December 2012 Issue – Volume 37 • Number 12

Steve Shelton

To the self-styled number cruncher with Confessor and Loincloth, if he’s communicating an “unbalanced” feel with his drumming, he’s doing something very right. For anyone who’s grown numb to metal drumming conventions, a first exposure to Steve Shelton can be…

Gregg Potter

No two drummers’ stories are exactly alike. From heavy rotation on MTV in the heyday of ’80s hair metal to his current role as the driver of the Buddy Rich Band, it’s clear that very few drummers’ career trajectories are…

Action Figures

Approaches for Big Band Rhythmic Articulation This month we’ll explore ways of approaching and articulating ensemble rhythms. As drummers, we obviously can’t perform note lengths with the same exactness as a horn player. We can, however, use the many long…

Fours and Sevens in 7/8 Part 2: Double Strokes

This month we’re going to work on playing the Fours and Sevens in 7/8 exercise with double strokes. The key is developing the finger control to play well-balanced and even doubles. The rhythmic placement of the doubles in this exercise…

The CRASH Course to Success — Part 5: Hunger

This article focuses on the fifth and final portion of my CRASH concept. CRASH is an acronym that stands for “commitment, relationships, attitude, skill, and hunger.” These five global topics can be used by anyone to attract success to his…

December 2012 Issue – Volume 37 • Number 12

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra's John Riley Chats With VJO Sub Paul Wells

When you take over the drum chair associated with a bona fide legend, there’s a huge responsibility to get it right. John Riley certainly found this out when he began playing with the world-renowned Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, which carried on…