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.
Ron Spagnardi 1943-2003 Remembered After Twenty Years
It was twenty years ago this month that Modern Drummer Founder and Publisher Ron Spagnardi succumbed from his battle with cancer. Although Ron wasn’t comfortable with the term “visionary,” that’s exactly what he was. Every drummer around the world owes…
Two 1930s Slingerland Green Trap Kits
Here’s a little history of how Slingerland got into the drum business. In the 1920’s the banjo was very popular in music of day. Up until 1927 Slingerland was a banjo company. Ludwig had been a drum company since 1909.…
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…
“Chapinism” to Jazz Solos: Solo applications from Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer, Vol 1 Coordinated Independence
I had the chance to study with the great Jim Chapin during the last four years of his life. Jim passed away at 90 years of age on Independence Day (July 4, 2009). Ironically, he has been referred to as…
African and American Combinations
The next step in our African-American journey is to combine the long-three polyrhythm in bikutsi with mangambe and shuffle-funk elements. Let’s begin by playing the mangambe right-hand pattern on the cymbal and the six over four polyrhythm with the foot…
Step Up and Raise Your Standards!
Getting to your next level of excellence comes in evolutions, not revolutions. We all share the battle of fighting self-sabotage from our “shadow selves.” This lesser part of us survives by running to the light of ease and safety. Fighting…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming: Feet Only—Triplets
In the new and revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming, Bobby Rondinelli 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…
The Bass Drum Owners Manual: Applying the Heel Up Technique to Grooves
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 will see, this is a…
Sick New World Fest in Las Vegas A Rhythmic Extravaganza
Las Vegas recently witnessed a musical explosion like never before as the Sick New World Fest took over the city. This high-octane festival became the talk of the town, bringing together drummers and music lovers from all corners of the…
Brent Fitz: His Inspiring Journey
Photo by Ilya Mirman As the rhythmic backbone of some of rock music’s biggest acts, Brent Fitz has established himself as one of the most talented and versatile drummers in the industry. From his thunderous beats to his intricate piano…
Jay Weinberg Knot Just A New Generation
Photo by Anthony Scanga Whether you are a fan of Slipknot or not; if you think that you know drummer Jay Weinberg? I guarantee you that you don’t! At the age of 32, his life (so far) reads like a…
Max Weinberg: Back on E Street
Photo by Anthony Scanga To some, he’s “Mighty” Max, the longtime drummer of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. To other, perhaps younger fans, he’s familiar as the bandleader and comic foil to Conan O’ Brien, when the latter hosted NBC-TV’s…
Jay Weinberg and Max Weinberg: Like Son, Like Father
Photo by Rob DeMartin This month, Modern Drummer is honored to celebrate an MD cover that appeared 14 years ago. That was when Bruce Springsteen chose (E Street Band’s longtime drummer) Max Weinberg’s son Jay Weinberg to replace Max for…
ProMark Retractable Nylon Brushes
ProMark has introduced two new versions of retractable nylon brushes in heavy and light weight versions. The Heavy Nylon Brush comes in a 2B size handle with black bristles and offers increased volume and attack. This brush might be more…
