August 2015 Issue – Volume 40 • Number 8

On the Cover - Antonio Sanchez

On The Cover Antonio Sanchez Circling the globe backing masters of jazz helped him develop fearsome skills and a crystal-clear vision for his art. Now it’s time for him to let his own music light the way. Story by Michael…

Pataflafla Hemiolas

https://vimeo.com/129670370 Strictly Technique Pataflafla Hemiolas Straight and Alternating Versions Over Half-Note Triplets by Bill Bachman This month we’re going to add the pataflafla (a rudiment consisting of two adjacent flams) to some two-accent hemiola patterns to give us a rhythmic…

Setting Sights: John Tempesta

Setting Sights John Tempesta The heavy-rock journeyman takes Motor Sister for a Ride. by David Ciauro John Tempesta has been a constant presence on the hard rock and heavy metal scenes since the ’90s, playing with the iconic thrash bands…

Get Good: Anger Management

Get Good Anger Management Dealing With Difficult People Without Losing Your Cool by Juels Thomas As musicians and support staff, we work in an environment with so many different personalities and egos constantly swerving around. It’s impossible to avoid a…

Antonio Sanchez - The Meridian Suite

by Terry Branam Contemporary drumming giant Antonio Sanchez’s The Meridian Suite takes the listener on a spectacular journey through a nearly hour-long composition that’s divided into five parts. This epic long-form piece features some of Sanchez’s most refined yet most…

August 2015 Issue – Volume 40 • Number 8

Beware of the Chi-Ga-Da!

https://vimeo.com/131787867 Basics Beware of the Chi-Ga-Da! Exercises for Harnessing a Powerful Funk/Fusion Sticking by Rich Redmond The main sticking used in the exercises in this article, RLL, is very popular in funk/fusion playing styles. The hands are split between the…

Traditional Percussion on Drumset, Part 4: Cajon

Around The World Traditional Percussion on Drumset Part 4: Cajon by Arturo Stble Living in New York City can be quite a rewarding experience for any artist. One of the things I love the most is the fact that I…

Catching Up With... Mickey Curry

Catching Up With... Mickey Curry It’s thirty years and counting, tracking and touring with hitmaker Bryan Adams. by Bob Girouard By his own admission, Mickey Curry’s career has been close to idyllic. The New Haven native’s résumé is, to say…

Adam Christgau

Features Adam Christgau Whether he’s focusing on pianissimo in intimate club settings, slamming home the backbeats in arenas with Tegan and Sara, or replicating the studio sophistication of Joey Waronker in every type of room in between, this Los Angeles–based…

Catching Up With... Brendan Hill

Catching Up With... Brendan Hill Blues Traveler has helped define the jam-band aesthetic since well before the genre existed. The group’s latest foray, however, is down a road previously untraveled. by Bob Birouard Blues Traveler’s sound is so closely tied…

Progressive Drumming Essentials, Part 2: Demystifying Polyrhythms

https://vimeo.com/130473160 Rock Perspectives Progressive Drumming Essentials Part 2: Demystifying Polyrhythms by Aaron Edgar Polyrhythms, which are two contrasting subdivisions played simultaneously, can create beautifully hypnotic, entrancing patterns that dance around the pulse. They can also weave themselves into complete and…

Zildjian - FX Series China Trashes, Volcano Cup Zil-Bel, and Spiral Stacker

Product Close-Up Zildjian FX Series China Trashes, Volcano Cup Zil-Bel, and Spiral Stacker Inspiring, funky sounds delivered in compact sizes. Seizing on the current trend toward drummers incorporating small, trashy stacks and effects into their setups, Zildjian has added 8"…

Get the Most Beat for Your Buck - 4 Options for Building a Primo Snare Collection on a Workingman’s Budget

Shop Talk Get the Most Beat for Your Buck 4 Options for Building a Primo Snare Collection on a Workingman’s Budget by Nate Bauman As a single man in my late twenties with few commitments and even fewer resources, I…

Catching Up With... Albert “Tootie” Heath

Photo by Michael Perez Catching Up With... Albert “Tootie” Heath The essence of jazz is evident on his latest, Philadelphia Beat—and that means swinging and searching. by Ken Micallef “Art Blakey always said, ‘It’s not what you play in between,…

Fidock - 6x13 Heartbreaker Series Snare

https://vimeo.com/130476369 Product Close-Up Fidock 6x13 Heartbreaker Series Snare The crème de la crème of one of Australia’s finest tonewood connoisseurs. Fidock (“fye-dock”) is a boutique manufacturer from Australia that specializes in handcrafting high-end stave-shell drums with rare Aussie species like…

Remo - Powerstroke 77 and Powerstroke 3 Black Dot Drumheads

Product Close-Up Remo Powerstroke 77 and Powerstroke 3 Black Dot Drumheads Extra-durable additions to the ubiquitous pre-muffled batters. Expanding the sound palette of its Powerstroke line of drumheads, Remo recently introduced a black-dot version of the hugely popular P3 bass…

Dylan Howe

Photo by Gary O'Brian Features Dylan Howe He’s spent years simultaneously developing his jazz drumming concept and accompanying a lively selection of rock artists. Now he’s found a unique way to marry both aesthetics by Ken Micallef In 1976, rock…

Bone Custom Drums - Mineral Maple Drumset

https://vimeo.com/126169612 Product Close-Up Bone Custom Drumers Mineral Maple Drumset A strong visual aesthetic with the tones to back it up. Although most North American drummers are likely not too familiar with Slovenia’s Bone Custom Drums, the company has been making…

A Different View: Merrill Garbus

A Different View Merrill Garbus She describes her band as “a three-person rhythm section where two people are making up the drumkit for a lot of the time.” The leader of Tune-Yards is obviously willing to go pretty far out…