to developing independence for rock and funk drumming. This book, Progressive Independence: Rock, has served as a great resource for me over the years, as both…
