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August 2020 Issue – Volume 44 • Number 8

Part 2: The Free Stroke The free stroke, which is also commonly referred to as the full stroke, rebound stroke, or legato stroke, is the most important technique you should learn, as it’s the foundation for almost every other stroke type. The free stroke is basically a dribble of the stick where you throw it down toward the drum and then let it rebound freely off the drumhead so that it returns to the height where it started. Free strokes should be used for everything played at one stick height where there’s no logical reason to hold the stick down near the drumhead. Free strokes require very relaxed hands. Some drummers even feel as if they’re cheating when they first learn to execute this stroke. A properly played free stroke reveals two things about your technique. First, it shows that the hand is relaxed enough that the stick could rebound […]
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Articles in August 2020

Matt Laug on Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know”

The existence of live and programmed drums on a track is commonplace today. Twenty-five years ago, though, it was such a fresh idea it could launch a career. If you were anywhere near a radio or MTV in the latter…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020

Critique

RECORDINGS Testament Titans of Creation The band’s thirteenth studio release proves once again how they themselves are titans of creation in the thrash metal lineage. Although drummer Gene Hoglan is not an original member of Testament, his drumming style created…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020

Sean Reinert (1971–2020)

To those in the know, Sean Reinert was one of the most astounding heavy-rock drummers of all time, with timeless albums by Cynic and Death providing more supporting evidence than one would ever need. But from very early on, he…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020

Kassa Overall

On his second solo outing, I Think I’m Good, the Seattle native and New York City resident raps/sings over engrossing music built of sampled and live sources, in the process practically creating his own genre: the jazz-hip-hop confessional. A gifted…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020

Jost Nickel’s Snare Book

At Jost Nickel’s website, the drummer/clinician/composer posts about his latest instructional publication, Snare Book (Alfred). “I am happy to tell you that my brand new Snare Book is now available,” Nickel states. “It’s in English so you don’t have to…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020
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Bad Religion’s Jamie Miller

Sometimes the job you were meant to do comes about when you least expect it. For this drummer, the opportunity came decades after he first imagined it. In 2015, after relocating from Baltimore to California, and barely into a hiatus…

Modern Drummer
Jul 8, 2020

Lana Del Rey’s Tom Marsh

Serving the singer onstage requires all of this multithreat’s many skills. Lana Del Rey currently ranks among the top pop singers in the world. Steadily releasing albums since 2012, her classic torch-song voice graces moody material with a modern sensibility.…

Modern Drummer
Jul 7, 2020

The Jon Christensen Approach

Developing a Modern Straight-8th Concept In this article we’re going to explore the broken, straight-8th feel that the late, great Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen utilized to majestic effect on many classic albums for German jazz label ECM. The exercises included…

Modern Drummer
Jul 8, 2020

Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault

Elvin Jones’ Cymbal Collection Elvin Jones was one of the most influential, inspirational, and beloved jazz musicians of all time. Few artists have touched the world as deeply as he did. Though I only briefly met Elvin a couple times,…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020

Readers Platform

Neil Peart I am a longtime subscriber to Modern Drummer and have been eagerly awaiting the May 2020 issue ever since I read that you were writing a tribute to Neil Peart. Neil has been one of my biggest drumming inspirations…

Modern Drummer
Jul 6, 2020

Thomas Lang

While “normal” drummers are figuring out how to keep good time behind that guitar solo or how to tune that second rack tom so it doesn’t sound like a cartoon sound effect, Thomas Lang is deeply concerned with something called…

Modern Drummer
Jul 8, 2020

Evans - UV2 Drumheads

A beefier 2-ply version of the innovative ultraviolet-light-cured coated batter. Last fall Evans expanded its offerings featuring the new UV-cured coating to include a double-ply model, the UV2. These heads comprise two layers of 7 mil film and a thin…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020
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The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney

In the five years since the band’s last full-length album, the drummer has spread his creative wings as a producer of note. Here we talk about that growth, and spend time with the drummer’s partner, Dan Auerbach. The hiatus between…

Modern Drummer
Jul 8, 2020

Koide - 703 and 10J Series Cymbals

Japan’s premier cymbal maker fuses centuries-old techniques with modern-day processes. Although relatively new to the international market for high-end cymbals, Japanese company Koide (pronounced “co-ee-day”) has a long history in metallurgy that dates back to 1947, when founder Toshio Koide’s…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020

Louie Bellson

Drummer, Composer, Bandleader, and Double-Bass Pioneer Last month we talked about the father of modern jazz drumming, Papa Jo Jones. This time we’re featuring one of Papa Jo’s disciples, the great jazz artist and drumset innovator Louie Bellson.Bellson was the…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020

Innovative Percussion

LAX-1, SF-1, and MATT-1 Drumsticks and KDB-2 Cloud Beater Versatile drumset sticks and a modern take on the fluffy thumper. Nashville-based Innovative Percussion—one of the leading manufacturers of symphonic and marching sticks, mallets, and accessories—has been steadily growing its catalog…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020

Thomas Lang’s Coordination and Counting Concepts

A Few Ways to Practice With or Without Drums “Independence, four-way coordination, and ambidexterity are such huge subjects,” says Thomas Lang in a recent video lesson filmed for Modern Drummer by DrumChannel.com. “One way of getting into this is just…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020

Khruangbin’s DJ Johnson

At first listen, his drumming sounds simple. But his tone, touch, timing, and focused parts make the indie-world trio Khruangbin’s trance-like music groove hard in a way a lesser drummer would easily muck up and mire. Houston, Texas–based trio Khruangbin…

Modern Drummer
Jul 8, 2020

Modern-Jazz/Rock/Fusion Powerhouse Ronald Bruner Jr..

Grammy-winning drummer, producer, singer, and songwriter Ronald Bruner Jr. is one of today’s most electrifying performers. His exciting “no holds barred” approach has gained the respect of some of the industry’s top artists, and his genre-busting style is a combination…

Modern Drummer
Jul 8, 2020
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Aahad Nayani

The Pakistani drummer has made a name for himself against considerable odds. Aahad Nayani is a bit of a miracle. The thirty-two-year-old is a self-taught, meticulous drumset player from Karachi, Pakistan, who despite years of government internet censorship, used banned…

Modern Drummer
Jul 8, 2020

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