September 2025 – Volume 49 • Number 09
On 01st Sep 2025
Articles in September 2025
The Drum Community
In a world where community and actual personal connection is being devalued, Modern Drummer is proud to spotlight several drum community events in this (and last month’s) issues. Nashville’s Music City Drum Show was a rousing success where drummers from…
Satin Flame Memories and Inspiration
This month’s Kit of the Month comes to us from Justin Ryan. It is a heartwarming story in which every drummer can relate. Here are Justin’s thoughts on this very special instrument, “My Mother died when I was two years…
Drum Fantasy Camp in DTLA
Now in its 17th year, Drum Fantasy Camp is owned and managed by Steven Orkin of Orkin Marketing & Management. Among other artists, Steven manages marketing for my buddies Dave Weckl and Steve Smith. The idea originated when Orkin started working…
New Products from Latin Percussion, Waves, Sensaphonics, and News from Porter & Davies, Sonique Drums, and Headhunter Drumsticks
Latin Percussion Announces New World Beat Instruments Latin Percussion (LP®) is excited to announce LP® World Beat, a curated collection of family friendly recreational rhythm-making products. LP World Beat instruments have been developed in collaboration with effervescent artist, Mona Tavakoli with the lively aesthetic…
Drum Baffles: Out of the Cage with Less Bleeding
For any drummer who has had the experience of the clear, three-sided drum cage, Drum Baffles are here! No more cages! Matthew Schallmo of Drum Baffles has identified one of the main reasons why people need drum cages: The CYMBALS!…
Acon Digital - Drum Production Suite
Acon Digital has earned respect among engineers and producers with several flagship products in different areas of audio production. They’ve built a reputation for solving practical problems such as noise and unwanted reverb, while providing transparent, musical processing tools that…
Trinity Cymbals: 16" Brilliant Holey China
Trinity Cymbals continues to build momentum in the drumming world, carving out space alongside other established cymbal manufacturers. I recently ran into the Trinity team at the 2025 Music City Drum Show in Nashville, TN. They had an impressive display…
Lightweight Drum Hardware
For a different view on drum hardware, this is a chart of lightweight drum hardware, which is a popular subject with gigging drummers today, including myself. I compiled this list, including weights, models, and pricing, to help drummers choose lightweight…
Abe Cunningham talks about Private Music… and much more!
After five (long) years, the Deftones are back with a new record called Private Music, and Abe Cunningham is back with more groove than ever, and even more cool snare drum sounds to make us drummers drool. We sat down…
Stan Lynch Returns with The Speaker Wars Part One
Drummer, songwriter, producer, Stan Lynch is back, but did he ever really leave? The last time many of us saw him he was departing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the peak of their success. I thought he was crazy,…
2025 Chicago Drum Show
For over three decades, the Chicago Drum Show has been the heartbeat of the global drumming community—an unmatched gathering spot for those in search of the finest, rarest, and most innovative vintage, custom, and modern drums, cymbals, percussion instruments, and…
2025 Music City Drum Show
Vintage Sonor, Pearl, LudwigCraviotto DrumsRogers Mardi GrasVoxel1941 LudwigSoundwave MasterSamsun CymbalsLeyan SenayBreslow Drum Co. Breslow Drum Co. Odery DrumsCentent CymbalsVintage Rick Marotta Yamaha setVintage Ludwig 70's vistaliteWFL III SnaresSlingerland Gene Krupa replicaReverie CymbalsCami Loops and Jules MasciaTracy Broussard, Jake Sommers, Jim…
"Regatta de Blanc" by The Police, drummer Stewart Copeland
There are certain drummers whose sound is so distinct; you only need to hear a few bars to know exactly who it is. Stewart Copeland is one of those players. His snare tone, phrasing, and high-energy feel are instantly recognizable—…
James Brown, Afrobeat and EDM: The Power of Rhythm
James Brown changed the face of music by turning his band into one giant drum. His concept was like the ancient African drum circle brought into the modern day, with everybody in the band locked into their own perpetual patterns.…
Progressive Drumming Essentials: Syncopated Double Bass the Easy Way
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: Endurance Exercise
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: Reading, 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,…
Rhythm Vocabulary Development Series Part 6: Navigating 9/8
While often considered an “odd” meter due to its asymmetrical structure, 9/8 offers a fertile ground for rhythmic exploration and creative expression. Commonly encountered in Balkan folk traditions, progressive rock, and contemporary jazz, 9/8 provides both predictable symmetry and the…
The History of the Bass Drum Pedal and Sock Pedals
As a drum collector I quickly became fascinated with early bass drum pedals and how they evolved over time to what we know today as the modern-day bass drum pedal. The bass drum is the driving force of our musical…
Out Now September 2025
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 high-quality, special, or unique drumming and musical performances from the drummer and/or musicians in the band. This…
Tif (Teddy) Lamson's Shania Twain Touring Kit
Drums: Gretsch USA Custom in Black Glass finish — 8x12 Rack Tom, 9x13 Rack Tom, 16x16 and 16x18 Floor Toms, 18x22 Kick Drum. Snare: Gretsch Custom 6.5x14 Ridgeland Snare in Red Glass finish. Heads: Toms Batter: Remo Emperor Clear; Toms Reso: Remo Ambassador…
