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.
The Julie Ruin's Carmine Covelli
The multitalented drummer with a penchant for science and technology brings us the affirmation we’ve been waiting for. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
On The Cover - Dave Weckl
For more than thirty years, his drumming has been put under a microscope so often that it might as well be given its own genus and species name. Two exciting new projects get us even closer to understanding its true…
Encore: Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
No matter how far out the pianist/singer takes things on this classic double album bursting with fresh ideas, drummer Nigel Olsson adds just the right touch. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Sebastien Grainger
Death From Above 1979 made a bold statement with its 2004 debut full-length, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. Drummer Sebastien Grainger and bassist Jesse Keeler created a unique sound together that was bigger than most would ever expect from…
Drum Miking 101, Part 1: Single-Microphone Setups (Video)
In this series we’ll look at how to mike a drumset, starting with a single microphone and adding one each time until we arrive at a complete close-mike configuration. The idea behind the series is to help you fully understand…
Basics - Radio Beats by Rich Redmond
In this month’s article we’ll take a look at some popular grooves on country radio right now. All of them are variations of what I call “money beats,” fundamental drumset rhythms that have been used on countless popular songs. TO…
Strictly Technique - Consecutive Flams
In part two of this series, we’re going to take out the taps between the flams so that the flams are adjacent. When you do that, the challenge becomes playing the consecutive flams with consistent grace-note placement and sound quality.…
Bebop Pioneer Stan Levey
The great bebop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie affectionately referred to Stan Levey as the “original original.” The two met in Philadelphia in the early 1940s, a time when many jazz musicians called this city home, including Gillespie, John Coltrane, Philly Joe…
The Commandments of the Half-Time Shuffle by Zoro
Welcome to the final installment of my three-part series on the half-time shuffle. I thought it would be fitting to end with some transcriptions of a handful of popular recordings. Immerse yourself in the music so that the grooves envelop…
Samba Songo
The Afro-Cuban songo rhythm was created in the 1970s by the Cuban band Los Van Van and its drummer/percussionist José Luis Quintana, aka Changuito. After many years of studying and playing Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms myself, and participating in a…
Solid Soloing, Part 2: Changing Note Rates
In this miniseries we’re utilizing my “glue” method to gain freedom and flow while soloing. In the first installment we discussed how to connect two ideas without hesitation, using a specific sticking as a transition. In this article we’re going…
Devin Townsend's Ryan Van Poederooyrn
No one’s ever going to accuse Devin Townsend of being a slacker, and you can be damn sure the metal icon’s collaborators work their fingers to the bone just trying to keep up. That goes double for DT’s go-to drummer,…
This is 40
There are forty-year periods…and there are forty-year periods. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Neil Peart
For his (record) ninth MD cover-story interview, Rush’s drummer holds a typically fluid and intense discussion of soloing and set lists, the very real differences between his drumming past and present, and the much-speculated topic of his band’s future. TO…
