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.
Bowling For Soup’s Gary Wiseman
After 30 years together, Bowling For Soup is going strong. Last year included an anniversary tour playing all the songs from A Hangover You Don’t Deserve and several appearances on the Warped Tour. This year includes a new tour with…
Gregg Bissonette, “Mars” from Gregg’s album Warning Will Robinson
This month, I have the great honor of shining the transcription spotlight on a fantastic drummer and an even better human being: Gregg Bissonette. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to see Gregg perform live and to watch him teach a full…
The Martial Arts of Drumming
The drum set covers a whole lot of physical space, more than most instruments. We must dance through it, like a painter’s brushstrokes. A fascinating fact is that our sound isn’t created by the tip of a stick hitting a…
The New Breed: A Couple of More Melodies
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,…
THE 2025 NEIL PEART SPIRIT OF DRUMMING SCHOLARSHIP AWARD WINNER: STEVEN MALEK
The Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship, presented by Modern Drummer, is a tribute to the monumental legacy of Neil Peart, the legendary drummer of the iconic band Rush. Renowned for his technical precision, creative expression, profound lyrics, and long-lasting impact…
History of the Early 20th Century East Coast Drum Companies
When we think of popular vintage drum makers, most of us think of Ludwig, Slingerland, Leedy, and Gretsch. The mid-western cities of Chicago, Illinois, Elkhart and Indianapolis, Indiana were the original homes of Ludwig, Slingerland, and Leedy. C.G Conn acquired…
Scott Phillips’ Creed Tour Kit
Drums: DW Jazz Series Kit with Gold Hardware: 8×10 Rack Tom, 9×12 Rack Tom, 16×16 Floor Tom, 18×18 Floor Tom, 18×22 Kick Drum, 6.5×14 Brass/Nickel Snare, (2) spare 6.5×14 Brass Snares (not pictured.) Evans Drumheads: Snare Batter- Heavyweight, Snare Reso – Hazy 300 w/ 20 strand Blaster snare wires, Toms Batter – G2 Clear, Toms Resonant – G1 Clear,…
New Releases Featuring the Drumming of: Mike Buck and Fran Christina, Makaya McCraven, Billy Hart, Luther Rix, Carl Allen, Joe Farnsworth, Rudy Royston, Jeff McAllister, Kendrick Scott, Brandon Sanders, and Eric McPherson. And books by Rob Bowman, and Angel Bartolotta
Modern Drummer is 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…
Master Studies II: Control Studies with Fill-Ins
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,…
Progressive Drumming Essentials: Implied Metric Modulation Madness
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…
Jenna’s Drums with Some Southern Charm
After meeting drummer Jenna Kopitske at the Music City Drum Show in Nashville, we were excited that Jenna reached out to us to show off her kit. Jenna’s Prizm Blue finish Pearl Export EXR Series Kit is beautiful. Her toms…
Thanks to Jack and Chick: One of the Best Days of My Life
In 2009, I interviewed Jack DeJohnette for the Percussive Notes and Modern Drummer. Jack and I met in the afternoon before a trio concert he was playing with Chick Corea and Bobby McFerrin. I arrived to find Jack’s black Sonor…
Joe’s Offset Kits
This month’s Modern Drummer Kit of the Month comes to us from Joe Bellia, drummer for The Weeklings and Southside Johnny. This is Joe’s offset bass drum set up which allows him to use the left pedal from his double…
