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.
Raphaël Pannier: Breaking Down Borders
Last year, Raphaël Pannier released his recording Live in Saint Louis, Senegal. When I first listened to it, I liked it because it was something new, the combination of a jazz quartet and an African Sabar drumming group was something…
Michael “Cavs” Cavanagh of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Every band needs a heartbeat. King Gizzard has “Cavs” pushing harder, louder, and bigger until the impossible feels normal. Recently there has been an orchestra at his back, a sold-out crowd in front of him, and nothing slowing him down.…
Rumpus
Rumpus grew up on punk rock and carried that raw, restless energy straight into the DJ booth. With a drum kit wired into his sets, he’s turning dance floors upside down, proving that live drumming can hit just as hard…
“Can’t Stop,” Red Hot Chili Peppers, By The Way, Chad Smith drums
“Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, from their 2002 album By the Way, provides a compelling example of groove-based drumming rooted in stylistic funk. Performed by Chad Smith, the drum part integrates elements of funk, rock, and hip-hop, forming…
A Constructivist Blueprint for Drum Education
Rudiments sit at the foundation of drumming, yet their relevance is often questioned, ignored, or understated. Still, the world’s greatest drummers consistently return to rudimentary vocabulary as the source of their phrasing, coordination, creativity, and expressive identity. From Buddy Rich…
The Blackbook of You
A lifetime can go by before we realize we’ve only been regurgitating the ideas of others, never giving value to our own. The ‘blackbook of you’ is when we get into the rhythm of practicing our own core motifs over…
Progressive Drumming Essentials: Making Four Sound Like More
Progressive Drumming Essentials is a collection of articles originally written for Modern Drummer magazine. They are exactly what the title says, PROGRESSIVE drumming essentials. This series of articles, and the book that contains them all, represent a great deal of…
Master Studies II: Developing the Single Stroke Roll
As a follow-up to Joe Morello’s legendary Master Studies book, he released Master Studies II in 2006. Joe was a masterful teacher and helped many great drummers with their musicality, technique, and touch. Joe was also masterful at creating exercises,…
The New Breed: Advanced Systems
Gary Chester’s groundbreaking book The New Breed is legendary. The book, and Gary’s teaching methods are deeply intertwined, it is a lifelong commitment of dedication, study, and development. Gary Chester’s Systems, Reading Exercises, Advanced Systems, Advanced Reading Exercises, Composite Systems,…
Out Now February 2026
Modern Drummer enjoys spotlighting 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 in the…
Thommy Price: A Rebel with A Cause
The fact that Brooklyn born, Staten Island raised rock ‘n’ roll drummer Thommy Price played on records by Joan Jett, Billy Idol, Scandal, Roger Daltrey (The Who,) Rick Ocasek (The Cars,) Debby Harry (Blondie,) Scandal, Blue Oyster Cült, Ron Wood…
Zak Starkey’s Drums
Zak Starkey has long been regarded as the only drummer capable of adequately carrying the torch for The Who’s original drummer, Keith Moon. His 30-year gig with The Who, might have been considered a career highlight, but a lot has…
HHHusher
If you’ve ever recorded drums – or watched an engineer wrestle with a drum mix – you know one of the most hard-fought battles is microphone bleed. One particularly common occurrence is the hi-hat cymbals bleeding into the snare mic. Engineers try to squash it with mic placement, drummers adjust their technique, and in the end, everyone accepts a little bleed as “just part…
