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.
Kit of the Month
“With my son at a Lego BrickFair in Virginia, I watched two children and their parents build a very flexible creation with a limitless offering of Lego bricks, and it occurred to me that it was possible to create a…
Flam It Up: Add Some Meat to Your Fills
Flams are fun! A flam is defined as a soft stroke, or grace note, and a louder main stroke played closely together to sound like one. Flams can be closed (less space between strokes) or open (more space between strokes).…
How to Practice: Get the Most Out of Whatever Time You Have
Enthusiasm is your fuel to improve your drumming. You probably spend time working on grooves and fills, playing along to recordings, searching YouTube for videos, attending concerts, practicing from method books, and jamming with other musicians. These are all key…
Jazz Drummer's Workshop: Foundational Studies For Ride Cymbal Technique
Before be-bop, jazz rhythm was characterized by equal emphasis on all four beats of the measure. With bop came the accentuation of the second and fourth beats. This accentuation is clearly heard in the ride cymbal pattern with reinforcement on…
The Future State of the Art
So what of drumming’s future? What will happen when computers become even further integrated into our daily lives and playing routines? How will such buzz phrases as “the Internet of Things??? and “Industry 4.0??? change the way drummers interact with…
Modern Drummer: The First Decade
In the mid-’70s, a relatively unknown drummer named Ron Spagnardi had a big idea: to create the first independent magazine for and about drummers. He had no funds to speak of, and even less experience in publishing. He did, however,…
40 Years of Innovation - A look at Drum Gear Then...and Now
As Modern Drummer celebrates its fortieth anniversary, we thought it would be fun to look back at some of the important milestones in the history of drum gear—especially those that came on the scene during the MD years. Enjoy! TO…
Catching Up With...Travis Orbin
The greatest session drummers of yesteryear would dart from one legendary L.A. or New York studio to the next, where they’d crank out smash hits that the world would be singing along to a few short weeks later. Today’s busiest…
Catching Up With...Zach Danziger
Throughout the arts there are the trailblazers who establish the paths that others follow. Beginning in the mid-’90s, Zach Danziger began exploring and building what he calls his “hybrid electronic drumkit.??? Many drummers have augmented acoustic drums with electronics, but…
Driver's Seat - Avoiding Common Pitfalls
CONTROLLING THE BASS DRUM One very common pitfall of many young big band drummers is the manner in which they play their bass drum. Too many novice drummers seem to feel a need to pound the bass drum when this…
Jazz Drummer's Workshop - Practice Musically
Many serious drummers have at some point in their study, spent a great deal of time on technical exercises of a mechanical nature (rudiments, stick control exercises, reading texts, etc.), all done with only the best intentions and sincere dedication.…
Driver's Seat: Being Equipped For Big Band
In this article, I'll touch on equipment, various big-band drummers' set-ups, muffling the set for live and recording situations, and some hints on cymbal technique. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
