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.
Devon “Stixx” Taylor: A New Era of Greatness
For Stixx Taylor, the journey started behind a drum kit at two years old, but the road from church rehearsals in Atlanta to stadiums, residencies, and the Super Bowl stage was built on far more than talent alone. It was built on faith,…
Adonis Rose: New Orleans Drumming, and Much More!
You can’t talk about New Orleans without talking about great drummers and drumming. In the last few years, Modern Drummer has featured New Orleans drummers Johnny Vidacovich, Joe Dyson, Herlin Riley, Teddy “Tif” Lamson, and others. The lineage of influential…
Gunnar Olsen: Inside Puscifer’s Normal Isn’t
For more than two decades, Puscifer has operated in its own universe; part band, part experiment, part performance art, always evolving and never standing still. Led by Maynard James Keenan and driven by the sonic vision of Mat Mitchell, Puscifer…
Elise Trouw: The Architect of Loop and Groove
Elise Trouw’s sense of rhythm showed up long before she ever touched a drum kit—counting patterns in everyday life, naturally thinking in time before she even understood it. That instinct eventually led her into drums, then quickly expanded into piano,…
Steve Judd of Karnivool— Back Behind the Machine
Steve Judd has spent years behind the kit for Karnivool, helping define a sound that sits in its own lane. A sound that is tight, dynamic, and always shifting between control and chaos. Coming up in Perth, Australia, he built…
Chick Corea Elektric Band II “Ished” from Paint the World, drummer Gary Novak
This month’s transcription features the incredible Gary Novak—an absolute beast. “Ished” comes from the second incarnation of the Chick Corea Elektric Band and the recording Paint the World. This is the kind of tune that, if you’re listening in your…
Silent Drum Practice – Part 3: The Imaginary Drum Set
I’m excited to bring you Part 3 of my series on practicing drums without a drum set! This workshop series is conducted using what I call the Imaginary Drum Set. This allows you to perform coordination exercises anytime, anywhere, without…
Enter the Dojo
“Medicine men live in caves.” Jean-Michel Basquiat Eccentric artists find sanctuary in their studio. Elite athletes train hard at their gym. Inventors innovate in their lab. Defiant disruptors and wave-makers have always had their space away from the world to…
Progressive Drumming Essentials: Septuplet Fives
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: Table of Time (Revisited)
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,…
A Late Bloomer Gets Her Tama Dream Kit
This month’s Kit of the Month comes to us from Tracy Urvater. Tracy found her drumming passion at the age of 51 and that passion still drives her nine years later. She is taking lessons, practices a minimum of 20…
It ALL Comes Back Around
The fact that the first names that Lamb of God drummer Art Cruz mentioned, when I asked him about his drumming influences, were Michael Shrieve, David Garibaldi, Dave Lombardo, Chris Adler, and Poncho Sanchez, made me smile. These are not…
Payton Taylor’s Zara Larsson Touring Kit
Drums: Pearl Reference One: 16×22 Bass Drum, 7×10 Rack Tom, 8×12 Rack Tom, 16×16 Floor Tom. Snares: 5×14 Pearl Sensitone Black Nickel over Brass (Main Snare,) 8×14 Professional Maple (Deep Snare,) 3×13 Maple Piccolo Snare. Cymbals: Zildjian (from stage left to stage right): 20” K…
