What You Need to Know About
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.
What You Need to Know About...Drum Tuning
This article originally ran in the Jan/Feb 2013 issue of Drum Business. by Ben Meyer My snare just doesn’t have the "crack" I want, and my toms don’t sound like they do on the radio. How do I tune these…
What You Need to Know About...Counterhoops
This article originally ran in the July/Aug 2010 issue of Drum Business. by Fran Azzarto Counterhoops are among the more mysterious elements of a drumkit. Some drummers aren’t even aware that there are different types, and among…
What You Need to Know About...Electronic Percussion
This article originally ran in the Nov/Dec 2012 issue of Drum Business. Drummers are drawn to electronic percussion for the same reasons today as we were back in the early ’80s, after the introduction of the Linn LM-1 and the…
What You Need to Know About...Bass Drum Pedals
This article originally ran in the Sept/Oct 2011 issue of Drum Business. by Billy Brennan At first thought, it might be easy to write off any bass drum pedal as a simple combination of footboard and beater.…
What You Need to Know About...Mallets
This article originally ran in the July/Aug 2012 issue of Drum Business. by Ben Meyer “Which one is the xylophone”? “How do I tell where the notes are”? “Are these the right mallets”? Those are just a few…
What You Need to Know About...Drum Shells
This article originally ran in the Sept/Oct 2011 issue of Drum Business. by Fran Azzarto So far in this column, we’ve discussed drumsticks and counterhoops. Now it’s time to dig in and take a look at what we…
What You Need to Know About...Drum Cases
This article originally ran in the July/Aug 2013 issue of Drum Business. by Ben Meyer A great investment deserves protection, but finding the right cases for your drums, cymbals, and hardware can be tricky, because there are so many choices. Having…
What You Need to Know About...Drum Mics
This article originally ran in the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Drum Business. by Billy Brennan By its very nature, the drumset can be the hardest instrument to mike. Guitarists, for example, have it easy: They have only themselves, their axe,…
What You Need to Know About...Effects Cymbals
This article originally ran in the Oct/Nov 2012 issue of Drum Business. by Ben Meyer The term effects, or FX, is applied to a wide array of cymbals, from tiny splashes to giant, oddly shaped sheets of metal…
What You Need to Know About...Cymbal Stands
This article originally ran in the Nov/Dec 2013 issue of Drum Business. by Ben Meyer All drummers require hardware of some kind. Knowing what kinds of packages are available from your favorite brands, as well as becoming familiar with individual…
What You Need to Know About...Drumsticks
This article originally ran in the May/June 2010 issue of Drum Business. by Fran Azzarto Drumsticks aren’t overly mystifying, yet there is information that you should be able to draw from when choosing a particular size or…
What You Need to Know About...Snare Drums
This article originally ran in the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of Drum Business. by Ben Meyer Snare drums are easily the most recognizable voice in the drumkit. The practice of studio drummers using a different snare for every song,…
What You Need to Know About...Bearing Edges
This article originally ran in the Sept/Oct 2013 issue of Drum Business. Many drummers don’t think about the edges of drum shells in terms of their impact on sound, but they can actually change the timbre quite dramatically. Therefore it’s…
What You Need To Know About...Hand Drums
by Fran Azzarto It’s common for drumset players to be curious about hand drumming, and to eventually decide to buy their first set of bongos…or would congas be better…or perhaps a djembe? Modern Drummer’s sister publication, Drum Business, recently ran an…
