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 is a fantastic book for drummers looking to learn about the language of music beyond drumming. We are honored to reprint the parts of Ron’s book here in Modern Drummer for everyone to read and learn. This month we will be expanding on the subject of Diatonic Harmony (discussed last time) with the subject of Chord Voicings. Simply put, Chord Voicings are different ways to play or spell a chord by rearranging the order (or omitting some) of the notes. Different Chord Voicings offer an easier and smoother way to get from one chord to another within a chord progression. Chord Voicings

August 2024 Issue