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.
Drum Soloist - Roy Haynes
Roy Haynes is one of the leading exponents of modern jazz drumming. His influence in the development of the progressive styles of the late forties and fifties was equal to that of Kenny Clarke, Max Roach and Art Blakey. TO…
Catching up with Prairie Prince
In the mid-’70s, the San Francisco–based band the Tubes came roaring out of the gate with over-the-top live shows, blistering musicality, and an outrageously satirical take on modern culture. Toning down their outrageousness a bit helped them crack MTV and…
Understand Indian Rhythmic Concepts
Let’s get it straight from the start: There’s no dabbling when it comes to incorporating Indian musical influences into your playing. It’s all just too deep. But for decades, Western drummers who’ve fallen under Indian music’s spell have gladly dedicated…
Greg Morrow
Every one of us has favorite players who have left a lasting impression on the way we play, record, and perform. I’ve been particularly influenced by many of the marquee Nashville studio drummers who came before me, and none more…
Chaun Dupre Horton
The R&B and fusion vet, who’s put in time with Macy Gray, Natasha Bedingfield, and Tal Wilkenfeld, says it’s all about making meaningful connections—between song sections, between fellow musicians, and between past and future generations of players. TO READ THE…
Brittany Brooks
She’s spent the past few years touring with the R&B stars CeeLo Green and Kelis. Now the drummer says she’s more than ready for the next phase of her career. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Get the Sound You Want From Your Drums! Part 2: Drumset Tuning
Shortly after introducing the tune-bot electronic drum tuner in 2012, we were flooded with phone calls and emails asking how to tune different brands of drums or how to get the sounds of various well-known drummers. Analyzing thousands of drum…
Rock Perspectives Rock 'N' Time
The basic role of the drummer has always been that of a timekeeper. Today's music is no exception. I believe that basic role has become clouded in the minds of many due to the high technical level contemporary music has…
Drum Miking 101, Part 2: Two-Microphone Setups
Last month we began this series by exploring three different ways to record a drumset with a single microphone. The distance between the mic and the drumset was our focus. This month we’re adding a second microphone. We’ll explore the…
Basics - The Lindy Beat by Rich Redmond
The classic rhythm we’re exploring this month has weathered the test of time since first appearing in the early twentieth century. The pattern is associated with the jazz dance called the Lindy hop, which originated in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood in…
Strictly Technique - Consecutive Flams part 3: Inverted Motion
In the third installment of this series, we’re going to modify the exercise by removing one tap from the transitions. Instead of using a flam accent to shift from one hand to the next, we’ll use an inverted flam tap.…
Odd Groupings Over Samba with Mike Johnston
What do you do when you have two things in the refrigerator or pantry that taste awesome by themselves? You put them together! You start simple, combining things like peanut butter and jelly, eggs and bacon, milk and cereal. Then…
Creating Opportunity - Five Key Components for the Working Drummer
This month’s column is about creating opportunity for yourself. Our quotation by the American author H. Jackson Brown Jr. describes the idea beautifully. Many drummers ask me about opportunity. Sometimes the question is “How do you get gigs?” Or it’s…
Concepts - Where's the Art?
I thought I would throw myself right into the fire for the New Year with a heated topic. I’ve experienced a lot of discussion regarding the artistry in music and drumming in recent years. I think every generation goes through…
