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.
Cymbal Swap - Try Before You Buy
As a lifelong cymbalholic (and a longtime member of that defunct website) I don’t know why someone hasn’t thought of the idea of Cymbal Swap before now. But thankfully two drummers and cymbal lovers named Justin Netti and James Saullo…
"The Magician" - Transcription by Marc Atkinson
Experience a timeless performance by Lenny White and Return To Forever, true pioneers of fusion music. Highlighted from the album Romantic Warrior, this month’s featured transcription is “The Magician.” Recorded in 1976 and penned by Stanley Clarke, the performance captures…
delete, Delete, DELETE! Masters Of Minimalism
“Half my life is an act of revision.” —John Irving Deciding what to cut away is the playground where the real masters play. The root meaning of the word decision is ‘to cut away’. Knowing what to DELETE refines your…
Endurance Exercise with Fill-Ins
Joe Morello combined the idea of Endurance Studies with his Fill-In studies in his book Master Studies. These are not “drum fills,” instead they are endurance exercises built on the idea of filling in between the primary rhythm of the…
The Bass Drum Owners Manual: Applying the Moeller Technique to the Bass Drum, More Hand and Foot Combinations
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…
The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming - Five to Sixteen Consecutive 16th Notes
In the new and revised edition of The Encyclopedia of Double Bass Drumming, Bobby 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 ternary…
Understanding the Language of Music - Form and Structure
Modern Drummer founder Ron Spagnardi wrote an excellent book called Understanding the Language of Music, a Drummer’s Guide to Theory and Harmony. This book spells out the basics of theory and harmony in a very easy to understand way. It…
Stickman - Music and Drumming Inspired Art
As drummers, we inspire other drummers and other musicians, but our creativity and our beats also inspire and entertain many non-musicians. That is (perhaps) the most important part of playing music. That inspiration can manifest in many ways. Therefore, why…
What do Charlie Watts, Simon Phillips, and Thomas Lang All Have in Common?
There’s never been a more unlikely group of drummers corralled to record an album than the curious trio of Charlie Watts, Simon Phillips, and Thomas Lang. In 2009, Austrian producer Peter Viehweger assembled some of LA’s finest players to record…
Cymbal Swap: Try Cymbals Before You Buy
If you’ve ever shopped for cymbals, you know that it can be frustrating and expensive to find the perfect cymbal that harmonizes flawlessly with your drum kit and produces the sound you desire. A new service called Cymbal Swap is…
Out Now - February 2024
Modern Drummer is delighted to spotlight new recordings that have the drums at the center of their sound. These recordings might be drummer-led, or just include a high-quality, special, or unique drumming and musical performance from the drummer and/or musicians…
January 2024 – Volume 48 • Number 01
TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
It’s a New Year, Twelve Advice’s of the Holidays
Now is a good time to pass along some drumming tips that are important to me, and I hope that you will find these helpful as well. I will list them in numerical sequence, but not necessarily in any order.…
Garrett Tyler - for KING + COUNTRY and Judah and the Lion
Photo by: Alex Kluft As we move through the for KING + COUNTRY percussion section, we move on to drummer and musical director Garrett Tyler. Garrett has been on the Nashville music scene for quite a while. His musical background…
